Here it is, NME's Student Guide 2006. A guide to all the UK's major cities sits just to your right. Where to drink, eat, shop and watch bands. It's all there.
Rachel Bisdee, DJ on URF
“Brighton is the most famous seaside town in the UK. Brightonians are proud to live somewhere that is diverse and liberal, and bursting with culture and energy: a pocket-sized version of London, if you like. Brighton also has an important music scene, which has spawned the likes of Fatboy Slim, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, British Sea Power, The Kooks, The Maccabees and more recently, Blood Red Shoes. The only downside to Brighton is the seagulls – they know no fear and will inevitably shit on you. Future students of Brighton, you have been warned!”
University Of Sussex
Contact: Falmer, BN1 9QUWebsite: www. sussex.ac.uk/
Student Union: www.ussu.info
Number of Students: 10,500
Boy/Girl Ratio: 40:60
Famous alumni: Billy Idol (above), Tony Banks, Bob Mortimer, Jem and The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster.
URF
www.urfonline.comURF is one of the oldest student radio stations in the UK and has received several BBC radio awards. Students have gone on to work for Virgin Radio, Sony Music Publishing and the BBC.
The Badger
The Badger is a weekly newspaper from the Univeristy Of Sussex, that represents the students there. The tone is quite serious; read PDFs at www.ussu.info.The Pulse
A termly magazine that complements The Badger. Its edgy feel won it a Guardian Student Media award.
Rockit
23 Kensington Gardens, BN1 4AL,tel: 01273 672053
Rockit is the king of all vintage clothes shops. Enjoy obscure noises bursting out of battered old speakers while you’re fingering old dresses that smell of granny.
To Be Worn Again
24A, Sidney Street, BN1 4EN (Shop); Providence Place, BN1 4GE (Warehouse);tel: 01273 624500
Authentic vintage clothing from the ’70s and ’80s. Every item is individually cleaned and checked.
Snooper’s Paradise
7/8 Kensington Gardens, BN1 4AL;tel: 01273 602558
All sorts of secondhand clutter, all at bargain prices – a wet dream for a compulsive hoarder.
Ali-Cats
80 East Street, BN1 1NF;tel: 01273 220902
A dirty, sexy, sweaty underground bar with live DJs and free film viewings.
The Penthouse
1 Phoenix Place, BN2 2ND;tel: 01273 603974
A small bar above The Freebutt. The DJs play obscure indie, alt-electro and lo-fi. A word of warning: there are never enough seats to go around.
The Hobgoblin
31 York Place, BN1 4GU;tel: 01273 602519
The perfect pub for goths, but anyone can turn up and headbang to heavy metal over a cheap pint.
CANTERBURY
GigsOrange Street Music Club
15 Orange Street, CT1 2JA;
tel: 01227 760801;
www.orangestreetmusicclub.com
A lush arts-haven down a quiet Canterbury backstreet, hosting live music, poetry readings and contemporary gallery events.
Club
Kent Institute Of Art & Design,
New Dover Road;
tel: 01227817302
www.kiadnet.kiad.ac.uk
If you like your rock arty then Fridays at KIAD is the best place for it. NME favourites played out alongside obscurities and classics, with cheap doubles to boot.
Shop
Canterbury Rock
12 Whistable Road, CT2 8DQ
This is a fantastic little one-stop shop for CDs, vinyl, DVDs, secondhand stereos and audiovisual bits and bobs.
Food & Drink
Penny Theatre
30-31 Northgate, CT1 1BL;
tel: 01227 812851
Part of the Scream Pubs chain, so you know what that means – get a Yellow Card and stuff your face on the cheap.
GUILDFORD
GigsThe Star
2 Quarry, GU1 3TY;
tel: 01483 532887
A cramped, little upstairs room above a pub, this is nevertheless the best place to get a gig if you want to play in front of a crowd bigger than friends and family.
