The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in Taunton, Somerset*

Taunton, Somerset Record Shops and Venues

* Important Note: all entries in the Knowhere Guide are the opinions of its users. see What is Knowhere for more info about the Guide.

Record Shops

  • martian, rooster is odd too muhc effort even if it is cheap
  • Martian records is always good... its not as good as exeters one tho. usually Cheep.
  • Rooster Records next door to Ape Skates
  • Martian Records
  • Martian Records on Bridge Street, has a pretty good selection of the less common stuff and doesn't cost so much that you need to leave your granny as a down payment
  • roooooster records, east street, rite-on-records, station road & martian records, bridge street, any dude in baggy jeans knows them three
  • Mash Records in Axminster, down Silver Street. Sells all kinds of music, very good independant record shop.
  • martian martian martian all the way......although rooster is pretty good too (more retro.....more searching needed there however) and theyre right at opposite ends of the town which is just plain inconvenient....!
  • RITE ON RECORDS!! (For Dance Music Anyway)
  • Dance Direct used to be good a few years ago for Italian dance music. Guy with a ponytail in there was a right miserable git though. Humph. If you weren't buying Hablando he got in a right strop.
  • Rooster Records, Virgin Megastores
  • The scarey 'Mullet Man' has gone now. Yippee! Hence, there's a heck more of a turnover and Mr. Knowledge himself (the lovely owner)is back at the helm.
  • Martian records is the best place for CD's, LP's, DVD's n other stuff like that.
  • The best record shop by far is Rooster Records on East Reach, scary mullet man will go to EXTREME lengths to get the cd you want, and flirt with you when you come to pay...Quality!
  • Bristol or Exeter
  • martian records,virgin,mvc,roster records
  • Why do you say Rooster 'sucks'? You obviously know sod-all about music. This place is absolutely tops for those that know and are intelligent enough to appreciate 'real' music. You're in the minority in your views cos whenever I go in there, it's packed out.
  • Theres martian... and then theres rooster. But rooster sucks.
  • Rite-On Records (Dance Music!)
  • Martian Records is great for albums and videos , (over the bridge) ppl say rooster records is pretty decent aswell!
  • rooster is the only record shop in taunton, loadsa good old + new vinyl, cool piano in the shop, cheap, friendly owner.. martian used to be good but has become too main stream and don't do vinyl any more. renaissance was great, but is no more.
  • I've moved to London but always come back to the record shop next to Poundstretcher. They sell cds at the price they ought to be, way before the corporate giants caught on.
  • Rooster - best vinyl collection ever!
  • electron and the one across the road have some dope underground a rare stuff
  • Bring back RS records
  • Rooster Records - the one and only best shop in town with the nicest owners.
  • Rooster is the only indi i know of.
  • SNV were good, but they closed (as many the decent shop have in Taunton).
  • MARTIAN RECORDS OPPOSITE DELLARS ANY VIDEO AT GREAT PRICES
  • Martian records in Taunton is one of the best be sure to visit it!!
  • Dig the groovy piano in Rooster!!!
  • Rite on records: the best place for hip-hop
  • since Sound N Vision closed the only record shop worth going to is that one on east reach "rooster records" only i wish they had a cafe in there like that place Binos in croydon so we could all chill out there & listen to tunes. That would be brill
  • Yeah, I agree. Rooster's is THE record shop to go to and it's way too good for the likes of Taunton. Martian's are also okay but they don't do much vinyl and Rooster's chart cds are at least a pound cheaper. I know a lot of DJs who use Rooster for cds and vinyl as well.
