The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in Luton, Bedfordshire*

Luton, Bedfordshire Record Shops and Venues

Record Shops

• A good little second hand record shop in the market in the arndale centre selling all genres of music from rock to r'n'b, but we need more specialist shops really.
• four things that you are out of date about in Luton Soul Sense aint no more the Guy in Wellington Street has also gone, if you want a decent selection of Reggae RnB Hip Hop Gatrage and some Drum n Bass then you need Simply Music in The Arndale Market, most of his imports are around a Tenner and he stocks stuff from £2.99. Well worth a visit
• hmv, in the arndale.
• Vinyl Revelations in the Arndale Market - only place to find your tunes now Soul Sence has gone. Shit loads under the counter if you've got the patience! No clueless morons working there either!
• hmv, thats the best
• Plenty of Hip-Hop, R&B and Soul shops. Nothing good.
• Remember the old smaller HMV in the Arndale centre late 80s early 90s. Used to sell the more alternative music of the time
• theres a christian music shop in reginal street
• Virgin, HMV, others too
• Loads in the Arndale
• soul sense
• Unless it's Garage or Drum n Bass your after...forget it.
• HMV hasn't stocked many decent CDs for years, Our Price hasn't ever afaik.
• Soul Sense is probably the best in Luton, the ONLY place to get your tunes. Other specialists have popped up in Dunstable, but Soul Sense has been there for ages!!
• Vynl Revelations, Luton Arndale Indoor Market. Uh, its not very good, but it is there. This is Luton you know.
• There's only two real record shops. HMV and Our Price. They're good, but we could do with a Virgin Megastore the size of Debenhams.
• Theres a really good little outlet at the back of town, as you turn of wellington street, so good that i can't remember the name, but do give it a try.
• The stall in the arndale market. Excellant vinyl.
• Vinyl Revelations in the market has a good selection of CDs and a large range of fake band t shirts which aren't actually that bad.
• Soul Sense by the fly over in Town is probably the best known, but a couple on High Town Road may provide you with hours of fun!
• no independants except Soul sense, anyway aren't the shopkeepers really customer friendly (not)they need a few fucking lessons on how to serve people with a bit of respect.
• Soul Sense and a stall in the Arndale market
• soul sense
• Don't go to the one in Dunstable - Street Sounds or something, it's shite.
• If you want a half-decent second record shop then try this stall at the market hall which is inside the Arndale centre - it's small but cool if you can find it!
• Soul Sense is the main independent record shop in Luton.

