The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in Bridgwater, Somerset*

Bridgwater, Somerset Record Shops and Venues

Record Shops

• you don't have many record shops but west quay records is brillant for gig tickets
• CD WORLD is the best i have EVER seen. It doesn't look much from the outside but inside they have every single album/artist you could ever want. And not only do they stock brand new albums for only £10 but i once found Nirvana's Nevermind in there for only £2! Brand new CD, not copied, didn't have a sleeve but very very good find. Plus everything is sorted in alphabetical order so it's easy to find what you're looking for. From dance to alternative music!!
• bristol
• East quay records!!
• Polden Virtual Shopping Mall on www.polden.com Shop securely from recognised UK companies
• There is now a 'unit' in the Eastover Indoor Market (Old Sainsbury's) where you can buy 2nd hand records, and he also sells computer stuff like blank cd's, dvd-r, dvd-rw, CD & DVD cases, and ink cartridges at quite competitive prices.
• If you have the will power to keep going back and searching there is a second hand record stor on west quay which is very fairly priced. Wagga Wagga in the avenue offered more of a selection but was closed down. otherwise out of town is the way tyo go, martian is great in taunton for rock especially, otherwise bristol isn't far now is it.
• The best place to go would be Taunton.Altough once there you'll be struggling for a reason to come back.
• there is one on west quay, a cross between a regular shop and a jumble sale
• there used to be a great one in the avenue but its now insane games
• wagga wagga sounds was named after a place in australia (i found out) i agree andy was up himself but the owner was a diamond geezer who would always give you a discount (no longer there)
• Adrian's dog, Holly died several years ago, and the shop is the only one between Burnham and Taunton.
• There is only one second hand record shop of note and thats West Quay Records, run by the ever friendly Adrian.
• West Quay records have an amazing selection of very cheap vinyl.
• Rare records, is a useful shop for holding a plethora of music. Fourboys, woolworths, and whsmiths are also providers of records, unfortunately there is nor real big music retails giant unlike taunton e.g. virgin megastore.
• Adrian's on the river front may well be scruffy but at least you can get the odd real bargain if you delve deep and he's a very, very pleasant chap to deal with. The poor little doggie has died now and will be missed. As for the other "record shop" - Waga Waga - what a joke. The short, stocky bloke that used to work there (Andy) was a right charlie and really up on himself.
• Their isn't any!!!!!!!
• West Quay Records, colloquially know as the 'Stinky-Piss Shop', presumably because of odours eminating from the dog that seems to reside there. Sells mostly second hand stuff, but is a great shop.
• Rare Records - A nice littel shop selling, er, Records & CDs. Posters Too. Tucked down a little arcade.
• Adrian's on West Quay - I visit this shop approxiamately once every two or three years and the same records are always there - nothing recorded before 1976 - all in very bad condition.

