The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in Brentwood, Essex*

Brentwood, Essex Record Shops and Venues

Record Shops

• moondance has re-opend where sanity used to be
• moondance n whsmiths
• need more the one we got are boring
• SADLY, MOONDANCE RECORDS (FORMERLEY TRUMPS) CLOSED ABOUT 4 WEEKS AGO. HAVING MOVED FROM THEIR SHOP NEXT DOOR INTO LARGER PREMISES THEY ONLY LASTED THERE A MATTER OF WEEKS. THEY CLOSED VIRTUALLY OVERNIGHT AND HAVE LEFT THE TOWN. THE V SHOP IS NOW CALLED SOMETHING ELSE, 'SANITY' OR SOMETHING BUT THE STAFF ARE NOT GEARED UP TO BEING TOO HELPFUL. I HAD A 10% D.J. DISCOUNT IN MOONDANCE AS I BUY A LOT OF C.D'S BUT THIS SHOP REFUSED SO THEY WONT BE GETTING MY CUSTOM ! W.H. SMITH SELL RECORDS BUT UNDOUBTEDLY THE BEST SHOP TO VISIT IS ADRIANS IN WICKFORD. A BIT OF A TRIP FROM BRENTWOOD BUT WELL WORTH THE EFFORT. THEY HAVE A HUGE CD SHOP AND A HUGE VINYL SHOP AND IF THEY DONT HAVE IT OR CANT GET IT ... I AINT BEEN MADE !!
• Virgin and one opposite New Look.Nadine
• V-Shop
• Trumps is really good for bargain CDs
• Moondance, coz they sell Creed
• Moondance in the High Street. Bewteen Dorothy Perkins and W H Smiths!!! What can I say - would be cheaper to commission the artists to perform in your lounge - but hey ho they will order in anything you like!!
• Good place to shop for records would be Mood Dance on the high street... if they haven't got it they'll order it and if they can't then stop looking for it cos it doesn't exist. Everything from Slipknot to Groove Armada, from Wootang Clan to a weird and sickening selection of sound effects. Oh yea we also have a V.shop (you know the mini Virgin stores) that caters for anyone who likes eletronic equipment that doesn't work and chris evans voice poorly dubbed for instructions on how to use the non functioning electronic equipment.
• Theres the usual V-shop is chapel high, and Trumps in the high street is usually pretty good.
• I used to like John Menzies and Trumps. Is that still there? If so, Trumps. Cheap and cheerful and I used to fancy the boy who worked there about 4-5 years ago, he had his eyebrow peirced and I worked in the OLD J Sainsburys!
• Don't care which town you're in, standing in a V Shop(formerly known as our price) listening to free music can be hours of fun if you're bored(but trying to find what you're looking for is near impossible, in that case try moondance [formerly trumps]
• Ever since Kellys shut its never been the same.
• That new Moondance music shop is an upgrade on Trumps but still, where's all the good music?! Could I get Millencolin there? I don't think so!!
• Eureka I know someone who got like South Pacific and the Undertones there on Vinyl
• Sainsbury's is selling Top 40 albums for £9.99. It is behind the high Street, where the UNIQUE art deco outdoor lido should still be. Heritage fans should rejoice that the small dogshit park that 'replaced' the swimming pool as an amenity is to be preserved, despite rumours of it being sacrificed to provide valuable space for two more Ford Galaxys to park when visiting Sainsburys. Sainsburys also sell food and the Sketchley concession within the complex lost my suit the day before a wedding. The walnut bread is nice though.
• There used to be a record shop opposite Shenfield station, which is now some sort of clothes boutique, I think, but the interesting bit is that it was officially opened by no less a dignitary than Dennis Waterman !!! (This was in about 1975, though).
• Trumps
• none , go to Boogie Times or Hard House Rcords in Romford
• Our Price, John Menzies and another smaller chain (can't remember what it's called)
• Used to be Downtown, nothing now.

