The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in Torquay, Devon*

Torquay, Devon Record Shops and Venues

Record Shops

• first up-torre records, they dont do a great deal, but thers more chance of finding it there than anywhere else in torquay, unless your on the net.
• Used to be sounds and if i didnt buy online would probably still be sounds.
• Theres one in Torre.
• soundz and torre records
• aardvark music paignton, phoenix records newton abbott, solo music,
• woolworths, wh smith, virgin, torre records
• Ardvaark in Paigton
• aardvark music, paignton is the best place, oh and ronnies in torquay market for 2nd hand cheapness, torre records is good for variety but bad service and very pricey.
• virgin, whsmith, soundz
• torre records, ronnies cds (in the market). ronnies is my favourite cos the owner is cool and u can get some good deals
• Torre records is really the only independent record store apart from Soundz. Virgin in tiny but if you want the big mainstream stuff, you'll find it there or Woolies.
• woolies
• torre records, lee's great!
• torre records
• Go to Exeter or Plymouth - Torquay's record shops are rubbish.
• aardvark
• Soundz, Union st You'll get everything and anything - although specialises in latest dance as collaborates with local Djs (from Claires nightclub)
• Generally dire- go to Exeter
• There is Soundz on Union Street, this only deals with dance music nowadays. Torre Records (in Torre, surprisingly), is great for Posters/Second-Hand albums/Videos. Ronnies records in the market is pretty rubish, but it also sells porn for some reason - your guess is as good as mine.
• Soundz

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• MONASTRY CLOSED DOWN A WHILE AGO MY DEARS!!!! THE NEXT BEST IS DANCE ACADEMY PLYMOUTH!!!!
• clairs is not a youth club or a drugs den, its just a place where the special people go to wind up there week with some hardcore banging dance music on a friday night!!!!! Wheres the harm in that?
• I've been told that Tower House is good but you have to be brave to go near Abby Road after dark. Erm, I have little social life. I see the Half Moon Inn advertised a lot, I mean they have these little black n white posters in every bus stop etc you could imagine, thats a lot of tribute bands but it's in Paignton not Torquay.
• The Venue, very nice club, but it said on there web site it was rnb on saturday night. I also asked the doorman just to make sure. he said it was!!!! But it was more like a dance club, with a little bit of rnb. you can send messages to the dj, which can be shown on a big screen,NICE
• mojos, venue, route 66 , if you want a meat market style evening, Bar med is a bit better, the half moon for Rock.
• KOKO LOUNGE
• Route 66
• route 66, the venue, bar med, coco lounge........loadz
• Just so you know, the Hideaway has now closed down. It's 'replacement' is the KoKo Lounge on Union Street. Not so good but its the only one of its kind.
• route, barcode, venue, valbonnes
• Hullabaloo's on a Friday or Saturday Night. Best music from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Also the 90's and 00's. The guys behind the bar are brilliant. Tom Cruises both of them lol.Dont matter wot age you are 18-80. Grockles welcome!!!
• hmm gotta say venue for the best laff, claires is full of wannabes now
• Hullabaloos.....Babbacombe Downs......Great place on a Friday or Saturday Night and now open till 1am on SUNDAYS
• they all suck in torquay, the main ones would be Venue, Claires and Route 66...all of which are shite.the KOKO lounge is pretty trendy...I think its ok and it has an alternative night which is...interesting!
• not crazy horse sallon cary parade I FEEL MUCH TO OLD AND SMART FOR THERE !!! bar med not bad but who pay's to get in a pub !!! con-club st marychurch it's cheap .
• The Venue, young age group but good mix of music to choose from. Bar Med - bit cheesy for music though Route 66 - young age group Club Smoove - above Cafe Mambo - good house & garage music - older age group
• Clares is a bit of a hell hole - well actually a complete meat market run by a bunch of minor wanna-bees!!
• What about the Valbonne at the top of Union Street, just up from the Court House? They cater for a really mixed crowd of all ages, no teenyboppers! Musically, it's everything from R'n'B to eighties classics, the atmosphere is wicked ( if a bit cheesy)and they do some really good deals (such as 12 quid for entry and unlimited drinks!)A fave with locals and fab during the holiday season.
• Route 66, Venue, Claires, Indigo?, the toad, park lane....
• The Monastery is the best for rave dance type music and ends at 7am Sunday morning. The no alcohol policy ensure no violence but you may meet that walking up Torwood street just to get there. It is not a joke.
• I have to say Claires is tops in Torquy.Laid back with not a cattlemarket atmosphere. Monastry is full of idiots who are all on the dole and have no life other than drugs a load of lost its!!
• Hideaway plays *some* decent music - if you like anything except dance music, avoid Torquay
• The monastery all nighter!
• The Hideaway club in temperance street behind macydees a tatty metal club nice n lound bout it realy
• Theres actually 12 - 15 nightclubs in Torquay .
• Oh dear. There is a reason why TQ's full of old ladies you know.
• The Monastry is the best Dance club in the South West outside of Slinky in Bournemouth. If you like alternative music then there's Snobs (Union Street) on a Monday night (I think). There's is Claire's if you're desperate. For other clubs go to Bristol. Torquay is better than Exeter or Plymouth.
• Claires is about the only decent club and that's pushing it abit
• the venue,claires,route 66
• The Venue Rio's on the harbourside (formerly Ritzy's)