  • that nice little shop down east st (rooster's?) is the ONLY place 2 go if your serious about your music they have a good thrash cd section all around 8 quid but it sells really quickly so you have to be quick 2 also lotz of cool records lotz new and still sealed inc Slipknot, Green Day & Rage vinyls & rap 2 the bloke in there always goes on buying trips to america so the stock never gets stale i think they have been there about 5 or 6 years which is a long time for taunton
  • roosters has loads of really kicking rap vinyls worth checking out. they can also import rap cd's from the States at a fraction of the cost Virgin do them at. they will order anything you like.
  • Rooster Records is the coolest record shop and I'm always made to feel welcome!
  • Rooster Records have a fantastic selection of vinyl, both new and second hand and always in tip top condition. Everything from psychedelic, jazz, indie, thrash and lots of rap American imports which are proving very popular. CD's are also plentiful with chart cd's (brand new) at £8.95 and the cheapest in town! Lots of promos, overstocks and deletions. Very varied selection including folk, jazz, metal, country, rap, dance ... you name it, they've got it. Staff are personable and friendly and go out of their way to help. Rooster caters to ALL tastes.
  • Martian records is great. What it's doing in Taunton I don't know.
  • Martian records on Bridge Street do chart cd's at £9.99 and have a good selection of pre-owned cd's, vinyl and games. Rooster records on East Reach is top hole too.
  • Only very basic wax records are avialable here as any neweer technology is treated with suspicion and hatred. Even vinyl is seen as a tool of the devil and must be burnt. Don't even mention Cds. . .
  • Martion Records. Sneered at unless buying Thrash Metal. There used to be a place that kept all the birth records but they got too confused what with all the inbreading and all and left...
  • All closed down now, only the big boys survived
  • Martian records is great - just over the bridge It sells all chart albums for £9.99 and you can pick up loads of cd's second hand that u cant find anywhere else - u can also get records for about 45p
  • Not much cop Im afraid, exept Riteon records on station road if you like bang bang music
  • Virgin is obviosly the best record shop, always has the newest release. It also has a good dance collection for those , like me who love bangin choonz.
  • Quite a few second hand record shops, best of the others is Sound n Vision on High Street.
  • rite-on records has a fine selection of dance and phat beats,or there is a wide selection of good 2nd hand shops with good new stock aswell i.e. martian,rooster and rennaissance.
  • Rooster records is good for wierdo's after incredibly rare forgotten records.
  • Good old soundcheck closed down so now we're left with Virgin and MVC, mainstream rubbish.
  • Renaissance Records, Bath Place, off High Street, Taunton - Taunton's longest-running record shop! (established 1990) 1000s of quality used and deleted records/CDs/tapes/music memorabilia, most types of music, loads of indie/metal/punk etc. Worldwide Mail Order service available, website: http:users.abling.co.uk/dellgirl/renaissacne2.htm e-mail: renaissance@abling.co.uk
  • Rooster Records - Similar to Martian, but with less modern stuff. If you want something old or unheard of, it could well be there.
  • Martian Records - Opened Feb '97. Second-hand shop, but has an excellent selection considering. Loads of tapes, CD's, and videos. Has some rare stuff as well. Would be nice if it had some cheap video games, but worth checking out.
  • Sound 'N' Vision - Average. Expensive. Has a lot of merchandise. Student discount (up to 10%)

