The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in Burnley, Lancashire*

Burnley, Lancashire Record Shops and Venues

Record Shops

• music zone
• Electron on Hall St (near the bandstand) is prob the best one for miles around. It's been going donkey's years and Les can get hold of pretty much any tune you want. I think they do tickets for gigs too.
• Electron is the best place
• Electron. Find any record ever in this shop. Street down from Band stand.
• We have a music zone, which is pretty damn cool
• Astonishing sounds,hall st,Burnley
• Electron, music zone, mvc
• The ONLY record shop is situated on the steep street that runs down to the car park near Macdonalds. Tis called Electron and apparentley was the first record shop in Burnley
• woolworths music zone
• Astonishing Sounds, Electron Records
• MVC
• MVC, easy to become a member and very cheap. Or the one near Macdonalds, music zone or something, very cheap for CDs. Another good cheap music shop is Asda.
• Electron definitely
• east village, electron
• erm specailist shops in burnley!> there is a few cant remember all there names though.
• Check out astonishing sounds,electron and east village 3 of the finest independant record stores in the north west,click to www.astonishingsounds.fsnet.co.uk for online catalogue and wicked flash site by cryptekz.
• Solid sounds in Burnley town centre, near to Woolworths, sell a lot of quality beats at good prices! There's also a decent shop that has just opened near there, it isn't specialist but the prices for albums are very reasonable!
• Electron and Astonishing Sounds
• Nobody's mentioned MusicZone, near Dorothy Perkins. I bought one album and three singles and it came to just £7.27! Hurry and you might catch the end of their 10p single sale. and remember: B.E.A.T.I.T.
• Astonishing Sounds is the most eclectic record shop in Lancashire. If you want it, Neil will get it (aswell as suggesting some other things which are just as good) Infact, i think he may even be psychic. He may already be inside your head, deciding what music to sell you....
• mvc solid sounds
• yeah big up neil and les (astonishing and electron) cos they are the best in the town
• East Village Specialists in independant hip hop , funk , deep house you can also buy decks , record boxes etc
• see skateshops
• There's the usual Our Price and Woolworths but the best two are Electron and Astonishing Sounds which are both near McDonalds. Both stock a pretty good range of cheap(ish) CD, vinyl and tape from dance to indie and metal. There are some good record stalls on the market also.

