The Libertines will unveil the first phase of The Albion Rooms in Cliftonville this Saturday (August 31) at 1pm.
The band has converted the five storey, ten room Victorian building at 31 Eastern Esplanade into a den of artistry with the opening of two bars and a recording studio.
The band bought the former Palm Court Hotel in 2017 for £458,000
The downstairs bar is ‘The Waste Land,’ – in reference to the T.S Eliot poem, written two doors down from ‘The Albion Rooms,’ whilst Eliot was recuperating from a nervous breakdown – will be open to the public all year round.
The Waste Land will be a home for international and local artists to perform poetry / live music and exhibit art. The upstairs bar will initially be open to the public before becoming a private bar and lounge space for the studio and residents.
For the first month both bars will only be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The state of the art recording studio is available for viewing and bookings.
Band member Carl Barât said: “It might be a while before we challenge The Savoy or The Grand Budapest in the hotel stakes, but we’ve put a lot of love into this. Meanwhile it’s a colourful and inspiring home for the Libertines and I look forward to the Albion Rooms becoming our very own Warholian Factory.”
The ‘Second Phase,’ the opening of ‘The Albion Rooms’ hotel and restaurant, is scheduled for early 2020 and will feature seven individually decorated rooms, including rooms themed by each member of The Libertines.
The restaurant will feature local and guest chefs from across the globe to create distinctive and unique eating opportunities. Once completed ‘The Albion Rooms’ will be a guest house, installation art space and residential studio.
The Libertines are Peter Doherty – vocals/guitar, Carl Barât – vocals/guitar, John Hassall – bass guitar and Gary Powell – drums.
