Twenty Twenty Two

It’s rare that entrepreneurs think to combine art, music, a bar AND ping-pong in one multi-purpose venue. But that’s what Twenty Twenty Two, formerly 2022, decided on when it relaunched back in January. To be fair, the first three were already sorted.

And it’s paid off. Saturday night’s ‘Beats, Bats and Beer’ has become mighty popular (though we suspect it’s probably not so much to do with the pseudo-sport). Inspired by Dr Pong in Berlin according to director Jamie Scahill, it sees Mark Webster, aka Bucky, and guests (think Italy’s Beppe Loda, Horsemeat Disco, Luke Unabomber) drop the beats and, well, you can guess the rest.

All too often, venues likes these suffer from a mediocre drinks selection. You know the sort of thing: lukewarm cans of Red Stripe, generic vodka, abrasive white wine. After all, when you’ve got first-rate DJs to entice punters, first-rate booze can wait. Not so for Twenty Twenty Two. With the exception perhaps of Gorilla, they’ve set a new standard.

Bottle-wise, you’ve got a couple of gems from Buxton – the coffee-inflected Rednik Stout has 93/100 on ratebeer.com – and four Thornbridge brews, including Kipling and Tzara. The house cask ale A Selecao is a passable 4 percent extra pale ale brewed by Bury’s Outstanding Beer. In the past they’ve got hold of rare finds like First Chop Brewing Arm’s collaborative beer with Good Measure clothing. And you’ll sometimes see cans of Barcelona-based Moritz or skull-branded Pistonhead lager.

If none of that takes your fancy, there’s always the exhibitions. Past standouts include Leo Zero’s Cut Stuff Up, which showcased his collage art that’s featured in Dazed & Confused and Time Out. Or you could, y’know, just play a game of table tennis.