‘Can’t get you out of my head’ – the Kylie song driving bar’s neighbours to distraction

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter

A Simmons bar has been blasting Kylie Minogue so loudly, neighbours have to wear earplugs or sleep in different rooms.

Residents living near the bar at 11 Woodstock Street, just off Oxford Street, have been complaining about the venue since it opened in November and claim the vibrations from the music can be felt in the flats.

The neighbours have also even stayed elsewhere to try and escape the noise.

Westminster City council is now set to review the bar’s licence after residents wrote to the local authority to complain.

In a letter to the council, one resident said: “I can now clearly identify the track currently being played at Simmons as ‘I can’t get you out of my head’ by Kylie Minogue from the bedroom.”

Another resident added: “I know for sure the music went on beyond 11pm last night, then I went to sleep with earplugs on and I now have to sleep in another bedroom to be further away from Simmons.”

A third neighbour told the council: “The situation is so severe that some of us had to leave our premises for the night. Our obvious concern is that during the Temporary Event Notices to 3am the nuisance will last even longer until the early hours and prevent us from getting any sleep.”

They added: “The business seems to operate as a nightclub rather than a bar, thanks to the loud music, disco window advertisement and hours of operation.”

Another resident also complained about the crowds gathering at the bar. They said: “Since Simmons Bar opened, large crowds have been gathering to access the premises, at times causing anti-social behaviour. Security guards are employed by Simmons to manage rowdy behaviour, a new concern not seen in our street.

“Loud music can distinctively be heard in neighbouring properties and in general the character of the street has received a detrimental impact.”

To try and tackle the problem a resident invited Westminster City Council and Simmons chief executive Nick Campbell into their home to show how loud the music is.

According to the resident’s lawyer, the speakers at the bar were set to different levels to establish how much sound could be heard and it was agreed the music should be kept down.

The bar’s future is set to be decided at a Westminster Licensing hearing on February 23.

Simmons has been contacted for comment.

Pictured top: Woodstock Street, where neighbours have complained of noise and Kylie Minogue performing at Glastonbury in 2019 (Picture: Google Street View and PA)