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• New Club "Bentleys" used to be Club Aqua Chruch St Luton, very good, 3 floors bar area, 2nd floor disco 70's/80's club classics and the 3rd Floor up to date club/garage
• I AGREE BUCK WILDS IS DEFO THE PLACE TO BE!! HOW FUNNY IS IT WATCHING SOME COCKY LAD OR SOME SILLY TART IN A SMALL SKIRT GO FLYING OFF THE BUCKING BULL THING!!!!!! AND ITS COOL WATCHING THE BAR GIRLS DANCE ON THE BAR BETTER THAN JUST STOOD IN ONE OF LUTONS OTHER BORING PUBS................
• Buck Wilds is the newest venue in town and definitely the place to be! No matter what night of the week it is, it's bound to be busy. With dancing on the bar and a bucking bronco it's totallt different from amything else Luton has!! xxx
• well although its a bit ruff neck at times, me and my mates have always had a good nights out at Bar Me, but not without seeing brawls at 2am in the chicken shops outside.
• Well as suspected FUnCK is now bombing - trust me, I should know - I usd to work there! The over 30s club De-javu has shut down and Plaza leisure have refurbed it and its now called it Private Eye - yes you guessed it, its a lap dancing club.Plaza are currently waiting nfor the council to grant them the licence however so its still shut.Zi Bar was shut down after 6 months and has now reopened as a Sports Bar - vry cheap food but thats all I have to say!Chicagos is rammed every weekend and Liquid is always a good nith out but a tadge expensive!
• Space closed down some time ago not surprisingly as the owners haven't much idea of running clubs. They re-opened it in September 2005 as a "leisure centre" comprising of a cafe bar and two nightclubs of which one is an over 30's club. Since launching in a blaze of glory the cafe bar (Zibar) is only opening at 5pm at weekends (originally it was all day every day)and the over 30's club is failing - now changing their age restriction and music policy to keep going. The main club (FUnCK) has survived and seems to be busy, playing mainstream club and chart music token RnB and 70's rooms. I suspect it'sonly a matter of time before this goes the same way as Space and Atmosphere before it, due to the lack of knowledge of music and club culture by the owners. Bellinis and Marinos (a new club where Caspers used to be on Upper George Street) seem to be the only places that play upfront club music, probably because the owners know their music (both DJ themselves). Liquid is okay, but seem to be sticking to a policy of RnB/Hip Hop with the odd house tune thrown in.
• Liquid is the only place other than Space. Space is a waste of a night out.
• Bellini - refurbished 20005 but door policy is based on your colour and the door you came in through, no explanation givied. and on a quiet on a Thursday nite!!!! they do not derserve ANY customers. There were only 12 people in there anyway!!! let them go bust
• Nope.
• For those remember that great club legends which was taken over from Jim Kelly and turned into the Beach which subsequently closed down is now accomodation for asylum seekers, by the way the club scene in Luton is terrible now
• Just to update this bit...The EXODUS sound system split in 2001...so sadly , no more exodus raves in Luton /Dunstable. Listen out for "Ascenzion Sound" and "Revelation".
• Luton VUC (Vestibule of Unearthly Consultants): Wednesdays 6pm till chucking out time. Luton Working Men's Club, Arndale Centre, Luton. Games usually start around 8pm.Various role-playing and board games, all welcome.
• The edge is a good place to go for alterative music on a friday night, also on a tuesday there is a £10 entrace fee but its a free bar all night!
• Dance music clubs? Your having a laugh. Nicky Blackmarket plays a selection of every drum and bass single relase thats been made into the charts for one hour once a month and doesn't bother mixing any of them in. Everyone just stands there masturbating over it but the man is gettin paid loads to do it. Not that i blame him. The youth of luton have no idea about music unless it involves the latest rnb release that sounds like the last, is produced by pete waterman or is a radio edit of a dance song that was big in proper clubs last year. Oh and everyone i the clubs wear the same clothes, fcuk or topman and in the year 2003 the matching denim jacket and jeans along with the white t-shirt and white classic trainers, is still the popular choice of clothes. Some individuality please!!!!!!Inbreds. Gotta feel sorry for the students that come here and get probably the worst uni social life of any uni, and they realy don't know it - believe someone thats moved away. You know the first bit i wrote was true so believe the second too!!!
• red red red on park street, and yes they do, i go in there alot m8 :P im 16 :D
• Too many to mention
• Liquid!!! excellent lighting, but beware of the Gambinoz!!! I've already had my head smashed once!!
• its got to be space now though it would have beebn beach e
• Luton has a beer and commercial DJ culture. If you don't want to go home in an ambulance, stay at home and smoke pot.
• Mirage doesnt exist anymore,thank god. Liquid (Formerly Zone)is garage, r n b and some chart,full of piss heads but the only place really to go, not much attitude at all. Space (Formerly Atmosphere) is still nappy night every weekend. The Edge, dont bother unless you like black nail varnish and piercings. The Beach, valued for the attitude and racial tension,sadly is no more.Red,Red,Red is soon to open and rumored to be for those who bat for the other side.Chicago's is for cheese and a variety of ages. Charlie Browns is good for a all age ranges and a coinciding atmosphere- no drunken children.Casper's-please stay in for the night!All the pubs are ok but The Park is full of students during the week and TP Woods is always empty.Euphoria is only for hard house & trance people otherewise it will do your'e head in.Plenty of attitude for all though!The Temple (Formerly Venue 27) -dont bother if your'e passport is truly british and you dont want to be stabbed.
• Liquid (formerly the zone). Still a young crowd, but it has eliminated the yoof a bit more, as kids dont seem to have such an easy time of getting in. Anyone remember Genies? That was a shithole!!! Atomsphere can be good, but also it can be likely to get a lovely smack in the face, but hey we are all used to this by now!!!
• Loads. Luton's a great place for clubs. All ages are catered for. Mainly youngsters, but that's needed. Chicargos is good for the 30 plus's.
• A update... The beach has closed down. Chicago Rock cafe has opened up, much the same as the others around the country. Two huge and fantastic clubs have opened: Liquid and @mosphere.
• Mirage was a laugh when it had the goth / metal night, a load of fat blokes dressed in black trying to pull chicks in fishnets and Anti-Nazi League badges. Had pool tables downstairs though. Avoid Genies - grab a granny nights galore...
• Best club to see good live rock bands and listen to rock/metal is Club M on Cheapside on a Wednesday. Other rock night is at The Edge in Park Street but is best avoided. V. Small, their idea of alternative music is Beastie Boys, 2pac and OPM.
• The new Liquid in Luton is the place to go. Great crowd of people and great music. Get there early, I had to queue for an hour the other night!!
• generally full of slags and half wits looking for a fight.
• The legendary "Switch" (formerly held upstairs in Mirage) is no longer. Switch finished some time ago and Mirage is currently being turned into a Hotel, (nice if you like the sound of trains clattering past at 3 in the morning)
• Luton has just had a massive injection of investment, which means the night life in the town has rocketed! About 4 new clubs have open in 2001 alone and I can't count how many new pubs there are! The new style Chicago Rock Cafe is brill and Liquid next door is great!
• Why isn't the ZONE in here... Monday night is Student night,,,,,,....Cheap Beer. Hic!!!!!
• If you like garage music and being surrounded by scruffy/tarty uni students take your pick of any club. For those a bit older Brannigans is shite and the White House is boring!
• Is Switch still going? Good God, Nick & Bernie must have been doing that for an aeon. Good work fellas! I remember them when they played at The Grid - brilliant.
• bar aqua if you want to get a tasta of bosnian culture keep your hands in your pockets. beach if you cant stand sand in your shoes
• SOMEONE! Every young person I have met since recently moving to Luton is into clubbing and club culture. Somebody open a club that doesn't just play garage orcater for beer drinkers... the place is crying out for it. they'd make a killing. Someone give us the money and we'll do it. Does anyone agree?!!
• Switch, upstairs at Mirage on Thu & Sat nights. The best place for indie music & good attitude, used to be suicidal to "dance" when rage against the machine was played in the early 90's
• The Site, Upper George Street - special interest (see 'pubs' below)
• Legends has now had a refit and re-opened as 'The beach'.
• Charlie Browns, in the town centre is currently the HotSpot for those sheep who love to stand in a big crowded room being soaked and deafened for 4-6 hours on a Saturday night.
• Ritzy in Dunstable is getting quite a following now - Thursday night the DJ is havin' it large!!!!
• The Palace - formerly Ceasars Palace - is no longer a Freddy Starr venue but now a great club. Out of town (towards Dunstable) but worth the effort.
• The best clubs are Legends and The Zone, although the latter is a bit of a youth club.
• The only good thing about Luton is the Exodus sound system. They hold free parties every two weeks or so in and around the Luton area. Meeting place is Woodside industrial estate at around 12am on the Saturday.