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

  • Most Taunton clubs insist on shiney white trainers and a huge collection of bling before they'll let you in - Deller's Warf is probabley the largest, none are particularly inspiring. Rockers bar has live tribute bands most weekends if you like imitation heavy rock.
  • rockers live ... bridge street, amazing club. strictly NON CHAV
  • things for justabout everyone to be fair. dellers and shout if you like more mainstream things. Also sturms in that category. aura if you like drumandbass and more alternative-y stuff (bands and things) thou they also do a cheese nite saturday wich is great fun. rockers live also for bands..............urm there are others but theyre all quite mainstream too.........basically just walk around see 4urself...! in general, quite a lot of younguns around however.....or young-looking.....woteva...
  • mamba's closed up now, leaving you with very little Aura (formerly Ether formerly Sloanes), Shout (formerly Life) or Dellers as your choice
  • Club Aura (Formerly Ether).
  • It is best to do a tour of the Taunton pubs, before deciding on your final destination ofthe evening. Millers is a good place to go to be seen as is Brazz. Take your credit card to the latter! The Market House is good for a bit of cheesey music and checking out the local talent. A Wednesday night is a good time for this. Life bar is often busy because of its drinks promotions, and Yates tend to be for the older crowds. Many a drunken old lady has fallen on the dance floor. The Toad is a good place to end up. The music is a good mix of chart dance and cheese and Tuckers snack bar is just up the High Street. Perfect for some late night/early morning munchies!
  • Taunton's a bit crap for clubs really. If you're wanting to loose the will to live, head to Ether. If you want to be swamped by hedgies then Cafe Mamba's the place. Dellers isn't great but is best Taunton has to offer.Can be a good night out if you're drunk enough. Music's sometimes good and u can usually pull a minger or two!
  • Only two choices if you wanna have a real clubbing/dancing nite out: The Wharf - Largest club in Taunton, Wide open space/ hanger atmosphere (TIP: get there early, big Q's on Fri and Sat nite. U dont really wanna be standing next to Oxfam waiting to get in!!) CAFE MAMBA - The (IMHO) club in town, Full of friendly regulars, student, sk8ter types. you just gotta try out the Hyjacker nites. Hip-Hop Old Skool features plenty, causing some of the regular types (Edge et al.) to start 'bustin moves in a Break dance stylee' (TIP: Always ask about offers on drink before ordering - These offers usually last till 10pm, so i suggest getting several bottles around 9:45pm ) =8-)
  • Theres dellers ("The Wharf"), oh... and dont go to the moat. The george is the local gay bar, if, unlike me, you`re into that kind of thing.
  • For the finest Drum 'N' Bass, Hip Hop, Trance & Techno nights that Taunton has to offer try ETHER!!(was Sloanes). Or if you are looking for a night full of aggressive attitudes, fights, and some seriously cheesey commercial dance music try THE WHARF!! (was Dellars).
  • Valbonne has closed down some 2 years ago!!! Nightspots to head to are now Toad in the High Street or Life Bar on East Reach
  • It's best to go around, like Dellars, Melodies, Toad.
  • just don't go to any there the worst clubs in the country, the worst dellers, the least worse, no on second thoughts they're all as bad as each other. go to bristol...
  • Vallbonne has now closed and is no longer a club! It is now a gym 'fitness first'. However a new club 'life' has now open at the top of east-reach!!!!!!!
  • Update; Valbonne has now closed, There are NO decent clubs in Taunton I'm afraid. Maybe at 22 I'm getting too old....
  • mud club.ask @ band stand.some stoners bound 2 now
  • A good place to go is Market House in the middle of town but does have an older apeal some times, depenes on the night really. The best club has just opened really its called Toad its got good music and if you up for a night of danceing and pulling then its a good place to go. Then theres also yates wine bar, thats ok yet again all depends on what kind of night you really want. The great Dellers Wharf!! is still up and running with its Kool waters running every last friday of evey month, this is wher they have a top name dj come and do a set, its a good night.
  • SLOANS and CHAMBERS........now there not bad places if you like a bit of funk soul and no kids around your feet
  • Too few clubs, too many pubs trying to be clubs and charging more than midlands clubs do to get in...a lot more !!! this ain't London..
  • Well, I gather most people who've already written on this site will be pleased to know that Valbonne shut down about a year ago! Hooray. A new club, Sloanes, has opened just up from the centre of the parade(turn down by Clinton's Cards. It's very charty most of the time but sometimes has live student bands play, always a fun evening, and if you're there for the Triplemint evening then GO. It's a wicked night of live hip hop bands from Taunton and Bristol and has an amazing group of breakers from Bournemouth. It really is fantastic! Also, no one seems to have mentioned Mamba. Music nights from Weekender and Highjacker provide cool alternative DJs two Thursdays a month, and this is when everyone will be there. It's definitely worth going. It also has local bands such as Psychadeliasmith and INKARMA(especially amazing) play sometimes too.Chambers has a hip hop night every Friday and so it's worth going there then(very young patrons indeed, though).These are all kind of music venues and so could probably have gone in that section as well, oh well.