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• Club 53 n XS now towerbar n fluidz r gone 4 eva :(
• Can get too busy so try staying one pub behind everyone else, so much choice you must find smoewhere you like. Like most places some pubs are bit grotty others are really nice! If its dance music your after head to XS, if you like bit of cheese and commercial dance get down Lava/Ignite bit expensive but ive never had a bad night there!!
• Right all this information on here is old... Start on the circuit, smacks is a cheap bar, young totty kinda thing, half decent music. Paradise..think cheap girls girls on even cheaper booze but with good music. BB11 More for the older generation but gr8 music and usually a good atmosphere. Posh.. everything it says its not, expensive and sweaty but half decent RnB music and fab cocktails. Big Window.. Miss it!!!! Pharaoahs, usually full of older women but ok music and cheap booze. Walkabout.. Great night, cheap cocktails and a night club upstairs, ISA Bar bitg more classy laid back mainly lads, Calamity Janes Fab texas bar, get a fish bowl you wont be able to walk.. good mix of music.. Garden Bar, cheap good mix of tunes and a fab atmosphere (gay/straight), Cross Keys.. CRAP! Graffiti CRAP! .. Lava/Ignite/Terrace Bar, Great night club fab music but fair expensive, but laid back and finally XS Great music and cool club... very funky house
• DEXTERITY - Second Saturday of the month at the newly refurbished Swiss Bar ( Kierby Hotel ). Dj's - Audiotraffic (2020 Vision), 61 Players (DIY), d'Santos Breaks,beats,funk and disco to rival anything in Manchester or Leeds
• DEXTERITY 2005. The Kings of Burnleys Break,beats and funk scene return in August after a 3 year hiatus. Venue - the newly refurbished Swiss Bar at the Kierby Hotel. HALLELUJAH finally Burnley has a club to rival Manchester and Leeds again.
• Walkabout, lava and ignite, if you want a 'normal' pilled up kind of night but xs when a hard house dj on is good.
• LAVA AND IGNITE XS- Good music, but sometimes full of rebels, so i wouldnt advise having a barney with anyone in that place. GARDEN BAR - FANTASTIC NIGHT OUT!!! Is well known for being on the gay scene and a few goths but is a great night out and there are still plenty of straight guys and gals.
• the new place to be on a thursday and sunday night'smack water jacks' now hosts 'indie' night. with music from the killers, oasis and loads more. nice to have somewhere different to go. try it!
• i hereby challenge any citizen of burnley to rise off their arse and put some work into providing a place and a time where the population of this town who: a.have a brain b.listen to music other than chart,hard house,metal c.do not want to be in the company of thugs or hard faced bitches on crack d.have a little money to spend on dancing,listening and talking You have precisely one month. Answers to this challenge can be sent to:muki@cerb.co.uk we have a culture,can we use it?
• Many good pubs if you like violence and the BNP, followed by a auto-preappointment at Burnley General for cosmetic surgery for the following morning.
• clubs in burnley: Lava And Ignite - (NEW! used to be works and chicago rock)ignite 18yr olds lava- 21yr olds smack water jacks (smacks)- for the young ones Paradise island- great place if u want a laugh Posh - good bar, classy Walkabout- aussie bar, great place for all ages Pharoahs- egyptian bar (NEW!) orange house- restaurant and bar bootleggars- full of young ppl! cheap! pound a bottle @ mo XS- (NEW!) upto date buzzin atmosphere number of pubs also
• If your looking for a really good night get yourself down to Posh Night Club it plays all kinds of music. Also a good place is walkabout. These two spots are the most popular places and everyone always has a good time.
• Hellbound Rockclub @ The Graffiti Club in Burnley. Every Friday Night - Ace night out. Loads of Metal, Punk and Rock played by DJ Kamran.
• Hellbound not dance music
• Club 53 has improved vastly over the last year or so, with it now becoming Burnley's only all dance night club, Traffic on Saturday Nights (or 2 years now) being the stand out night. Traffic have a regular 300-400 crowd every Saturday with a night of bouncy & uplifting dance music. Visit www.trafficdjs.co.uk for more details and pictures. Friday Nights : Unity, Bangin 'n' Mashed, Better Daze and Dusk Till Dawn Saturday Nights : Traffic, Dusk Till Dawn(last Saturday of each month)
• Club 53 is my fave, excellent music, friendly atmosphere, excluding the door men. Afterlife, (once chaplins and xpo) was fantastic but sadly shut down. Aparantly the walkabout is a cracking nite but never actually been. Panamas aka genesis, mean cats has shut down, the isa bar is classy, nice place to go before a club and in my opinion the smacks is great fun, smackwater jacks that is. Paradise plays good music but way too cramped. Mill bars a good nite but just closed this week.
• most of the clubs mentioned have now closed. We now only have the works and club 53
• Burnley has a lot of really good pubs/clubs in the town centre, fall out of one straight into the next. Best dance/nightclub in Burnley has to be Chicago Rock - all ages catered for from twenties to forties!
• Burnley - Hellbound at Crosskeys Hotel - grate goth club
• the graffitti club, the cheap club that has the best music ever. All the latest hard house and some of the best old school records ever! A great night out!!! Also afterlife is a very modern club but doesnt play too ggod music but still cool!
• The usuall route is - bootleggers (a quid entry then a quid a drink), smacks, paradise, then the works if u look old enough. these genrally tend to be filled with the 'younger generation' should i say. Paradise is a mixture of young and old - v. good quite big serves some erm wierd coktails inc. jawbreaker. The Works is like a proper club i know a few people who work there never been in myself though. everyone says it is very good!! it is over 18s on fri nights and over 21s on sat. There is LOADS of clubs in burnley - POSH - over 25s Sidewalk- very very rough!! a new one which opens next week where arena used 2 b. (next 2 thomson centre0 Chicago rock there is more and there is quite a few set to open over next few weeks. loads of pubs aswell!!
• For those disapointed with "The demise of the Mud Club", try KAOS. It is on the last Friday of EVERY month at The Queens, Rawtenstall. Started by the new manager of The Queens who was also disapointed with what happened to The Mud Club. There is a bus which goes from Colne through Rawtenstall every half hour, and picks up again to go back to Colne via Burnley at 2.30am. No more expensive taxis! Try it - you won't like it - you'll love it!
• MUD CLUB
• the works good club genesis crap
• There is a new club called The Works next to Genesis. It's OK
• why has the mud club had such a sad demise, that used to be the best thing ever, now its deteriorated since keirby and then chaplins closed, the plane tree is killing it, and the dexterity crowd are takin over
• Club 53
• A new nightclub Posh has just opened in Burnley for the higher class of clubbers in Burnley. It's an over 25's Members only nightclub, I suggest you all try it!!!!
• Dexterity/Mind Buscuit have moved to Chaplin's Bar
• Dexterity ( 2nd week , every month ) An Idle Bureau , Keirby Walk , Burnley Hip Hop , Funk , Drum + Bass , Breakbeat - Residents Audio Traffic , Woody ( DMC Finalist ) Guests have inc - Mr Scruff , Jeepbeat Collective , Moonboots ( city life DJ of the year ) Marcus Kay ( Galaxy 102 D+B show ) This is the best club outside Manchester For this kind of music - its packed and IT ROCKS
• angels has now been demolished for a new shopping centre... xpo is now called "arena" panama joes is now called "mean cat daddies" & "genesis" another free night type club called "millenium" (this week anyway!)
• "Dexterity",monthly-ish at Idle Bureau,on Kierby Walk.Turntable wizardry.
• XPO is now Chaplins Bar
• There's another one, as well, but I can't remember what that one's called.
• York House (really naff).
• Savannahs (a bit naff, this, but I'm a member).
• Panama Joe's (which is popular).
• Angels club closed down a while back - due to the building it was part of collapsing, I heard - and the guys who ran it have opened a new place called The XPO Club, whichis situated right at the end of the bus station.