Club
The Agincourt
London Road, GU15 3JA;
tel: 01276 22225
Playing pretty much every genre of hard rock and metal ever dreamt up, including, gabba, nu-metal and hardcore.
Shop
The Rock Box
151 London Road, GU15 3JY
With a special £5.99 range, this place is great for classic rock and stocks new CDs too.
Food & Drink
Farenheit 55
3 Milkhouse Gate, GU1 3EZ;
tel: 01483 579111
Great tapas served with live bands providing the soundtrack – at a cost.
The Do
Core Club, 12-15 Kings Road, BN1 1NE,tel: 01273 326848:
www.the-do.co.uk
Banging underground party that plays obscure indie and new wave, plus hosts sweaty live performances. The Do fanzine is available for free on the door.
Detournement
37 West Street, BN1 2RA,tel: 01273 735284,
www.detournement.co.uk
Detournement means to subvert an original work of art in order to create new meaning. Thus, DJs mix future rock’n’roll, maverick pop and electro-sleaze with post-punk disco, to magnificent effect.
It Came From The Sea
Komedia, 44 Gardner Street, BN1 1UN,tel: 01273 647100,
www.myspace.com/itcamefromthesea
Experimental arty disco with fashionistas jerking in time to fashion-pop, electro-sleaze, rock and hip-hop.
Concorde
2 Madeira Shelter Hall, Maderia Drive, BN2 1EN;tel: 01273 673311;
www.concorde2.co.uk
Dark, sweaty and gloriously noisy, The Freebutt is the best place to see new bands and is the centre of Brighton’s underground music scene.
The Freebutt
1 Phoenix Place, BN2 2ND;tel: 01273 603974
Dark, sweaty and gloriously noisy, The Freebutt is the best place to see new bands and is the centre of Brighton’s underground music scene.
The Dome
29 New Road, BN1 1UG;tel: 01273 700747;
www.brightondome.org
The Dome is a beautiful old, theatre-style venue. It is great for mid-sized bands and often used for NME tours and Radio 1 gigs.
Guitar, Amp & Keyboard Centre
79-80 North Road, BN1 1YD;tel: 01273 672977;
www.guitarampkeyboard.com
This will have whatever you’re looking for. It’s also fun to spend an afternoon wandering around fiddling with things.
Ground Zero
43-45 Coombe Terrace, Lewes Road;tel: 01273 819617;
www.brightonelectric.co.uk
Recent clients at these rehearsal rooms and recording studios include The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, The Others and Blood Red Shoes.
Dance 2
129 Western Road, BN1 2AD;tel: 01273 220023
You can hire all you need to DJ here. However, local DJ Jim Citizen Smith recommends that you buy cheap from Dixons instead, because by 2am you’ll be so pissed you’ll forget to take your gear home! Cheeky.
Rob Thomas, The Maccabees
“First of all – watch out for the seagulls, they’re massive. Brighton probably has the biggest in the country, and it’s frustrating when you’re outside trying to have breakfast and they swoop down and take your sausages. You soon learn how to beat them off with a fork. Apart from that, Brighton is brilliant. I came here to uni to put off getting a job. Even though it’s tempting to go mad straight away, pace yourself. It’s a fairly small place, everything you do can get noticed, which can be a good and bad thing, great if you’re in a decent band anyway. Oh, and don’t cause too much mischief. With that in mind, stay away from West Street, Brighton’s very own Ibiza strip.”
“The dogs is a top night out. We went for Orlando’s birthday. I won my first bet, got a bit overexcited and lost all the rest.”
“Perfect for a mooch. Great for second-hand gear, especially jumpers and mod memorabilia.”
“A roaming club night that appears in different venues across the city. Recent showcases include Jamie T and The Young Knives.”
“A brilliant venue – it’s a really oldfashioned hall that can take about 600 people, but still feels very intimate for a gig.”
“Recovering from a hangover lying on the pebble beach always seems to do the trick. I haven’t been in the sea yet though, it looks way too cold.”
