North Shields nightlife fixture Geoff Kirkwood — international DJ founder of dance music venue Are You Affiliated at King Street Social Club, co-director of creative hub One Three One and all round sound bloke is swapping lasers for liquor and dancefloors for doubles.
Launching inside King Street Social Club, The Star Turn is a pop-up cocktail bar and pub created in collaboration with Newcastle Cocktail Kitchen, transforming a downstairs bar of the working men’s club into what Kirkwood describes as “a fever dream of our own boozer utopia” — complete with its own array of ‘alcopops, trendy pints and new takes on old skool working class classics’ and music from homegrown DJ’s and a rotating cast of unpredictable happenings.
ILNS caught up with Geoff to get the insider on his pop-up pub pursuits.
Why a pop-up bar?
‘Whenever we do anything the first question we ask ourselves is “what would we like to go to ourselves”. We’ve been throwing parties that we want to go to in North Shields over the last nearly four years and have connected with all kinds of people who seem like they want to go to the same parties as we do, with us having created a community of literally thousands of likeminded people who regularly join us at King Street club.
We love pubs so now we’ve just asked ourselves what would our ideal night out in a bar be too?
We’ve started with all the things we care about, which is great drinks, great food, exceptional music (and appropriate music, which people sometimes miss I think) and most importantly, really fun and friendly people.
All of the world class artists we bring to King Street comment on how friendly and fun our audience is, so doing this pop up at King Street seems like the most guaranteed way to bring the type of people we want to spend time with.
Ultimately we all just like doing cool things. I think people can sometimes get caught up with an instagram approved version of what cool looks like, but doing things in a real working class venue has a way of smashing people’s pretensions to the degree that everybody just behaves a bit more authentically, and there’s nothing more cool than authenticity.’
How has North Shields influenced the concept of the bar?
‘It’s important to us that if we’re in North Shields and we claim to be part of that community, then we do what we can to reflect that too. I’m proudly working class (I was born in North Shields but raised in Battle Hill) and I’m proud of my heritage. At the same time I realise that the world has moved on from what I grew up around and I have to admit to myself that my tastes have broadened over the years. With all that in mind we decided to have fun with the concept of working class nostalgia and Angus from Newcastle Cocktail Kitchen has crafted a cheeky list of world class cocktails which lovingly evoke the type of drinks our parents used to drink, alongside the teenage blight of alcopops and things like a giant oldskool optic of Negroni. We’re also looking to have fun with some novelty happenings around karaoke, fortune telling, bingo and things like that.
What North Shields represents is evolving at an incremental rate and our thought is that we’re going to embrace the very best in global standard food and drink then the very least we can do is tip a loving wink towards where we’ve all come from too.’
When you picture a busy night — what does the crowd look like?
‘If we know what the crowd looks like in advance then we’ve done something wrong. The place should be welcoming to as broad a cross section of people as possible. Our philosophy is that if we get the bits we’re responsible for right (Drink, Decor, Food, Music, Atmosphere) then we’ll attract like minded people. Likeminded doesn’t mean lookalike though, and the whole purpose of trying to activate communities is that you don’t just celebrate your similarities, but you all grow from learning about your differences too.
All we care about is fun and friendly.
What can people expect when they walk in?
‘I’d say to just leave all expectations at home. It’s a social club, just not as you know it.’
The Star Turn will open Friday from 6th February and open every Friday night to 27th March, so be sure to pop along and see it for yourself, whether to basque in its novelty or nostalgia with a range of food and drink offerings from Newcastle Cocktail Kitchen
It’s brilliant to see Geoff Kirwood taking a punt on a venture like this in a community he’s spent years shaping and energising. While he’s clearly giving his loyal crew something fresh to rave about, he’s also tossing open the doors to a wider crowd – all with a wink to the good old days and a promise of nights that are equal parts fun, friendly, and unapologetically authentic.
The Star Turn isn’t just a pop-up bar; it’s Kirkwood doing what he does best – proving that when someone knows a community inside out, the nights they throw are ones you actually want to be part of. I Love North Shields will certainly be there with a cheeky cocktail or two in hand and we hope to see you there too!
Menu Highlights | Cocktails (£9)
Star Turn Hooch
Limoncello · Cocchi Americano · Pineapple · Chamomile
Rhubarb Paloma
Forced Rhubarb · Cazcabel Blanco · Lime · Meadowsweet
Gateway Negroni
Hepple Gin · Select Aperitivo · Cocchi Rosa · Toasted Coconut
Frozen Marg
Cazcabel Blanco · Watermelon · Habanero · Pomegranate
Highballs
Soft £3 | Spirit & Mixer £5 | Double & Mixer £7
Amalfi Lemonade
Granny Smith Appletiser
Pink Grapefruit Tonic
Blood Orange Soda
Spirits available:
Hepple Vodka · Hepple Gin · Cazcabel Blanco Tequila · Dropworks White Rum · Evan Williams Bourbon
For more information, follow on Instagram:
Are You Affiliated (King Street):
https://www.instagram.com/areyouraffiliatedkingstreet
Manpower Music:
https://www.instagram.com/manpowermusic
Newcastle Cocktail Kitchen:
https://www.instagram.com/newcastlecocktailkitchen
