The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in Brighton, East Sussex*

Brighton, East Sussex Record Shops and Venues

Record Shops

• Rounder is brilliant for new 7" singles and 12"s especially. Things you won't find anywhere else in the city. Resident has a great selection of new 7" releases too, and the very best of cool new cd albums.
• fopp definatley a gooden
• theres a local music shop called "residents" down kensington garedens (next to cutie nearly) but this place i found was pretty good for music but my fav aspect of it is that u can but the locals art work in there! i just bought a peice by artist jimi oraw and i really think thats cool that locals are gettin there stuff out there also his artwork is really cool! go check it out
• Rounders records in the lane, they also source Tickets
• Wax factor has to be one of the best places to get cheap CDs, but theres loads of others too, Roinder records is amazing, and the other one in the same square, theres loads, mostly in The lanes
• rounder records is pretty good
• resdident records kensington gardens
• Fine Records, George Street, Hove, have an extremely wide selection.
• borderline! great stuff, sometimes rare things for a pittance.. it's in the lanes
• There's a couple of good all-round record shops in Bond Street (same road as Komedia I believe), but Round Sounds in Burgess Hill is a good place for old school rock n roll and funk.
• Rounder Records, cheap cds, gig tickets, friendly people
• cant remember the name, but on Kensington Gardens
• essentail music is really good there are loads of albums for £5 or £10.
• essential music has all you need, and the people are very nice
• essential music - loads of new stuff
• rounder records (lanes by dolphin fountain) - Riks records (portland road nearest boundary road) - Daffy
• the new shop in Western Road, can't remember the name but its not too far from Churchill Sq.
• all through North Laine, rounders records in the lanes
• Punker Bunker near fat mamas is amzin if u want any type of punk c.s for V.cheap,there's also loads of vinyl, fanzines, tickets and badges etc+theres a cool clothes shop abov it! Buzz who owns it is a wiked guy and knows fuckin EVERTING about the punk scene!
• Punker Bunker, Sydney Street under Immediate Clothing.
• Bionic
• Covert Records in Sydney Street cover a wide selection of techno, electro, house, tech house, deep house, beats and breaks etc... They are also on line now at www.covert.uk.com
• Borderline in Gardner Street and Rounder in Brighton Square are both excellent.
• Found a new Independent music shop called "Bionic" that's recently opened in North Street. Great selection of metal and punk CDs (the ones HMV don't sell!) and good prices to boot. Helpful guys who really know their stuff together with a cool new and second hand vinyl section.
• Rounder Records in the square is great for specialist music and 7" singles etc.
• 52 reks - North Laine rounder records - South Lanes(old lanes)
• music meltdown sydney street for those dance records that disapear after amonth deletions and rarities and new promos
• 'Edgeworld' for specialist indie, messed-up electronica and anything interesting (slightly over-priced though); or you could try 'Borderline' or 'Rounder Records' (probably the best bet).
• the record store near the station sells some classic tunes and specialist vinals
• black grass- run by mex specialising in hip hop, breaks, etc sydney street brighton always supporting the local scene also incorporates the worms paint store
• Bang Records in the lanes for hip-hop or boderline records in the same place
• Just had to say bye bye to Krafty at HVR....he's gone on to bigger and better things...good luck!
• Anywhere that doesn't sell 'Hello Pig' by The Levellers
• Jubilee Market no-longer exists( re: record stall in basement there) Aug2000- It is now the Komedia Theatre- (Alternative Comedy etc)
• 'Track it Down' in the North Laines is the cheapest i've found in CDs and has a pretty good selection too.
• AEB Records - Above comic store in lanes. Best selection ever. Alternative stuff from ska-punk to that rare nirvana record, to ambient, trance, local bands. Strictly records only. Go there
• rounder, in the lanes.
• Blue Blob,Borderline Records,etc stock and exchange second hand and new records and cds.
• One of the best kept secrets in Brighton is Retro Records, Jubilee Hall, Gardner Street, 01273 620363 - which is hidden away in the Jubilee Hall, and is a mecca for vinyl freaks (I hate CDs!) and also has a mega section of second hand vinyl.
• The Cuba Club is really ace and I thought you might like to know that the DJ's from the club have just opened a cool well light up record shop. They always have 1000s of records in stock and they are starting to trade second hand CDs too... Their address is Gardener Street 24. The shop is small but full of shelves with music ranging from hip hop to happy house. Their speciality however seems to be underground, house and garage.
• Riddim Records in Gloucester Road for reggae & hip-hop/Mo Wax-style ('trip hop', 'abstract beats', call it what you will). Oh, and there's Borderline records in Gardner Street, for the same styles.

