Laylow in Golborne Road: How the celebrity members' club became London's ultimate place to party

Hot spot: The interiors of the Laylow
Guy Pewsey7 December 2018

On Monday night, David Beckham entered a blue, neon-lit door in Golborne Road, just north of Notting Hill, followed by wife Victoria and son Brooklyn. Then came Sadie Frost, Daphne Guinness, Pixie Geldof, Guy Ritchie and Jack Whitehall. All in all, 250 people arrived for a night of live music, glistening Christmas trees and vast ice sculptures.

Arranged by Beckham with Jefferson Hack of Dazed Magazine, it was held to celebrate the festive season and the former footballer’s Haig whisky brand. But as the night raged on, it was clear there was a second message to be established: Laylow, the members’ club, music venue and restaurant that played host to this riotous party, seemed to be expressing a message loud and clear: “We have arrived.”

There are several ways to make an impact as a London nightspot. Some set out their stall from the get-go. Chiltern Firehouse, for example, packed celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Gwyneth Paltrow in from day one, contributing to its immediate status as the must-visit restaurant of 2013. Others, like the new Annabel’s, White City House and The Ned, took similar go-big-or-go-home approaches with their launches, ensuring there could be no mistaking the fact they were open and ready for the city’s coolest inhabitants to join. But Laylow expertly chose another way to put itself on the map.

It started quiet, opening in understated style with a soft launch last year and welcoming several big names in the ensuing 12 months. But this winter, culminating with Beckham’s bash, it has established itself as the unequivocal new destination for the capital’s most famous stars. This is what you need to know about Laylow.

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The Background

Founded by Notting Hill-based artist Taz Fustok, it creates an environment for creatives: thinkers, painters, designers and bohemians who may not fit in with the more polished members’ clubs in the centre of town. Formerly a pub, Laylow has reimagined the four-storey space for a modern, local audience. Membership starts at £25 a month for under-30s and goes up to £57.50.

It sits, relatively unassuming and dwarfed by the Modernist shadow of Trellick Tower, amid the shops and homes of Golborne Road, the northern pocket of Notting Hill. With its galleries, vintage shops and independent cafés, the area has become a stomping ground for the city’s coolest tribes.

The Details

You might miss it if you’re on a wander through the area, walking past its deep-green exterior. But once inside, Laylow makes a major impression.

At the beginning of his venture, Fustok turned to friends for their expertise. André Balazs, the hotelier behind the Firehouse, for example, was content to share advice. He also approached Bella Freud — the fashion designer famous for her 1970s knitwear and women’s suits — to create the uniforms. But, as they worked together, they fell in love.

Freud took charge with the look and feel of the place. Her eye can be seen immediately: cosy yet sumptuous. Think floor-to-ceiling red, velvet curtains and deep banquettes, gold fixtures and hand-painted wallpaper. There are spiral staircases, faux-fur coffee tables, palm-tree chandeliers. And, of course, a roof terrace for warmer evenings.

Party People

Spotted: Idris Elba is one the Laylow's high-profile guests
Dave Benett

Laylow has hosted stars from Stormzy to Mick Jagger, who threw a post-show party after coming offstage with The Rolling Stones at Twickenham in June. Robert Downey Jr privately screened the latest Avengers film there, The Serpentine Galleries’ Hans-Ulrich Obrist chose it for his birthday party, and designer Giambattista Valli dined there with Amal Clooney and other pals after launching his London store this summer.

In October, Laylow laid on a spread for Vogue editor Edward Enninful, who lives nearby, and hosted dinner and drinks in honour of director Spike Lee. The guest list was a who’s who of creative British talent. Idris Elba was there, as was Riz Ahmed, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Labour MP David Lammy, author Salman Rushdie and Noomi Rapace.

Days later, Rami Malek — Freddie Mercury in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody — headed to Laylow after the Leicester Square premiere. A few days after that, Rita Ora and Poppy Delevingne were among the Halloween hosts for an army of friends including Georgia May Jagger, Clara Paget, Adwoa Aboah and Liam Payne. Kate Moss showed up in Vampire Queen mode (such is Laylow’s appeal, she chose it over a rival party thrown by close friends). Rihanna, who previously paid a visit in June, arrived in black PVC, made up with bright-pink facepaint. By the next afternoon, all trace of the revelry was gone, the space polished up in time for Jourdan Dunn to host a fashion campaign dinner that night.

Events at Laylow are defined by the star turnout, but also by their sense of privacy and, crucially, an apparent lack of curfew. Some parties have gone past dawn. Others don’t seem to end at all.

The Backers

Some of its A-list fans are also funding, showing their faith in the vision of its founders. A trawl through the list of shareholders is fascinating, and to some extent explains its influence among the in-crowd, keen to invest their time as well as their money in making it a success. Names previously noted as shareholders include actor Tom Hollander and Arnaud Massenet, the hedge-fund manager and ex of Net-a-Porter creator Natalie Massenet. Others include Elba, Rufus Taylor of The Darkness, Bella Freud’s novelist sister Esther, her PR cousin Matthew Freud and former Vogue journalist Lucinda Chambers. In a three-page shoot marking the launch, the fashion bible noted that investors put in between £10,000 and £400,000 each.

How to Laylow

Applicants are asked to prove themselves right for the brand and fitting in with the “eclectic, local and inclusive community” it strives for. Questions on the form extend from “Describe yourself in three words” to “What would be your ultimate party guest list of people dead or alive?”, “What was the last live act you saw?”, and “What genres of music do you love?”, signifying they are seeking rock ’ n’ roll types. You must also include a photo. The restaurant, though, is open to anyone. So happy first birthday to Laylow. If the momentum continues, it looks like 2019 is shaping up to be a big one.

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