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• omg SAMS!!!!
• Sams is good... no sams is amazing.... there is nuff fanny in there and brings the beef to any romford or chelmsford equivelent any day of the week.
• Sams is ok, but it is recently becoming bombarded with Chavs, and young girls wearing rather short skirts, and hot pants, which on occasion have looked suspisciously like large knickers.
• sams
• Sams Nightclub, Great evening out, opens Thurs, Fri, & Sat every week. Check out the Xmas & N Year Programme there are some great evenings to look forward too, and a full programme of events for the following year.
• Sams.... nuff said!
• sama i dont think so
• THE CLUB IN BRENTWOOD IS 'SAMS'. HAS VARIOUS CLUB NIGHTS INCLUDING A KIDS NIGHT MIDWEEK. AVOID THE ONGAR ROAD ON THIS NIGHT AS THE MUMS CAUSE CHAOS WITH DOUBLE PARKING !
• SAMS Shit
• Sams,thats it!Not big enough to swing a cat around in!But they're talking bout adding new one where cinema used to be.Nadine
• All those who think they are still young but they aint go Sam's Nightclub, Ongar Rd
• Sams - attracts the young and old! Not a very good sound-system unfortunately -so if you are 'addicted to bass'.... forget it!!
• Sams is the only club to be seen in - a great night out with loads of great music
• Ooh there's Sams lets all go there. (Note Sarcasm)
• SAMS. the one and only. mite catch your mum in there. everyone knows wallis.
• Sams - honestly - you'd have more fun being clubbed to death!!!! Ashwells - cos yer bound to find yer nan in there!
• Unfortunatly due to the fact that Romford and Chelmsford are just a short Jag in either direction on the A12 we seem to be lacking in nightclubs. However the light at the end of this particular tunnel comes in the SHape of Sam's nightclub on the ongar road. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday. (Thursday - Over 18's. Friday and Saturday - Over 21's) It has a wide variety of music and is open as late as 2.00am some nights also offering things like Skool Disco (not underage nights but come in school uniform) and under 18's nights once a month.
• Sams - remarkably young patrons on thursdays youll find
• Sam's is definitely the place to go on a Thursday! It's Boogie Nights (althought the DJ doesn't seem to know that Rock DJ and MC Hammer weren't knockin' around in the 70s and 80s!!!). Dinks are ridiculously cheap so you can absolutely blitzed for less than £20. Unfortunately, in recent months there have been more and more little girls filling the dancefloor. This is obviously a bonus for Baggers, but it just makes the rest of us feel really old!!! If you're really lucky you might bump into Emma Bunton in there (not the real McCoy sadly) or possibly the opening West Indies batsmen (as Rach found out!!).
• I think there's a nappy night at sam's...
• Sam's you can't beat it! If you want to meet the the girls of brentwood. Just ask C.M. about L.R. And afterwards you must take a trip to the rat burger stall. Sorry H&H Kebab is closed. But there is always time for a quick game of spoof the loser goes in the water fountain outside sainsbury's. Kathy don't lose your keys!!
• Sam's, Sam's and Sam's. There is knowhere else.
• Sam's Brentwood
• Sams at last it means if you want to get hamered and go to a club knowing you wont remember what it was like at least you wont have to get a mortgage for the taxis
• Well I was going to start up a boring hobbies club - it's amazing once people have a few beers inside them what they admit to getting up to in those boring moments. Talking of boring moments, Sams is good for a laugh. It's fondle a fossil night every night down there!
• Oooh, yes, the centre of 16 year olds social activity, SAMS! :o\
• Sams if you're really desparate
• Sams on a Monday night! Garage with top DJs
• We do now have a club so it's worth a mention. Cheap booze and some classic 70's and 80's music can be found on a thursday, but the strictly over 18 door policy is getting a bit lapse, so if you want a classier night go at the weekend. Saturdays are best if you enjoy a boogie.
• Sams - otherwise known as "The Last Chance Saloon"
• Frodgers and Frank Brunos's house!
• Sams, and the male toilets in there!!!
• Sams Night Club!!!
• one "Sams", strictly for over 30's
• none, but there's a dodgy new club called "Sam's" but I haven't been there yet - there's a rumour going around that one of the nuns from the convent school had her birthday there - not a great recommendation!
• Sams (in the Meads Ballroom) has opened! Very cheesy! Lots of 30+'s. Lots of old women in teenage clothes (yuck!)
• Zero!! Although The Meads should be opening as a club soon (allegedly)!