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• concord 2
• Not wanting to go on but Snafu 23 is a great bar / club they also has salsa dancing nights live bands etc.
• for rock nights- Well, The pav tav of course, and the engine rooms are good, stay well clear of club new york
• mmmm yes well i thought the beach area has potential...quite cosmic...i remember reading abiout RTS parties being there, going all night, and now there are clubs down there with speakers pointing out to sea like Goa...
• cut-loose at a local dnb night playing the best in jungle, dnb and old skool. the best dnb atmosphere no attitude lots of happy people. check it out thur at ali kats, sat at druids on the level and monthly at the pressure point
• The Funky Fish under the madiera hotel, The Core Club under the Brighton Charter Hotel - we went to both of these places during our stay and both of them had a really friendly attituce, and a noticable lack of suspiciously young patrons!
• AVOID WEST STREET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Brighton Fusion! Club reviews and Listings for the sorbid town of Brighton UK. Audio, Union, Concrode2, Ocean Rooms, Honey Club, Zap, Heist, The Beach, Funky Budda, Casablancas, The Event, Creation, Enigma, Pav Tav, Envy , Snafu23. Honest Reviews, UK, Bass.
• The engine rooms on preston street is a wicked Metal club... smalll dingy just as it should be.
• to get dammaged, we always head for the concorde. no chart stuff, its all very underground, very loud, very very very messy. nobody gives a sh1t. i love it.
• The Engine Room is downstairs in the West Beach Hotel.
• The Engine Room used to be the BN 1, then Club Mango and is Brighton`s long awaited replacement for both the H**gry Y**rs and The Underground. All sorts of music get played here from Deviant`s Rock, Metal and Alternative, Crash with Punk, metal, Rock and Indie (ewww), Classic Rock with DJ Boogum. The music goes right to Goth, Industrial, Darkwave and EBM on some nights, but it is mostly Rock here. Finally Brighton`s Rock scene has a home Hove Town Hall Rock and Metal night is very enjoyable The Pit is a Midweek Metal club with good value drinks plus it`s cheap. You can have a good night there for a tenner.
• concorde every time. battered every time.
• event for teenagers is rubbish, for an excellent night out go to the Concorde2 Brighton! - Daffy
• the funkyfish along the front is brill if you like northern soul & unpretentious clubs. go and dance til you can't feel anything!
• zap, beach, event, concorde, the zanz if you play for the other team or perhaps the revenge but keep your backs to the wall or you'll get your dinner mashed
• Reelin' In The Years 8 Marine Parade, Brighton Rock Thru the Ages, last Sunday of month starting 25 April 2004 Entrance £3 inc;ludes donation to Friends of Brighton & Hove Hospitals
• Reelin'In The Years @ Envy, 8 Marine Parade, Brighton. This was once known as The H***** Years. Last Sunday of the month, from 25th April 2004. 10.00 pm ~ 2.00 am; The Bionic Hour (Indie, New Releases etc), Old Skool Classic Rock, Matty de Sade Whips up a Storm (80's Alternative) & Toptal Destruction with Jim Destruct (The Pit) Entrance £3.00 includes donation to The Friends Of Brighton & Hove Hospitals.
• gloucester for cheese and fights. ocean rooms for d'n'b and dancing. honey club (mid-week) for young drunken ladies and cheapo booze.
• pink coconut/paradox is now CREATION! Drumn'bass lunarcy - fridays @ the volks opposite brighton pier
• Midnight Blue, love the place as there is never any trouble there and everone is really up 4 it!
• Funky Buhdda Lounge -seafront The beach-seafront Ocean Rooms-Morley street
• volks, mixed, true,
• escape was resident dj for 15 years from the beginning
• Moon Monkey is without a doubt the best club night in Brighton. Run by a ruthless capitalist with claws for hands, it offers the most tasty drum and bass and hip hop sounds ever to grace the Brighton Night Life scene. They have a live monkey at the club, who is nailed to the floor by one foot, and must dance endlessly in circles, and they have a naked man who gives out flyers at all the local universities. They also have a lot of balloons on their ceiling filled with glue, and one of the DJ record spinners is DJ Sandals, who is 43rd in line to the throne, but still works as a cleaner in Embassy Court.
• The Gloucester is a rocking place, even if I've never been there! If you want to go on a Saturday, make sure you queue early - I keep making this mistake. The Pavilion Tavern at the bottom of North Street is a dive but is great if you like 70s. The Ocean Rooms is just superb, but very expensive. The Zap on the seafront is excellent if you just want to get up and dance, as is BN1 further along the seafront which specialises in D&B. The Beach on a Thursday is a fantastic night out, and for Jazz try either of the two Jazz clubs in the streets east and parallel to West Street. If you can, avoid the Event as its Kev central, the Honey Club as it's not as good as the Beach, and don't ever go in the Paradox, ever.