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• palace nightclub
• Lots of people go to the Palace (dance) otherwise the Albion is good for live bands and drinks.
• Stop complaining about how crap the night life is and do something about it. Its not that difficult, get some bands or djs together find a venue or field and advertise it. If its any good you could have started something!!! p.s one of the best nights of the year is North Newton beer festival compete with hog roast, mosh pit and cider.
• THE PALACE- only club in Bridgwater- has got better in the past few yrs, nice place jst in the wrong town! has hard dance nites- firewall- evry 3 months brings out the best in the town! wikkid nite!!
• Palace where EVERYONE gets in!! I no a 12 year old who got in!! Lol!!!
• the only club i know of is Palace but bridgwater has loads of pubs for you!
• Th elabour club some how drifted down from 'up north' and sells cider dirt cheap. It has to be seen to be believed. (think tacky hovel)
• TDF formally known as toffs and the palace and infamous for their young patrons
• the palace is the local place to groove as long as you are under 12 if you have survived past that age then you have probally got 3 kids and moved away, far away
• ovid toffs unless you are particularly full of youth as it is sticky capreted and just really rather not nice. The palace offers an acceptable night out if you happen to be drunk enough for you to think you are somewhere else.
• Galleries Remedies And the Palace are the kind of places you enjoy once drunken amnesia sets in. Shame they're the cream of the crop really....
• Remedies...keep your eyes open for local legends Danny Binding & Steve 'yoda' clatworhty....a couple of local bridgy legends who like nowt more than to drink booze, smoke roll ups and argue with each other in a druken mess. Danny is a potential guitar playing hero who has drowned in booze.
• palace nightclub
• The Palace creche!!!!
• I have one thing to say about the Palace.....HAHA!
• The best place in town is no dowt the Remedies Bar. It has taken all of the Place's punters and has great DJ's, reasonablly priced drinks and fantastic bar staff. Give it a go!
• Palace is terrible, unless you like steps, s club tm, westlife, boyzone etc.
• All clubs in Bridgwater are utterly shit, you have to go to Weston or Taunton for a decent one.
• not really a pub but the blake arms is a great night out when ricardos disco is there!!!
• Bridgwater is in real need of a good club. the palace can be okay, but the drinks are expensive and the music is mainly rubbish. Also there are too many big-headed sods and ageing slappers in there. Toffs is pants, and looks distinctly 80's. If you've got any sense you'll go to Taunton or Weston-Super-Mare instead.
• The Palace is a lot better than Toffs night club, which has at least made the nightlife a lot better, Remedies a fairly new bar/club and galeries are also good as well as admirals landing
• Toffs is sticky and needs a good dose of Flah. Now. Oh, and apparently some guy called Russ pisses at the bar in the Palace. So don't go there.
• There's a few - Palace is the best, then there's Toffs which is ok, then Arena and another one which I really wouldn't bother about.
• I just thought I had to write and say that the Palace night club is hardly a Dance club. Bridgwater NEEDS a really decent Dance club dedicated to good music and not good profits. All you need is a big warehouse out of town and some bangin DJ's and non of that Cheesy Dave Weller music that gets played in Toffs and non of that Chrt music crap that gets played in Palace. !!!!!!! REAL MUSIC.....NEW MUSIC......BRIDGWATER NEEDS IT.........
• Bridgwater 'clubs' (I use the broadest sense of the word) are now in a frenzy of competition and are continually offering cheaper and cheaper drinks in an effort to tempt customers into their particular dive, I mean premises. I anticipate at least one club paying people to go and drink there within the next few weeks! One day they may even realise that people only go in there to get drunk before going to the Palce for a real night out.
• This bit needs updating! The Manor has now been demolished (probably to try and reduce the amout of drugs circultating the area). The old favourite Toffs is still going but has fierce competition from The Palace which is relatively new, three floors and actually pretty good. It's like a proper nightclub! (Don't expect any write ups in Mixmag though). Definatley the place to go at the minute and always packed on Saturdays. What was Harley D's is still open but has had various names including Chubbies, New York New York and various others. They are now trying to tempt people with very cheap drink but it is still full of 14 year old who can't get into Palace and pervy Bouncers. Oh, and that wonderful establishment - Chaplins Snooker Club - has shut. It really was rough and tucked down a back alley, anyone remember it? Anyway, as I said Palace is the place to be in 1999.
• The Palace is the only good club in Bridgwater
• Don't be tempted to go to the recently renamed "Dazzlers" (formerly known as Harley D's) which is situated just up from Toff's, as the only time you'll see any life at all in there is on a Saturday night. Even then its pretty dead. Basically, its just not as good as Toff's and I'd strongly advise you to skip it. If you're passing and its free entry, just pop your head around the door and you'll see what I mean.
• Yes, Bridgwater is a complete dump. But I think that you were wrong about the Manor being the only good club. In fact, it should be noted that the Manor is the one place that you don't want to be on a Thursday night, as it can coincide with Bridgwater College parties which means that the whole place is full of College kids. Any other night, there's the problem of which one of your mates can't drink as they have to drive you there. I find that Toff's, just off the town centre in St.Mary's street is a good alternative. I prefer it to the manor. Especially on a Thursday night as its only £1 entry before 10, and ALL drinks are then £1 for the whole night. It can get quite crowded, but not so crowded that you end up with half of your beer down your front before you've even left the bar. Admittedly the dance floor is quite small, but it's adequate. The music can be good at times. If you're staying in Bridgwater then there is of course the added bonus of being able to walk there and back so no one has to drive. There's yet another bonus of having a KFC, literally just around the corner. Its always open until around 2am on a Thursday night so if you're a bit hungry after coming out of Toff's, its a good place to go. Basically, what it comes down to is that if you're with your mates, Toff's guarantees a good night.
• Just the one, and it's not even really in Bridgwater, The Manor, on the A38, 4 miles north of centre.

