Everyone loves a good dive bar, don’t they? Away from the blinding strip lights and logos in the foam you get in your dull high street bars, dive bars exist as little alternative havens – spaces to drink, hang out, and listen to good music.
One of K!’s favourite dive bars is Blondies, in east London, which has hosted The K! Pit for many years – bringing the likes of Parkway Drive, Mastodon, Machine Head, FEVER 333 and The Interrupters to the tiny, skull-covered bar.
Blondies is the brainchild of sisters Sharmaine and Verity, who literally built the dive bar from the inside out, with nothing but determination, elbow grease and many YouTube tutorial videos.
“Our approach was always like, don't get into too much debt,” says Verity. “The stuff we can do ourselves, it's so much easier to do ourselves. Like, whenever the plumbing is broken, I know how to fix it. It meant we could develop the space over time. It's our project, our child.
“It's been a rocky road but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's been an incredible journey. If you've got the heart and passion, it's a hard slog, but it'll be worth it."
To share their story, K! has teamed up with pro bartending app Freepour to give the lowdown on how you can build your own dive bar.
Watch on Freepour: How to build your own dive bar with Blondies