The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in Colchester, Essex*

Colchester, Essex Record Shops and Venues

Record Shops

• I must admit here in colchester we dont have any specialist record shops...i think theres one by sainsburys but ive never been in there so i dont know what its like. i feel so at home in hmv though..its really small and cosy and has a nice feeling about it. i hate virgin though..gets on my nerves. only go there when hmv doesnt have what i want!
• Rapture Records was pretty call.
• if u want decent records go 2 HMV near the library or woolworth they both sell Cd's n stuff quite cheap.
• "Its electric" is fantastic, its a little shop up crouch street, and its a rock/metal specialist, with a little emo/ska/indie thrown in for good measure. also, virgin megastores is good, they've just refurbished it (sep '04) soits better than ever!
• the best record shop has to be its electric opposite the old cinema sells great rock type song wif sum from people that aint yet famous
• MVC, HMV, virgin, some other places i can't remember with names like '... records' and loads of shops sell cds inside (like smiths)
• Time records, theres loads of vinyl there, drum n bass, hip hop, rock, alt
• Virgin and HMV provide the basics, but if you want chart cds at their cheapest go to ASDA - some at least £4 cheaper than most others.
• Inspired Records - they are a dance music record shop based in colchester and always sell me the latest promo's try http://www.inspiredrecords.com
• 'It's electric' and HMV.
• virgin. OK so its flippin crouded in there at times but you can get practicaly any cd or game etc you want!
• Andy's records has gone pop. The wonderfulTime records is closing down. There is a good heavy rock shop called 'It's electric'. But apart from that it's pretty dire.
• Oxfam bookshop - always worth a look if you're a bit of a vinyl junkie as they now have quite a good second hand record section.
• Electrics OK and Virgin
• It's Electric, Time Records - both pretty impressive in some cases, unless you're some sXe hardcore weirdo.
• Its Electric. on crouch street sells rock and Indie type stuff. bit of a smelly shop but the cds are a lot cheper than woolworths.
• Have to mention Andy's, in the good ole days and Time of course. Always a monthly, cheap record fair and a strithing selectiondance havens full of 12 inches.
• Time Records used to stock some good CD's, but since w-nk metal and shite-punk became popular, it started selling that instead. Money motivates. It's Electric, if only for it's hilarious selection of mullet-metal.
• shops which sell cds
• Rapture Records opposite st johns carpark - caters from records to cds - party tickets great dance techno and drum and bass shop
• time records, its electric
• VIRGIN - is best for a wide selection of chart stuff ITS ELECTRIC - This is good for Rock that hasent got into charts yet and even if Virgin do stock it this shop is bound to be cheaper
• two of my favorate record stores are time records across from sainsburys and virgin in culver square
• time records is the best place! sells hoodies and tshirts cheaply too.
• Time reccorrrrddsss- come on..they have everything from muse to M.Manson.....and they need the buissness..cos of that damn Virgin mega store which all the trendies go to...grrrrrr...Around the fountain ijgh
• andy's records a good varity of music at the cheapest prices in town
• Rapture Records sells House, Trance, Techno, Garage, D&B, all the dance based music you could ever want. Grungers may want to try Time Records for all of the Marilyn Manson shouting on plastic that they could ever require
• Parrot Records was the only place for records (late 70s)..spent hours just trying to look cool and trashed - at the top of North Hill (dont remember the name of the lane)
• Time Records, Virgin, Andy's
• Parrot records
• the best place 4 records and to meet is {suprise suprise}on culver squair is Virgin records
• Colchester used to have a good range of record shops in the 80s - most seem to have been replaced with more commercial outlets theses days. Pity.
• Check out the newley refurbished second hand record section at EMMAUS, Colchester. everything from EASY LISTENING to DANCE. PLud 2 floors of home furnishings, kitchenware and clothes!!!!
• Times records, the only place that sells only decent music. (slipknot, greenday, silverchair, rage against the machine, nine inch nails, u know what i'm talkin about!)
• RAPTURE RECORDS , OUTSIDE WILCOS
• Time Records
• Virgin Megastores, the only decent one!.
• MVC's got to be the best/cheapest. Pity about the regular visits from those care in the community types, still I think that goes for the whole town, since they opened the gates at "Severals". I think all the "inmates" have shown up on the new estate, also by the name of Severals (Rise?), have you seen them??? frightening viewing!
• Virgin is both v. expensive and does good deals sometimes. But use the independant stores, they need the cash and they're better anyway.
• Rapture Records on St John's Street. Helpful staff and decent decor, will always get what you want.
• What's written is a bit out of date. Shops have moved and there's a couple of new ones. Try Time records- THE independent shop- Priory Walk Andy's Records- check out the bargain bin- Long Wyre Street Our Price- opposite WH Smith, I can't remember the Street name Virgin Megastore- Culver Square MVC- Crouch Street West Ragamuffin Records- it's not as bad as the name suggests- Queen Street Rapture Records- St Johns Walk
• Underground Solution (opposite Budgens in St Johns Street) = Dance and bit of rap. Time Records in Short Wyre St. sell mainly Heavy Metal, Indie, Rap, Dance, etc. Couple of doors down from this is Andy's Records selling everything, but is relatively expensive. Our Price in Culver Centre Precinct for best selection of everything. Music shops don't rate much, but try 'Underground Records' opposite 'Factory Skates' for a bit of techno and hardcore. If all else fails, you can always rely on 'Our Price' (sure, right).