Live Music Venues

• well was moondance
• The newly renamed "Seaxe" at the Essex Arms has recently increased it's volume of regular Friday and Saturday acts and is definitely well worth checking out these days. The new management have already brought life back to this excellent music venue!
• the HERMIT!!!! It is the best place ever!!!! IT ROCKS!!!! I really love it!!! Everyone is really friendly, and we all know each other, and its lots of the same people from Brentwood Skatepark, so if you skate, thats two places you'll like.
• the hermit
• Ther Hermit!
• Essex Arms, Pam's Bar next to Brentwood station; bands most Fridays and Saturdays, mainly rock and blues addmission around £4 to £5.. every thursday resident band "Roots Revue" doing "roots music", country rock, blues and pub rock in relaxed atmosphere; admission free, just tip the band a couple of quid at the end if you like them.
• The Essex Arms has a good array of Bands throughout the week in their annex next to the pub itself, I think it's called Pam's Bar or something like that, but don't make eye contact with anyone or you could end up in casualty!
• THE HERMIT CENTRE JUST OFF THE MINI ROUNDABOUTS HAS VARIOUS MUSIC NIGHTS AND HAS A GOOD REPUTATION.
• hermittt greeeeeebbbb
• More about Beat of the Beast the Singer was Vince Elliot. Dave Apps was the Drummer and Brothers Jim and Joe Dunderdale were on bass and guitar. There were various other guitarists and a few keyboard players. What about the HANGING TREE the best band in Brentwood to never make it?
• regarding Beat of the beast. Jim and Joe (not twins) moved to Canada over six years ago. They did play at a party in Canada when Appsy and I went to visit them some years ago. Dave and Vince formed Spunky who were giging for a few years. No one is being musical at the moment. Andy died three years ago and the band he played for Jet Baby split up.
• The Hermit does lotsa live music, Tuesday nights is Jazz I think. They also do blues nights and on friday nights they tend to show local rock bands, some of which aren't bad.
• Hermit
• The hermit, unless you're an insomniac then go to the Brentwood Ursulines concerts they will cure it for you
• Sams again. its great. Otherwise Vshop for free music
• The Hermit - a favourite with long haired middle aged hippies throughout essex!
• Sooon to be The White Hart
• the Hermit Club in Brentwood is brilliant, young bands every friday nite, metal, indie, check out the website at www.hermit-live.com Its the only place to go for live music in Brentwood
• The Hermitage (or Hermit) is a good venue for local talent and live music (bit of a grunger gathering normally but a good venue if thats your scene.
• the hermit club do jazz nites occasionally and host gigs where the local talents come and play - pretty good usually
• I would probably still recommend the Hermit, even though I havent stepped foot in the joint for about 3 years.
• not sure if Beat of the Beast are still going in some form or the other .. one of the twins now lives in Canada tho so would make and sadly Andy died a couple of years ago
• The best place in town is the Hermit. My boyfriend's brother's band plays there and they are the b****X. There called DROWNED by the way.
• Hermit used to be Rockin' so did the Castle - but I'm going back about 15 years now. Are Beat of the Beast still going??? Apart from Dave the singer the rest of them were a real bunch of lookers...
• The Hermit has hosted many brilliant bands including Drowned, Carishma, Bates Motel and The Rejects! The only decent place in Brentwood on a Friday night (apart from the Castle)
• Gossips near Tottenham Court Road if you like the quality of the unsigned band surrounded by red papier mache walls and cubby holes.
• The Hermit - in one week I saw six bands there some of them were shit though but if you chose the right band you'll always find a couple baby skaters beating each other into a pulp in the lack of moshpit and the guitarist from ism is gorgeous
• V 99, near brentwood
• the Hermit - good theme nights such as Jimi Hendrix memorial bands and the like. But its probably better to go further afield if you're really keen.
• The Hermit. Some old bands in their death throws, and some up and coming band. Watch out for the Gorami!
• The Hermit! Or the Brentwood Centre (dodgy 70's bands and 'stars' and the like).

The Knowhere Guide started out as a list of places to skateboard in the UK. It is a compilation of (unedited) information and views supplied by users like yourself. It is not a conventional tourist guide!

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Credits

Last updated: 2008-07-03