• New club soon to open in Brighton www.riorocks.net
• if you want to get away from the teletubbie and acne scene go down the seafront clubs like the Honey club and the Cuba.
• Escape, good for R'n'B on a Thursday. Not too young people.
• The FRESH WORMS run a monthly night called WORM JAM @ the JAZZ PLACE on ship street on the 1st wednesday of the month. The music is hip hop/funk/rock in all extremes. If seeing frank butcher rocking headspins or watching a b boy in a floral skirt start grinding with nora batty is your thing then get down for yours. This is the real brighton scene with fancy dress in full effect....TFW unohoweedo
• NEVER (if you are under 18) try out the event under 18's clunight! it just aint worth the bother!
• Loads, If you live in Brighton you're spoiled for choice.
• Paradox (the meat market as mentioned) is now handing Wednesday night over to the 'alternative' music bunch..... metal heads, punks and there's even a few goths hiding in corners for you to poke fun at.
• RIP Hungry Years sob, sob
• The Gloucester is definately the best - They have a cool goth night on Tuesdays, and an even better indie/alternative night on a Friday. The Paradox on a Thursday (Austin Powers Party) is a good laugh too, playing all the hits from the 60s. The Event on Tuesday is student night, so its ok if you're a little short on cash.
• Something for everyone- usually every night of the week has several good clubs open for choice. The Ocean Rooms is particularly classy and is a popular student hang-out especially on Wednesdays. The club has 3 floors- the middle usually having karaoke, the bottom, being a conventional dance room with differing music, and the top being more relaxed and laid-back-with loadsof sofas, and relaxed music.
• honey club, below the arches - hot n heavy, 3 quid on mondays!
• You can get a good club at Willie's War Implements, though why you want to include this bit I don't know, Brighton is very peaceful, man.
• Well, if want to have some real funkadelic fun and laughs its got to be the ESCAPE Club on Friday nights. The venue itself is moderatelly small in size though the atmosphere more than makes up for it. There are varios sorts of people but youll be happy to know that there are no townies. New club opened for a month now is the Honey Club. Situated ubder the arches on the beach it plays bangin' garage and house and is a real gem on Bank holidays.
• Fed up with the negative attitude found in London clubs (why *are* the punters so snooty?), I ventured down to Brighton for Saturday night at the Zap. Although I half expected the club to be mediocre, I have to say I was impressed. The music was uplifting (with a few favourite anthems thrown in for good measure), the people were friendly and a "large" time was had by all. By 4 a.m. I was so Zapped, that one girl thought I was foreign! At least she bothered to speak - unlike the credibility-conscious club guys and girls on the London scene. And afterwards, the Sub Cafe is always an option... but that's another story.
• There is a new club/bar just opened on the seafront called the Cuba Club - open at weekends until 4am. Tel: 01273 770505. Again this is situated near to the Zap Club.
• The Catfish Club is a popular soul/rhythm & blues club on Friday and Saturday evenings at the Madeira Hotel, Marine Parade, Brighton, Tel: 01273 698331
• Friday and Saturday nights at the Zap are still the best in town, although the Escape on Wednesdays and weekends is very good.
• The Event on West Street: 30-something townies.
• The Gloucester, on the Level, Student club, no dress code, cheap(-ish) drinks, open til 2am, and very close to the All Night Caff.
• The Loft, opened just after I left though so I don't know much about it.
• Lobe don't do Tuesdays at the Concorde they to do Wednesdays at the Casblanca, they're on hold at the mo, although they also play under the name , who are planning on doing the same nights soon. Seriously
• Concorde club, on the seafront near the Sea Life Centre - especially Tuesday nights, a funky band called Lobe!
• If you're more into some jazzy funk, try the Casablanca, opp. Squid+Starfish, good bands most nights, nice little jazz club.
• The Zap, try Fridays for good atmosphere, good vibes.
• The Basement, techno/industrial, alternating on Thursdays
• Checkout the Reform for some shit hot acid trance, Wednesday night.
• The Event is O.K if you're into chart type music, The Zap is ace for House, The Hungry Years is the Place for Heavy Metal/ Rock and the Underground (or whatever its called is the place or was the place for Grunge.

