Review

Concert Square is a misnomer, as this large piazza, between Wood Street and Fleet Street, should be renamed Contemporary Design Square in honour of the modern buildings overlooking it. Very chic and always heaving with stylish, glamorous socialites and wannabe starlets, Modo is officially named Rocomodo and often known as Rococo Modo. The Modo complex, reminiscent of a futuristic, Japanese house, will interest anybody interested in modern architecture, as it won the RIBA Award for Architecture in 1997. With a pale wooden façade and minimalist interior, Modo was designed and purpose-built by the same architects who converted a nearby warehouse into Baa Bar.

Bars surround the Concert Street piazza: clockwise from Modo is The Arena Bar, Norwegian Blue, RSVP and Walkabout. Plastic moulded chairs, metal tables and plastic sofas on wheels fill the tree-lined central square, and the highlight is a tall, steel sculpture of a black and orange, hat-wearing bloke who seems about to puke. The obvious suntrap and magnet for beautiful people ensures the piazza is filled with attractive women, purchasing their drinks from the window resembling an Ibiza swimming-pool bar. Concert Street's proximity to the main shopping area and large external seated area means that young families bring their children here, but lots of CCTV cameras ensure they don't misbehave.

With its Rococo styling, minimalist décor, gothic sofas, paintings and fish tank, Modo is a cocktail bar above all else. Food is also a big part of the experience with many candle-lit dining tables and a wide selection of food. The music at Modo is quiet, which allows people to hold a conversation, but once the bar gets busy all attempts at chatting are lost in the hubbub. There's also a DJ at weekends who plays house and garage. The notice stating 'Suede open downstairs' tells indie fans what Brett Anderson and the boys are doing now their career has dipped sharply: selling themselves as rentboys in Liverpool.

Like its older sibling, Baa Bar, Modo has a large upstairs unisex toilet, which is overlooked for its facilities and utilised as place to meet the opposite sex; obviously, there is one bodily function - the only one - on the minds of the stylish and fashionable men and women. There are smaller toilets downstairs that are much less fun. As Modo is a popular bar, it's likely to be the bar in which Liverpool celebrities are likely to be seen. Be prepared for who might be standing next to you at the urinal or preening him- or herself in the mirror.

Review by mr_psm