Tall tales: That's a rap

'Hip-Hop Karaoke' was set up by Rob Pursey, a teacher by day and DJ by night. But this isn't karaoke as you know it, it's a slick operation with the majority of performances pre-rehearsed, and words memorised, while the crowd pulses with a heady mix of cheap beer and banging baselines. Arrive before 7.30pm and anyone with enough chutzpah can sign up to perform a track of their choice. But don't you dare darken the door of this establishment with a piercing rendition of 'All By Myself'; instead the song list runs from A Tribe Called Quest to Vanilla Ice. It's a roll-call of artists that could be a little intimidating and, as much as I like to think I know my 2Pac from my 50 Cent, when I arrived I felt somewhat out of place as the only one who wouldn't know all the words to Q-Tip's 'Breathe and Stop'.

I had been told that straight-laced bankers arrive fresh from their desks in Canary Wharf, rip off their ties and get down and durrty with the fiercest of London's scenesters, but all I could see were low-slung jeans, baseball caps and bling. The first few performers were nothing like I had expected from a karaoke night; they were staggeringly good. I was ready to slouch off home to catch up on Frozen Planet, defeated by the excess of cool.

Then came Erin, a newbie to the night. The small all-American gal bounced up to the stage, train-track braces flashing in the glaring lights, chirping 'What's up Social!' as she blinked through her thick glasses. Instead of the awkward pause I was expecting, the crowd erupted into wild whistles and cheers. The compere had already forbidden booing, but this reaction was far from forced. As Erin launched into a slightly shaky but nearly word-perfect performance of Jay-Z's classic '99 Problems', The Social shook with fists banging on the walls and ceiling in appreciation. It was rap heaven.

This is what makes hip-hop karaoke different: not that anyone is notionally welcome to get up and shake their booty alongside the semi-professional rap artists, but that 'anyone' does, and the crowd loves it. As I began to bust some serious moves I saw the fabled City traders, who were indeed body-popping away. On this packed dance floor, if nowhere else, suited slickers and Shoreditch hipsters collide to belt out their favourite lyrics together - in fact, it's possibly the most accepting place I have been in London. So you'd better watch out Erin, because I'm coming back, and I've been practicing.
Entrance free. The Social, 5 Little Portland St, W1 (020 7636 4992; thesocial.com)