Camp And Furnace

Just what is Camp And Furnace? Good question. It’s a bar, a restaurant, a cavernous nightclub, and an art gallery. Sort of.

This enormous leisure space (three old warehouses and an ex-coach shed) is split into different areas: the cosy lobby with roaring log fire, bar area and books; the cavernous, warehouse-lie Furnace that’s great for huge live events and host beer- and food-festivals alike; and the Camp, another huge space dotted with vintage caravans (great for hanging out with a group of friends and a few jars), jauntily illuminated birch trees and, on party nights, little pop-ups selling food and drink.

There’s also a new music venue and clubbing space in the form of the Blade Factory, next door. Legend has it the world’s first bread slicing machine was invented here, hence the name. Now it’s more about cutting-edge art, underground club nights and everything in between. Needless to say there’s always something going on among these versatile and always interesting spaces. With a generous drinking area outside and a hidden outdoor space encircled by the various spaces the Camp And Furnace building boasts, you’re rarely short of a seat regardless of how busy it gets.

Food first. Camp And Furnace has food six days a week in the lobby from Hardy’s Kitchen. Expect amazing burgers of all varieties plus a variety of salads including seafood and Mediterranean vegetarian-friendly ingredients. Crispy, salty Halloumi Fries are a particular speciality.

In addition there are two regular food events. Sundays are all about roasts (plenty for veggies though) in the Furnace. Dining in such a vast space alongside so many other people may be new to some, but the convivial atmosphere, value for money (around a tenner a head) and excellent service make this a popular hang-out on lazy Sundays. Booking is advised.

Food Slam and Nightgarden take over on Fridays. The former sees a variety of Liverpool’s best street-food purveyors bringing their wares to the venue against a soundtrack of tunes. Part-food festival, part-nightclub.

New on the block is Nightgarden, bringing a special guest foodie gang to the venue every week. Kind of like a headliner superstar DJ but with food. Nightgarden combines food, drink, art and performance amid a magical nocturnal setting, large-scale video projections sitting alongside huge indoor flora.

Plenty of beverage choices here too. Keep an eye out for Brown Bear, Camp And Furnace’s very own bottled beer courtesy of Liverpool Craft Brewery. The malt for the beer is smoked in the venue’s furnace and honey from the Wirral is added to the brew. Expect a good range of bottled craft beers and good cocktails too.

Want more? Camp And Furnace has a wide range of events, including a huge music quiz, the all-conquering Bongo’s Bingo (bingo but not as you know it: crap prizes, booze and big cash to win) and Liverpool Comedy Club staging regular spectaculars.

There are late-night ‘Lobby Sessions’ in the bar on Friday nights that run until 3am, daytime raves from the likes of Circus and Chibuku taking over the entire venue, gigs and even music festivals such as Psychfest.

Fanparks land at Camp And Furnace in time for big sporting events, including Premiership football, Euros and World Cups plus cricket, boxing, NFL and Olympics. Huge screens, bookable tables, booze and food come together to make watching live sport an altogether more convivial experience.

You get the feeling Camp And Furnace is the venue of the future. Food, drinks and all manner of entertainment. Live close enough and it could be your new home from home. The cornerstone of the revitalised Baltic Triangle, C&F has everything you could ever need.