Live Music Venues

• The Well
• student union. hat factory. many pubs. the pioneer/the den in st.albans.
• shortys sports bar in queen st in hitchin...music every sunday evening..
• Used to be the Atezium, but it went bust. Now the coucil own it and it's called the Hat Factory, but they don't make hats in there
• Venue 27 and the 33 Art Centre have now closed down, which is highly indicative of Lutonians' attitudes and tastes. Live music and comedy has an uphill struggle unless it's Irish music or covers bands in pokey pubs. The council have reopened the old Artezium as 'The Hat Factory', which plays Irish music and covers bands. Let's see how long it lasts. It does other stuff however, like Jongleurs' comedy nights (midweek only) and some cinema, which backs up the excellent St George's cinema (council run, but again midweek only, what use is that ?) Full marks to the council for trying to keep some culture alive in the face of staggering ingnorance.
• The Well. Tip bleedin' top. Probably took over the mantle of best venue on Beds from Bedford Esquires in 2003/04.
• Sadlers opposite the galaxy centre
• NIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since the council shut down 33 Arts Centre there has been NO live music played in the town with the exception of the occassional band at Eddie's Bar.
• Chicago Rock Cafe. Venue 27.
• We needed a stadium. We need something like Milton Keynes bowl. Luton needs putting on the map for the right reasons, ie, certain rock bands coming to town!
• Fortress Marvin a.k.a Squares nightclub on a tuesday.
• The George II has regular music at weekends - but that bloody awful karaoke stuff at other times, so check in advance.
• Venue 27 70's night.. V. Good...... Fridays..... (I'm an old student fart called Kelly and I left a year ago so it could be 80's night by now)..
• Venue 27 rocks
• venue 27 if its good enough for rolf harris its good enough for me
• what venues!!?? we need one!!!!
• Venue 27, Upper George St. (700 capacity live music venue, run by the people who ran Dingwalls in Camden; also hosts comedy, club nights, etc.)
• 33 Arts Centre, 33 Guildford Street

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Last updated: 2007-10-06