  • Valbonne is now closed down. Yeh! No more slags and teeny-boppers to be viewed freezing their bollox off in timy skirts waiting to go in and give several luvky individuals blow jobs next to the bar.
  • Sturms sports bar is always a laugh for the females. We came down from manchester and it was like they'd never seen a female before. Clapping and cheering as we entered and thisa went on for about five minutes. Don't go to dellars though that is full of old losers
  • You have got to be kidding: Kingstons's - A dive (closed) Shite Owls/Vale Bondage - Youthfull faces ahoy (now closed) Dellers (still open, reasonable actually). The Ivory Club - good if you're over 50. Sloans - new, formally the Conservative club (but you can hardly call it a club) You can see the pattern, go to Bristol is my advice.
  • The winchester arms has Craig David at it every 1/2 year. He does a bit of mixing... sound.
  • The Valbone is full of pre pubecent teens who get high on alhopops and moist at the sound of steps. (do not go here people from taunton school go there)
  • There is sloanes which hosts koolwaters quite a lot this is very good and if you look old well your in!! just dont let anyone get a drink for you get them your self if you want to remember anything!!
  • A decent club in Taunton? Yes, that would be a good idea.
  • Dellers offers £1 a drink on Thursday and offers a good opportunity to pull skirt.
  • "STUFFED" is a singles bar. Those wishing to meet up with a sexual partner can be sure to do it here. . .as long as they bring their own brother or sister.
  • Good one. Taunton and clubs. Urm, Well, all the pubs seem to think they are clubs! Try Bristol Or H-Exeter
  • Not enough clubs, need new big venue as the clubs we have are just too small, door prices are too high as are drinks, Taunton clubbers need to visit the midlands clubs to see how much they are being ripped off.
  • Dellars? The Place to go if your Past it
  • Ha ha, no really, perhaps one day something interesting may happen here, but to be honest, i doubt it. All the pubs here serve little more than Vimto, and the night clubs upgrade to fizzy vimto.
  • Chambers allow under 18s most of the time they just don't serve them (umm well not /all/ of them)
  • Dellars is the only club worth a mention and is ideal if you read mixmag or any FHM or loaded type mags. Hard house fridays somtimes some good vibe stuff, alright but not top.Nice totty though wearin hardly a thing.
  • Valbonne is the most popular club, especially on a Friday night as it's real easy to get in without being ID'd. Many of us gather under the bridge with our bottles of White Lightening, it's the bomb! The more experienced of us prefer good old Vodka!
  • Things have changed a bit in the last few years. Now (1999)Kingston (which was the place to go for a fight with the Marines) has been shut and turned into an 'exclusive' (!?) snooker hall, Nightowls (the scene of many a drunken fumble as a 15 year old) still looks as dodgy as ever but is now inexplicably called 'The Valbonne'(I've heard its still full of underage slappers), the main club is Dellers Wharf on the bridge which is actually OK and has attracted some big named DJs and I've heard there will be a new club opening by the church which is causing a massive row about the youth of today etc etc etc. OH and what ever you do don't go the Ivory Club, this is the weirdest place ever. I accidently ended up there one night and there was loads of dirty old men, people who looked like they should be a bingo and a handful of girl who couldn't even get in Nightowls. You have been warned.
  • Go to Dellers Wharf just by the town bridge, it's the best place because it's the only decent club in town...and besides, everyone else goes their. Pleanty of sofa's to sit down on and a pathetic excuse for a dance floor...but the music is okay..try carwash night (70's) last Friday of each month.
  • valbonne sucks! unless your a teeny-bopper!
  • Nightowls is much better than the palace. The palace is in Bridgwater. Bridgwater is bad. The palace is bad, Nightowls is good, go to Nightowls. Also, if you want something a bit more upmarket go to Deller's Wharf (if you can stand the crowds)
  • Whoever recommended the palace in Bridgwater needs help. Valbonne (Nightowls) is infintely better. Alternatively, go to Dellers Wharf for somewhere more upmarket.
  • Valbonne isn't as bad as suggested. It's a student hang-out and it's much better than the Palace in Bridgwater. Whoever suggested that must be mad. Try Deller's Wharf which is classier, and you can sit down on nice sofas along windows which overlook the river.
  • Kingstons Night Club has closed down, in it's place there's a pretty trendy snooker hall [with bar] now called 'Rileys'
  • The Chicago Rock is now open in Taunton. good music covering the 80s and 90s so its the best place for thirtysomethings.....get there early as it gets packed and you will queue for nothing.
  • Nightowls has been renamed "Le velbonne" But it is still shiteowls to the residents of Taunton.
  • There are a couple of clubs...
    • NightOwls - good on Thursday and Saturday night. Thursday is ladies night, when females get in for ?1. This is supposed to attract more blokes, but it doesn't really seem to work.
    • The Ivory Club - designed for 'older' people (21+), but it's a good club.
    • One piece of advice is that Kingstons nightclub, which is next to the station seems to always have loadsa very young looking 18 year olds....
    • The new nightclub in Taunton centre called Dellers is a very lively drinking place for the young, with great music, and a bloody good vibe.
      Dellers is not for younger people! It was originally intended for over 21s, but even though they dropped it down to 18s, you seldom get younger people in there.

