The Zone sits next door to the Bulldog in the middle of St James's Street and takes a lighter approach than its neighbour. Live music, cabaret, karaoke and bingo carry the week, with drag hosts on the bingo and singers most weekends.
It is a bar for talking and singing rather than dancing, warm-lit and busy without being a crush. The crowd is mixed and mostly local.
The room has a long history on this street under other names, including a spell as a lesbian bar, and it still draws a broader crowd than the men-only end of the scene.
The people in this picture are AI-generated.
