Vinyl shops and independent venues: Plan a musical weekend in Brighton
Brighton is a truly unique city. Where other British seaside destinations suffered the blight of globalisation after the Victorian era of domestic travel, Brighton maintained its relevance with the carotid southbound train line and, later, the M23, pumping in the wealth of leisurely Londoners.
In the 18th century, Brighton was very much separate from its smaller, now-engulfed, neighbouring village of Hove, which was home to only around 200 people. Both settlements relied on the fresh stock of the sea and a few burly fishermen to support the local economy. But all that changed when George, the Prince Regent, decided to build his Taj Mahal-inspired Royal Pavilion in the middle of the town in the late 1700s.
As the Prince invited his aristocratic pals down from London, Brighton gradually became the most fashionable place in the UK. Everybody scrambled to visit the Prince Regent’s famous soirées and mingle with the upper classes to raise their status and make important business links.
Naturally, many of these aristocrats decided that a seasonal second residence on the coast might be a good idea. With property developer visionaries like Charles Busby, who designed the affluent homesteads of Sussex Square, and Thomas Read Kemp (of Kemptown), these prayers were answered, and money began to flood Brighton and Hove.
While Brighton has perhaps lost its association with the noble elite, it has retained its status as Britain’s party town and cultural hub. Like London’s sprawled melting pot of creative minds, young and old, Brighton boasts cutting-edge fashion trends and progressive values.
This eminently progressive city is also leading in the right direction for the future of the music industry. On a Saturday walk through the centre of town, music pulsates from every door; small grassroots venues bustle with young aspiring musicians and smiling faces, and once dusty record shops swarm with customers.
So, this week, I welcome all music lovers to one of Britain’s greatest urban destinations with some unmissable music-themed recommendations.
Plan a musical weekend in Brighton:
Record Shops
Record sales have increased exponentially over the past decade, with vinyl outselling CDs for the first time in 30 years back in 2021. Naturally, record shops across the UK have been enjoying a return to grace and high footfall. But of all the stores I’ve visited (and that’s a fair few, as my aching shelf will attest), a few in Brighton are a cut above the rest.
The Record Album, situated on Terminus Road just a few steps from Brighton Train Station, is, for me and many others, the best record shop in the city and, quite possibly, the country. The historic musical Mecca first opened in 1940, not long after the advent of recorded music. The shop’s founder, George Ginn, ran the business for nearly 80 years until his retirement in 2018, so the place is rich in familial fibre. The place is compact but holds cases upon cases of highly collectable records, ranging from rare first pressings to film soundtrack classics.
One record shop won’t cut the mustard if you’re a serious music lover. Worry not, as you leave The Record Album and head back towards the station, if you take Trafalgar Street east, you find yourself on the fringes of the North Laine. On Trafalgar Street, you’ll find The Wax Factor and Rarekind Records, while further south on Sydney Street lies Across the Tracks on the corner. So fill your boots!
- The Record Album
- The Wax Factor
- Rarekind Records
- Across the Tracks
Food & Drink
Brighton, since the days of the Prince Regent’s opulent soirées, has offered some great places to grab some nosh. I could rattle off several brilliant restaurants that will put a smile on your face until you look down to find a singed hole where your pocket once was. In the spirit of keeping things affordable and music related, I have three places to show you.
First of all, who likes pizza? Or perhaps I should ask, who doesn’t like pizza? Located on the border between the North Laine and The Lanes further south, Dead Wax Social have cleverly mixed everyone’s two favourite disc-shaped objects, pizza and vinyl. After a tiring afternoon wading through crates in record shops, you might want to take the weight off your feet and eat some pizza while listening to some records. If so, this is the place for you.
Next up is a pub/restaurant that, like Dead Wax Social, has a record on the turntable most of the time. This tenuous link to music is my conduit for introducing you to one of my favourite pubs in Brighton. With a classic English pub exterior, a staggeringly broad selection of rum and a speciality Lebanese cuisine, St. James Tavern in Kemptown is a tricky place to pin down. This unique gem is a great place to wine and dine; often, the records spin late into the evening as rum-soaked locals loosen their shoulders.
Finally, I would be doing the city a disservice if I didn’t mention Fatboy Slim, one of Brighton’s most notable musical ambassadors. Known in the daytime as Norman Cook, the former Housemartin has been a prominent figure in the Brighton music scene for over three decades, but did you know he owns a cafe in Hove too? Big Beach Cafe, located on Hove Lawns, is your best bet if you want to have a coffee with Fatboy Slim, though I can’t make any promises he’ll be there when you visit.
- Dead Wax Social
- St. James Tavern
- Big Beach Cafe
Live Music
A musical weekend in Brighton wouldn’t be complete without a bit of live music. If you want to see a well-established artist in concert, I advise the Brighton Dome and the slightly smaller Concorde 2 as two of the city’s best music venues. Still, I feel my time here would be better spent introducing you to some of Brighton’s independent, grassroots venues.
Fortunately, Brighton is a particularly pub-dense city, and many of these are frequently open to live acts. Neither of us has time for me to list all the brilliant pub venues in the area, but I will name three that stand out.
First up, on Queens Road – the large one that runs directly south from the train station – is a lovely pub called The Quadrant. This quirky boozer has a hidden gem of a music venue on its first floor named The Folklore Rooms, which is always a fine setting to see some exciting upcoming bands.
Similarly, heading up the road toward the station, you will encounter The Hope and Ruin. This venue may lack the classiness of The Quadrant, but its larger upstairs gig venue attracts some truly unmissable artists.
Finally, retracing our steps back towards the train station, The Green Door Store is located just north of Trafalgar Street, tucked pretty much under the station itself. The beautiful pub boasts a live music stage out back which attracts exciting local acts as well as a handful of more established touring artists.
For those who like to get groovy, the green doors are kept open into the wee hours on Saturdays, with a resident DJ hosting a popular alternative 1980s club night which is a whale of a time.
So, as I bid you adieu, I hope I leave you well-equipped with a bulletproof plan for a musical trip to Brighton. There’s nothing quite like a weekend getting lost in the lanes and bathing on the beach, and who knows, you might just get to have a coffee with Fatboy Slim.
- Brighton Dome
- Concorde 2
- The Hope and Ruin
- The Quadrant
- The Green Door Store
