Single In London? Monty’s Needs You!
There have never been more single people living in London. FACT. While the number ways of meeting other singletons through digital means is on the up and up, increasingly, people are becoming frustrated with the time online dating takes up, and the disappointment so often experienced when the two prospective lovers meet and realise that while on paper they are ideally matched, the chemistry simply isn’t there.
So what are you to do as a young single person in the metropolis, looking for a hook-up and possibly more? The lecherous groups of young men in your local pubs seem to have little desire to get to know you beyond looking at your tits; and from a man’s point of view, there is little more threatening in life than trying to extract one girl from a large group of cackling females. Speed dating is a one-sided nightmare, with events populated almost exclusively by women who are looking to meet people, and blokes that have been roped in by the organiser’s boyfriend at the last minute, who wish they were watching the football. Truly, there needs to be another way to find a mate. And there is: Monty’s.
It was founder Katie Bonham’s experience with and rejection of the current London dating scene, as described above, that inspired Monty’s. She wanted to create a party atmosphere but in such a way that would encourage strangers to chat to each other.
The rule is simple: Come with a mate, leave with a date.
To ensure that there are even numbers of boys and girls at the events, everyone who books a ticket has to bring a single wing-man of the opposite sex. This tends to mean people come in large, mixed groups, which lends the nights a more relaxed atmosphere; so they feel more like large house parties (typically around 150 people). With cocktails and food from up-and-coming chefs on hand, the conversation starts flowing, and people relax and mix groups.
Katie is yet to buy herself a new hat for a Monty’s wedding, but she has had some dating success, with people going on to have relationships after meeting at an event.
It’s cheaper than a month’s membership of an online dating site but without the risk of meeting any nutters, and comes with the added benefit of a fun night out with your mates in a bar in Hoxton.
The next event is at Dead Doll’s House in Hoxton Square on Friday, 16th August.