Live Music Venues

• The Post Horn - is a lively little pub on madrepore rd. he Landlord and landlady are a really good laugh. Good beer, Jam nite on Thursdays where anyone can hget up and have a go. And Karaoke on Sundays.
• the hideaway wil be open soon finally!! this place is currently being turned into an all week live music venue but only for live bands-no djs etc, this place will hold up to 700 people, and will be having the best bands around performing here. good to have it back. i know these guys personally and they have been working their socks off to get it working!
• Excuse me?Torbay music venues? is that a mistake unless of course you can count The plentitude of caberet slots and odd duo venues.Used to be the Pelican before it became the Parrot.But in my old age I think I would rather listen to some good ol'folk at the Crown and Sceptre in 'marychurch.Failing that we could always pretend we have travelled that immense distance necessary to see a decent band at the half moon Paignton on one of their many tribute nights.
• Molloy's in St. Marychurch has live music every Saturday and is a cracking little venue.
• crown n sceptre St mary church, jolly farmer, half moon, the ships,
• half moon in paignton
• The Crown and Sceptre, Jazz Sundays and Tuesdays, Folk Fridays and every fourth Thursday, rock and local bands Saturdays
• The Townhouse....coz i am the promoter...haha! so yeh its only place worth going for bands, and thats a fact.
• Piazza now closed - believe it or not, bands like The Damned & Skid Row are now playing at the Town Hall (rubbish acoustics!)
• townhouse(just up from cinema), plymouth pavilion (gets some top bands), exeter university (cky, him etc...), exeter cavern, riviera centre torquay, townhall torquay.
• Very little live music here, some of the pubs have appalling live music, you're better off going to paignton if you wanna see local bands.The Townhouse in Torquay has some local bands playing I think. The halfmoon in paignton gets some fairly good tribute bands. Exeter is the best nearest place for good bands, the pheonix and the cavern. the jolly farmer in newton abbot gets some good local bands too like stephensons rocket.
• Torquay needs a good music venue again. Back in the day I saw Siouxsie and the Banshees and more recently Babybird and Gorkys Zygotic Mynki. Nothing any good these days
• well it was piazza , now cider press
• koko lounge is cool on a sunday word
• The Spinning Wheel - mainly in the summer but some good bands on a Friday night
• Go to Exeter, young man.
• Piazza
• Cider Press pub and the clocktower pub both host some of the best bands in the bay many evenings and weekend afternoons - far cry from the student hoards. There's actually quality stuff, and both attract good crowds
• Pretty few. For larger acts the Riveria Centre occasionally has a few. I think Muse, Paul Weller, Mansun etc. have played there. The Piazza in Fleet Street used to have a few, but residents complained about the noise. Railway Inn, not that I know where it is. Devon Arms used to have Jazz on a Thursday night and still might do for all I know.
• I've never heard one decent band in Torquay, lots of sad student cover bands
• piazza

The Knowhere Guide started out as a list of places to skateboard in the UK. It is a compilation of (unedited) information and views supplied by users like yourself. It is not a conventional tourist guide!

In most cases, the information in each section has been submitted by more than one contributor (the credits at the bottom of the page list some, but not all, of the contributors) and some of it dates back to the 1970s.

We make no claims as to the accuracy of the information in the Guide - our only purpose is to provide a forum for users to share their knowledge and opinions. So please keep a large bag of salt handy and be prepared to read between the lines!

If you disagree with a comment, or information is out of date, please submit an update! The contributors come from all walks of life, and their opinions are bound to be subjective, so if your view isn't represented, please speak up and contribute to the balance of the Guide. See below in the 'Have Your Say' section for how to add your voice.

If we have helped you out or made you laugh you can buy us a pint.

Have Your Say...

You can tell us more about Torquay. This is also the method to use if you want to correct some of the information already here. (But please remember you're not mailing the person who actually wrote whatever-it-is.)

You can use the add an event form to tell us about events happening in Torquay.

Or, if you'd just like to leave a message for other users of this site, take a look at The Knowhere Board (handy if you're just trying to get in touch with someone).

Credits

Last updated: 2008-05-15