O'Neill's live music Bar and streets of Piccadilly Circus

The other day I went to O'neill pub and bar with a friend of mine who had arrived from India just about a month  ago. It was actually more than a pub and bar! I mean it was a kind of a party place. I'd been there on Saturday  16th March 2013. It was St. Patrick's Day, the next day which was 17th March. There was a long queue at the  entrance due to the occasion. My friend had been to the club a few days ago with a friend of his. Now, his friend's  friend worked there and and let them in for free ! My friend tried doing the same thing again. We saw a huge black  security guard and asked him how much was the entry fee. He said £12 per person. My friend told him that his friend  worked there and if he could call him. So, he called his friend. However his friend told him that he won't be able  to let him in for free as it was a weekend and went back in. He also said that the price of the ticket depends on  the day and the amount of crowd. I guess, the more the crowd, the higher would be the price. After a while, I asked  the security guy if I required to show any ID proof. He said I would require passport or driving licence. I had my  company photo ID card. But he did not allow me in with that. I was quite disappointed and we went somewhere else  from there. After a while we came back and I suggested we stand in the queue and see what happens when our turn  comes at the entrance. We waited in the long queue until our turn came. There was a different security guy there.  He let us in. We paid £12 each. My friend took me upstairs where there was live music playing. Many of the guys and girls were dressed in green  with green hats as well to celebrate the Irish St. Patrick's day. We made our way near the stage where there were  about 3 to 4 performers. A girl was playing a harmonium like instrument, a guy was playing acoustic guitar and  singing, another playing electric guitar and there must have been a drummer too. We arrived in quite late. I didn't  know the lyrics of most of the songs. Luckily as we entered, they were playing Guns and Roses's Sweet child O' mine. The crowd was drinking and dancing crazily and some were showing off their skills in Irish tap dancing. We  also joined the crowed and jumped and danced with them. After a while we were sweating like pigs when the  temperature outside was about 2 degrees Celsius ! I didn't want to go back to the place through the crowd, where  they take £2 for keeping your jackets etc. I tied my winter jacket to my waist and held the 2 sweaters I was  wearing. Now I was just wearing a London 2012 T shirt. After they played their last song, we went upstairs on the  terrace in open air. It felt very nice there. My friend had a fag. While having a fag a huge drunk Irish guy came  to him and started talking something. He asked us where were we from. We said India. He was quite drunk and said  you don't have to fear any one here. Then he called a group of guy and started telling him that my friend was his  first cousin :) To that, one of the guys from that group who was a Swedish told him, pointing to another friend of  his who was from Turkey, he is my brother from another mother :) The Irish guy repeated what he said and made all the guys in that group shake hands with my friend. It was all  funny and no racism at all. They were all very friendly. After my friend finished his fag we returned downstairs (not to the floor where the live music was playing). I had  a coke and my friend had some beer. The cost of both was about £6 I think. There was a gallery kind of thing there  where we could stand and watch the people on the floor below us. We were watching all the love and flirting going  around. Some people were very drunk and not sure what were they up to. For example, a south Asian lady who looked  like Indian or Srilankan, was completely drunk and was hugging and kissing around with strangers..lol. However,  there were hardly any Asians there. I didn't see any Asians apart from that lady and a guy and obviously us. Most of them were Caucasians.

The crowd was pretty decent and didn't seem the typical party animal type crowd.  There was hardly anyone with any flashy party clothes. More than clubbing it was a pub / bar / a place which  played live music (kind of rock) where people could dance. After I came out I saw all sorts of things happening on the street. Guys approaching random girls and some girls  going away with random strangers (I saw 2 Indian girls going away with 2 Indian chavy guys). A black kid approached  my friend and asked if he wanted coke (Cocaine). When we sat on a bench, a mixed Indian/Kenyan girl sitting with  her BF started talking to us. Then she called another guy who was smiling at her and started chatting to him and  two of his male friends. Her BF was least interested and seemed texting. However the girls was just having a good  time and nothing else :) I didn't see any sign of violence except a small fight on the street just under the big  electronic screens. The police arrived in no time. After a few minutes a guy started playing saxophone at the same  spot and people started dancing on the street ! It was so much fun. He played the saxophone very well. He played  many songs and kept us entertained and people appreciated him with clapping and spare change. The following are  some videos taken inside O'Neill's pub and on the streets of Piccadilly circus.

Here is the address - 33-37 Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1D 6PU

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