Live Music Venues

• you can go to the palace arts centre labour club bridgwater an albion rugby club! there is loads of places for gr8 gigs!
• Bridgwater Albion - lots of good local bands, also some go to Bridgwater Arts Centre Exeter is about an hour away where loads of bands play at Westpoint or the University
• The Ats Centre is a launch pad for a lot of local talent and must be kept in its current location at all cost!
• Cross rifles
• The palace and galleries aren't actually that bad inside, it's the bouncers you've got to be wary about. My friend had a panic attack in palace and was just checked on the steps outside, once outside a passer-by called an ambulance cos she was in such a bad state. The bouncers couldn't care less! In galleries I got chucked up, which I admit was my own fault but once outside the bouncers pinned myself and my friend to the floor and wouldn't let go. My friend ended up with a bad graze on her shoulder and i couldn't use my arm for three days. WATCH OUT FOR THE BOUNCERS U HAVE BEEN WARNED
• You'd have to go to Taunton to see anything half-interesting.
• palace have occasional bands, have had badly drawn boy and the scissor sisters in the past. cross rifles have live music quite often.
• art centre!!
• for charties and stuff people play outside cornhill
• the three crowns is closed and is to be turned into flats, while next door Rock garden is now called sillouetes, is run by a lesbians and her parents and is now a lap dancing joint. Local bands now play at the rugby club, about the only place in town left for live music.
• i think the church has some musical insrtuments
• the rock gardens if you are looking for some new local bands, but most pubs offer some live music at some point in bridgy even if it's not of a great standard. check out midnightmango.co.uk if you want to know what s going on with bands in and around bridgwater.
• maltshovel inn
• country and western (chalkies) east bridgwater school every 4 weeks
• the palace is a sad excuse for a night out only ok for brain dead music non lovers,what a waste of money (even it was only 1p to get in)
• For live music there is only one venue and thats the The Three Crowns, a bit of a dive but does have origional local bands nearly every Saturday night. The art centre used to play amplified live music but since a former mayor and magistrate moved in next door the licence they had held for years was mysteriously revoked.
• The local mobile disco REFLEX 2000 is really good, sometimes abit looney like the town but worth booking for a good party atmosphere!!!!!!
• The palace tribute bands once a month on a friday !!!
• For the best dodgy stereo music try Kendale Road race track. THE place for sad people with nothing better to do to go round ...... and round...... and round...... all day.
• The best music venue will be my warehouse once I've got it!!!! REAL HARD MUSIC....And I'm gonna make Bridgwater have at one descent thing going for it
• Steart Beach in the summer and on the moors in the winter months. Yea the sedgmoors get hold of a police scanner and you can come accross some good illegal setups in a bare field .......real hardcore stuff mainly.... Local DJ's

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!

In most cases, the information in each section has been submitted by more than one contributor (the credits at the bottom of the page list some, but not all, of the contributors) and some of it dates back to the 1970s.

We make no claims as to the accuracy of the information in the Guide - our only purpose is to provide a forum for users to share their knowledge and opinions. So please keep a large bag of salt handy and be prepared to read between the lines!

If you disagree with a comment, or information is out of date, please submit an update! The contributors come from all walks of life, and their opinions are bound to be subjective, so if your view isn't represented, please speak up and contribute to the balance of the Guide. See below in the 'Have Your Say' section for how to add your voice.

If we have helped you out or made you laugh you can buy us a pint.

Have Your Say...

You can tell us more about Bridgwater. This is also the method to use if you want to correct some of the information already here. (But please remember you're not mailing the person who actually wrote whatever-it-is.)

You can use the add an event form to tell us about events happening in Bridgwater.

Or, if you'd just like to leave a message for other users of this site, take a look at The Knowhere Board (handy if you're just trying to get in touch with someone).

Credits

Last updated: 2006-12-08