Musical café on a mission to harmonise people
- Jenna Fansa
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
A musical café in Stoke Newington is on a mission to make the arts affordable to all and to bring people from all backgrounds together.
Harmonize Café opened nine months ago on Stoke Newington High Street in what was once the Australian restaurant Wander. They offer free gigs twice a week as well as music lessons, open mic nights, bring your own record evenings, sing-alongs and a World Supper with guest chefs.
The café is run by Romain Malan, 39, who made the news during lockdown when he brought live musical performances to local streets for people isolating at home.
He said: “Harmonise is a word used in music more, but it applies to other aspects of life – harmonising people, making them more connected with each other, breaking the barriers or just losing yourself through the music. That idea of social harmony is what we’re all about.”
The café is warm and cosy with a vegan menu that offers three pricing tiers, encouraging people to pay according to their means. Each dish has three prices and guest are encouraged to choose the price that fits their budget. So a latte would be £4 for those who can manage it, half price for those finding things trickier or £1. They offer free meals for the homeless.
The food is primarily West Indian and Indian, but they also serve sweet and savoury ‘pan-crepes’ (a mixture of pancakes and crepes).
Romain added: “We’re here to help fight social inequality, we’re encouraging people of all social backgrounds to mix. Often the topic of discussion will be music – whether people share the same musical taste or introduce each other to new songs. Sometimes it’s just about listening together and enjoying a shared moment.
“We have amazing live music twice a week with professional musicians. The sets are pretty eclectic – from hip hop to pop. One night we have cover artists, another original music.”
Harmonize Café runs as a social enterprise, with paid staff and volunteers running things. They work closely with social prescribers and mental health charities. They also have a small recording studio.
Romain grew up in Normandy and moved to London to study at the Royal College of Music. He went on to do a Masters at Goldsmiths in Community Music. He sings and plays the cello and the piano.
Harmonize Café is open Tuesday till Saturday (9am till 9pm) at 214 Stoke Newington High St.
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