Live Music Venues

• Joogleberry Playhouse - cheap and excellent varied styles of live music 7 night s a week!
• The Ranelagh on St. James' Street, the Lion and Unicorn by the cop shop and the Mint Leaf Cafe in the Lanes.
• Snafu 23 (16 Church Road Hove ) are due to have the Best karaoke night in Brighton, Hove or perhaps sussex karaoke magik will be there on the 26th april 2006 this is definatly worth a look in if you like karaoke and if you don't they do great coktails in the bar upstairs!
• The Freebutt- cool dingey little place, excellent to rock out in. The pressure point is kinda cool
• Concorde 2, brighton Centre
• komedia, the cella (under the sanctury)
• The Concorde
• The Junction pub, Burgess Hill. All Saint's Center, Lewes (home of Starfish music school). The Concorde 2, Brighton Seafront.
• Sanctuary Cella Bar - Small, personal and a good atmosphere. Sussex Arts - Cool, atmospheric, Chilled out.
• the Concorde
• Its worth venturing into Hove to go to the Portland pub its never big names but usually cheap and cheerful local bands.
• the free but i guess, and the concorde again. brighton lacks some decent venues, and as for the brighton centre.terrible venue. dont bother.
• The Concorde 2, The Pressure Point and The Free Butt are the only 3 that spring to mind. The best sound there is when Black Metal bands play as they tend to be a bit more picky about their sounds and spend ages soundchecking
• no good ones in town. and dont bother going to anyting at the brighton centre. As a venue it is fucking terribe. Although Morriesy was great. Have seen quite a few bands there and dissapointed each time. Sort it Brighton.
• The Brighton Centre's the best place to go for music. Greenday are coming Feb 05 BRING IT! Also The Concorde has some good gigs. I recommend! Teenyboppers probs wont like though.
• Concorde2 - Daffy
• Concorde2, near the Volks Railway always brings the next big bands to Brighton before they become famous. recent bands this year include Brand New, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, Fatboy Slim, Electric 6, and The Darkness, OK Go and many other rocking bands have played Concorde2 in recent years.
• The concorde's good and they sumtime hav cool stuff on at the Brighton centre
• The Free Butt, Concorde2
• free-butt. concorde 2. need i say more.
• outside the pier- youll see it straight off cos some ones always singing there, or brighton arena-thing
• Brighton Concorde
• The Pressure point Komedia
• freebutt,
• concorde
• New club soon to open in Brighton www.riorocks.net
• The Lift; The Pavillion; Concorde 2; pick up flyers from any of the interesting shops in the North Laines
• Concorde 2 is quite nice, goes to show what the Waterfront could have been if they had been prepared to part with the cash.....
• It's all gone 'balls up' as far as music venues go in Brighton. Don't bother with the Concorde 2, they open the doors about 7:00pm and the bands don't start until about midnight, what a cheek (it doesn't say that on the tickets) - this is no good if you live out of town. Besides the sound is crap in the Concorde 2 - they want to demolish all that old victorian 'feature' which obscures the bands from any angle. It's a shed!
• For an extensive list of reviews of Brighton pubs and clubs check out: http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/nightlife/
• Brighton has a dance parade on July 12th: over 20 mobile sound systems pumping drum+bass, techno + house. It's free.
• Brighton Pier has bands playing in Horatio's as well as a permanent Karaoke Bar next door. Pretty cool place.
• The Lift in Queens Road (above the Pig in Paradise) for jazz on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sunday lunchtime.
• The Dome, Concorde, Sussex University and the University of Brighton.

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Last updated: 2008-04-11