The Rising

London's freshest new gay face of the first half of 2024 is this reinvented south London pub marked by a "new independent space pulsating with queer energy and a rebellious spirit". Features include drag, queer quizzes (host Norma Desperate) and live music, including a Sunday 4pm–6pm session featuring one of the less typically gay genres of music: jazz. Happy Hours across the week (except Saturday). Outdoor seating. This is the domain of Simon Burke and Piers Greenlees, whose next project (late 2024) is Bermondsey Square cinema The Arzner [see entry]. Located less than a half-mile east of Elephant and Castle Tube station, bang in the middle of a council estate (just like another of London's hot new gay entries of the 2020s, the Lord Clyde).