The way to get in here is to look way out

"We're trying to get the most fun, eclectic and fashionable crowd possible," says Martin Klavsen, manager of Music Hall.

"It's like a fancy dress party, but a bit cooler. When everyone makes the effort it turns into such a fun night." It's also free.

The no effort, no entry dress code makes for a very particular posse. Step inside and you're met with a kaleidoscope of colours and styles, from mullet-sporting ladies in mirror aviators to sinewy boys in hot pink jeans.

Now I like to take a bit of pride in my appearance, but if you asked me to spend an hour glueing neon sequins to the side of my face on a Saturday evening you wouldn't see me for dust. But I realise when I turn up that I haven't really made the effort, and I'm worried I might get turned away. Fortunately, the door staff must like something about me, as I sail in.

But stepping on to a dance floor full of neon wigs, silver leggings and eight-inch platform heels, my £20 New Look dress feels somewhat middle-of-the-road.

The converted Victorian warehouse is spacious enough for my gang of painfully conventional pals to grab one of the candlelit booths, where we sip our drinks and watch the hipsters go by.

It's obvious that this is a place to see and be seen. Rocking undercuts, Eighties jackets, spray-on jeans, tartan waistcoats and enormous gold chains - people can't help but pose as they swing through the doors. There's a mix of ages, from young twentysomethings to those in their forties, and everyone's very friendly. These are clearly people who know how to cut loose and enjoy themselves.

I chat to a lawyer, a banker, and a couple of girls who work in IT who insist that they don't dress like this (wigs, vertiginous plat-

forms, metallic leggings) for work. Barmen sporting red mohawks and eyeliner zip around a four-sided bar, flipping cocktail glasses in the air. Punters prop up the bar, sampling Music Hall's range of Belgian beers and tapping their toes to the heavy electro that shakes the whole place.

Saturday night is the weekly Foreign night, where promoters Jodie Harsh and Yr Mum Ya Dad's Scottee indulge the crowd with guest DJs from the world's best electro nights. Each month has a different country as its theme.

Tonight, the Americans are in town and a beautiful golden-haired she-man is poised behind the decks. The set is almost as eclectic as the crowd, who joyfully jerk their hips to electroclash and rave with smatterings of Bodyrox, Prince, Enya and some extremely dodgy disco.

The back of the bar has been taken over by made-up men and girls in hoodies. Some sit gossiping on sofas; others stand mesmerised by surreal visuals from New York's Kiki & Herb (a pair of drag queens from the Big Apple) that are projected on to a big screen on the back wall.

After a few drinks, I find a little corner to boogie in with some friends and we end up having a real laugh. When you're dancing next to a moonwalking ladyboy it's hard to take anything too seriously.

Before we know it, the clock is approaching 2am and things start to wrap up. After one last cocktail we head out into the night and a world that seems suddenly very boring. If you're a jeans and trainers kind of person, you might want to give Bar Music Hall a miss. Even if you're lucky enough to get past the fearsome drag queens and megalomaniac bouncers at the entrance, the truth is you'll feel a tad out of place inside.

But it's worth a go if you're looking for something different. And unlike so many of Shoreditch's drinking holes, it's free.

Many Londoners might find the exclusivity of Bar Music Hall off-putting, but quite frankly, that's the point. People come here for a truly unique atmosphere where their avant-garde style will be celebrated, rather than sneered at. If you don't like it, there's always All Bar One.

Foreign, Saturdays at Bar Music Hall, 134-146 Curtain Road, EC2 (020 7613 5951), 8pm-2am, entrance is free