    Live Music Venues

    • somone plese buy rockers and make it good i dont have any money unfortunatly, it doesnt have any insurance or a bar lisence someone hellp us
    • mamba has closed now :-( thou aura (well..ether....sloanes...woteva u know it as....) has taken over the musicky thing (mainly on thursdays) with bands every month or so, and indie night, etc...still not the same thou, unfort....
    • The Mecca Bingo Hall (It's Collossul!!)
    • Rockers Live
    • Tauntons biggest venue is a bingo hall!!
    • mambo
    • Rockers Live, Rock!
    • chambers, cafe mamba. bad bands, but then again who wants to play in taunton.
    • If you what the best in Band music then look no further, Taunton Concert Band is the cream of the west country when it comes to Symphonic Wind Music. TCB are friendly and always have agood time on Friday nights (Band Rehearsal Night). So what are you waiting for, come to the ABC School Cranmer Road and join the best band in the west.
    • mechanics is the big venue in burnley.watch 4 local band Apocalypse Cow gigs.There amazing!!!!
    • Cafe Mamba rocks big time, even if the girl's loos are a bit shitty. Check out Sounds of the Underground or Revolver for a good nite out.
    • What music venues?
    • Taunton has a number of pubs that do live music of varying quality but that's about it. It's crying out for a decent venue.
    • Virgin Megastores HMV The Gallows (the march to the death music is pretty good) The Taunton Bumpkin Fair is THE ONLY place for rockin' bango hip-trip and rock
    • Not enough, the Black horse does a good job, but all the large concert venues have closed years ago.
    • Well, everywhere plays music
    • chambers is where all the up and coming bands play - and u occasionally find some quite famous ones
    • Folk night,every other Weds at the Westgate Inn
    • chambers on Friday night hip hop hurray as well as r&b and funky shit. tottally top place to meet stupid good hearted people, as well as local hip djs and rap outfits.
    • I've heard a place called Chambers is good for this but your not allowed in until you're 18, apparently.
    • Taunton rock'n'roll club - getting better all the time - nice place, hardly any Dave Bloody Edmunds, even a bit of real swing. A few lampshades, a few hicks (but we can live with them); best of all, no ceroc types clogging up the dance floor.
    • You are better off travelling to Exeter or Cardiff or Bristol to catch the bigger names.

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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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