Live Music Venues

• towerbar n fluidz av shut, bt club 53, paradise island n xs r stil gud
• The Circulation, Holmes st. just off Todmorden rd. have quality bands on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday afternoons, All tastes catered for. Usually Free admission. Cheap Bar, open until 1am for more info go to www.thecirc.co.uk
• carlton for a smoke and listen
• For the reallly big bands the best place is Manchester, but I've just discovered The Circulation Club on Holmes Street, where The Bluetones are playing on 9th dec!
• the Circulation Holmes st The lovers are on Friday 26th, Bluetones on9th december, looking for bands wanting to play somewhere in burnley phone 429210
• The carlton, The concert artists club, hellbound
• The Graffiti Club put loads of bands on Saturday Nights. Also the Carlton and the Town Mouse and Inn on the Wharf put alot of bands on.
• Bunker is now the Leather factory it has odd nites with bands and djs. thats ok. Dexterity no longer exists....RIP> Mud Club...RIP>also. Carlton still rocks- live bands and friendly atmosphere. Garden Bar-for anyone. but open mindedness mybe needed as the majority of the garden population are either gay or alternative. Hellbound at the Cross Keys. is the only real alternative night in Burnley now- every Friday 10-3 with Cameron DJ-ing £3 squid in. Goodplace to get totally off ya face..nice fucked up people:)
• THE CARLTON. Rock/Alternative. Local legends NECESSARY ELVIS can often be seen and heard there. Plenty of flyers and posters for other gigs in there too. Very good jukebox and wall art. CLUB53 (Above Sidewalk 53) - Dead or Alive night is a good 'un, rock/alternative/punk Look out for DJ's Dan & Fran at various venues
• Hellbound at Cross Keys! Great night out if you're into rock/punk/metal etc...
• Burnley Mechanics - home to the Blues Festival and many other productions during the year - from Brass Bands to Teeny Pop Idol tribute groups
• Litten tree is opening next to the New bus station. We will have karaoke Sunday & tuesday til midnight and If there is any aspiring young (Or old!!) Bands out there who want to put on a tribute night or just show off your singing skills then one night a week will also be made available for you.
• Bootlegers-cheep a good starting place! Smax exelent. and Paradise island good but music is poor.
• The Carlton hotel, standish street, burnley is the best place to catch local bands. Slack Babbath(Black sabbath Tribute Band) the best act around the north west will be playing 30th March 2002 come and join quasi and the gang for a cracking nights entertainment.
• not many - mechanics thats about it
• Bunker-shhhhhhhhhhh
• We have a great venue in Burnley for all types of music, so why dosn't anyone use it. The Machanics! This place gets packed out when the Blues Festival is on and i am sure it would do the same if we had the local bands playing there.
• No one above the age of 16 is found in the shit tip Side walk situated on the bus station in burnley, and for a real creche go to Panamas or also know as Genesis in Burnley where all the local druggys and wankers hang out your sure to have a good nite fighting in there not alone to find an easy shag by one of the birds who give burnley girls such a slaggish reputation. DON'T EVEN STEP FOOT IN SMACK WATER JACKS OR BOOTLEGGERS, UNLESS YOUR UNDER 16.
• MUD CLUB AND THE CARLTON OR THE BUNKER
• Carlton Hotel, Standish street Burnley Excellent acts on evey friday night from acoustic to punk, admission free local punk/rock band DARKSIDE live at the Carlton on the 27th October 2000 for more DARKSIDE info go to http://www.cupboard.fsbusiness.co.uk
• watch out for coaleye and feeble bob playin round town
• nothing but blues festival is on every year (international - lots of american visitors etc) a good "bands in the park" event in july 99, a number of local bands (not my style) but a good gig, with about 3-4000 or so people there... who got soaked
• There is a complete lack of decent music venues. All the clubs play the same chart crap over and over again and the punters all do the Whigfield 'Saturday Night' dance.

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Last updated: 2007-10-08