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A nostalgic Top 10 countdown by Craig Gray
“To All The Pubs I've Loved And Lost” With the COVID 19 crisis in full swing and the country's bars, pubs, and clubs facing an incredibly uncertain future, I thought it would be fun to revisit 10 of the Bournemouth and Poole area's best watering holes that for whatever reason didn't make it this far. This is an unashamedly nostalgic list, and although the rankings are correct at the time of writing, I reserve the right to change them without notice.
10. Empire Club – Holdenhurst Road
This iconic venue is most fondly remembered by my generation for hosting the legendary Dubnium: a three-floor extravaganza of live reggae, top drum n' bass DJs, and, nestled downstairs in the basement, subs stacked floor-to-ceiling blasting out weird, low frequency noises that turned out to be the emerging dubstep scene of the late 00's. Empire Club's triple-decker layout caused promoters to plan their nights a little differently, and when it worked, it was glorious.
9. iBar – Holdenhurst Road
7. Dusk Till Dawn - Old Christchurch Road
There has never really been anywhere particularly interesting to spend an evening along Old Christchurch Road, but, in between the horrendous chain pubs and poncey nightclubs, there was Dusk Till Dawn, an oasis of pure hedonism in a desert of mundanity. Yes, the place was shut down by police in 2012 for many reasons, including non-existent fire precautions, freely available drugs, and alleged gang involvement, but the vibe was always a good one (funnily enough). Nights such as Big In Japan and Jelly's Last Jam gave the place a real underground feel, and the music they played simply could not be found anywhere else in town.
Criminally ahead of its time way back in 2007, iBar was the brainchild of local games developer Andy Davidson (of Worms fame), and looked as though Steve Jobs himself had done the decorating. Large glass windows, a pure white interior, iMacs fixed to the walls, and Asahi on tap, some felt the place 'pretentious' and 'clinical'. Those people had obviously never turned up on a busy weekend night, where downstairs you could find the loudest, craziest, bands playing to 100 sweaty, sweaty kids. Its four-year run was short but sweet, and its loss was felt across the local live scene until Anvil occupied the same space some years later.
6. On The Rocks – West Cliff
8. The Gander On The Green – Holdenhurst Road
5. Portman Hotel Green Room – Boscombe
A local institution in its own right, The Gander was already on its way out as I came of drinking age in the mid 00s, and I never really got to experience its heyday as a live venue. Fabled home to the more 'alternative' cliques, and with a long history of putting on local bands, by the time my group got a chance to play there the main pub had been turned into trendy-winebar The Metropole, with the Gander and its live music heritage relegated to the upstairs sports bar. Still, we got a year or so more out of the place before Wetherspoons bought it in 2009, renamed it the Christopher Creeke, and have been bringing down the quality of an evening in the Lansdowne ever since.
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4DORSET June 2020
A couple of local punks opened this supremely DIY bar and music venue underneath an old hotel on the clifftop back in 2010, and like the best punk bands, it burned brightly, if only for a short time. It fast became a staple of the local live music scene in spite of being a little out-of-the-way, with a good mix of reasonably priced drinks, decent bands, and a real community spirit creating a wonderful atmosphere. Three years passed, the hotel's owners got planning permission, and just like that, On The Rocks, not to mention the rest of the building, was a mere memory. A personal favourite was local anti-folk band Sh**’s alternative Queen's Jubilee party in 2012.
This small, dingy, dirty, and allegedly green, room off the side of the old Portman Hotel will always hold a special place in my heart. As 16/17 year olds starting up our first bands it was one of the only REAL venues that let us play and promote our own gigs, and was surely the starting point for many a local group. It was a proper pub venue, and the thrill of playing on a real stage, with a real sound engineer (thanks Percy), real multicoloured swivelly lights, and a decent crowd of all your mates from school, is something you never, ever forget. They've now turned the pub into some very fancy looking flats, and I walked past one day as they were demolishing the Green Room itself. That was a sad day. Follow 4DORSET MAGAZINE on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/4Dorsetmagazine
