When Rachel Dixon first walked into Auberge, a pub near Waterloo Station in London, on a chilly October evening in 2021, she didn’t know a soul. By the time the night was over, she had 50 new friends.
Dixon, then nearing 40 and recently single, had signed up for a taster session with London City Voice, a pop choir, hoping to get out of a personal rut. While the singing was the initial draw, it was the post-rehearsal pub singalong that truly captivated her. “I was a bit nervous about the pub part,” she admits. “What if I ended up on my own in the corner?”
Her fears were quickly allayed. Dixon found a welcoming group of fellow choir members, including Arasan, who impressed her by buying a whole bottle of wine to avoid repeatedly returning to the bar. “I realised I had found my people,” she says.
Over the next few weeks, Dixon’s Thursday night wine club with Arasan and another member, Maddy, grew into a deep friendship. The trio continue to meet up at Auberge regularly, their group expanding to include nights out, holidays, and even ice skating excursions.
The pub itself has become a second home for Dixon and her choir mates. “Being there is the highlight of my week,” she says, even during the drier days of January. The staff at Auberge have grown accustomed to the rowdy, singing crowd, providing them with a designated area and offering discounts on drinks.
But the pub’s biggest impact on Dixon’s life came in the form of a chance encounter. After a few months of Thursday night singalongs, she started to notice a fellow choir member named Neil. With his powerful tenor voice, flamboyant sense of style, and tendency to hug everyone after a few pints of Guinness, Neil was hard to miss.
Four years later, Dixon and Neil are still going strong, their relationship blossoming in the convivial atmosphere of Auberge. “Cheers, Auberge,” Dixon says, raising a glass to the pub that changed her life.