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• route, club foreign, hippodrome, laristos, chicagos, silk bar...all places that do stuff like that but wouldnt know cos aint old enough to get into places like that yet!
• Just keep out of the Hippodrome.
• The Silk Road Lounge and cocktail bar in St. Botolphs st.
• the hub - best place in the world oh and also the v and curve bar !!
• Twist is cool. Have different and interesting bands playing all the time
• Hyperdrome is just plan crap. Full of squaddies and not so pretty women. It smells of dirty feet as son as you walk in and they have to do offers like buy one get two free so that sane people will get so drunk they will foget where they are...and as fof the DJ????? What DJ i could go and turn Dance Club Hits 2005 CD on and get the same response. Turning a CD on is not DJing!!!! Chicargos should be bull dosed with the people in side its so scummy Route is okay bit pricey Best bet to have a laught go to few pubs such as playhouse, oniels and Edwards as its open till one!
• I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the infamous club Route.The club is quite good its more let's just say 'adult 'than the hippodrome theres good music more mature people,only a few squaddies in sight but as always there will be the 'dance around the handbag ladies'you gotta love 'em.On thursdays there is 'milkshake' which is in room 2 dedicated to all the punk-rock indie type,live bands, cool music and drinks(not very cheap though)If route is a club you're going to visit expect nice people,the odd one or two wankers many university students,flirtatious dj's who play good tracks,friendly staff,crisps and food(yeah they sell it!)a good night with a few bum grabbers....overall good place and fit people...(thats not a promise.)BUT, the amount to pay is getting higher, i remember having to pay £10 just to get in, if you are a member and have a flyer, you get in free before a certain time, the queue is always half way down the street so, try and get on the guestlist which by the way is virtually impossible(they never get back to you.)If you go to route make sure you take real money out to spend,because its all going to run out.
• Club detention is a big thing for the younger generation of kids drinking to much getting into fites and pullin the gals
• Rapture at Route on Bank Holidays is the bees knees of a night. Have seen fantastic international breaks djs such as friendly and stanton warriors. Brilliant night out.
• Depends what ya looking for really, but Hippo is still probly the best in town. Route is over-priced and a bit pokey... Chicargo's is alrite but a tad pricey... *King's = Closed, but meant to be re-openin as "storm" *L'Aristo's = also closed... now 'luxary flats... Hippo? Well, there's plenty of space to move around (unless its uber-busy!), they play a decent mix of music (except the constant r'n'b in the back room), and to be fair the drinks aren't too pricey... Ok so it may be called the "kiddiedrome" or the "slapperdrome" by some, but its seriously not THAT bad... Yes ya gonna find squaddies there, but like us locals, they're pretty stuck for choices too... it is actually possible to not get groped by them! Seriosuly don't see what everyones problem is with them... not half as annoying as all the poncey freshers that lord it around the place between mid-september to late october (well basically until their first loan runs out!)... Nevermind!
• HIPPODROME BABY!!!!
• Club Forin. What can i say? Moody lap dancers who are nothing more than beggars. Moan like mad if you dont get a £20 lap dance of them. Bad attitudes, and not that great looking. Would rather spend the money on 6 inch nails and hammer and nail myself to the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• dnt go to hippadrome its a shit hole full of lil teenages wif there tits hangin out!!
• Hippodrome-o.k if you're drunk before you go in, typical essexness, full of squaddies route- about the only good one we have, also full of squaddies
• Route's really good in the summer. Really nice atmosphere, no trouble and NO SQUADDIES!!! Hippo's great if you can enjoy yourself and avoid having sleazy blokes coming on to you!
• Having lived in colchester for most of my life i've been to all the bars/ pubs and clubs that are here but the one that sticks for me is chicago's on queen street it gives you a restaurant a bar and a dance floor with a dj. the restaurant is good for parties and gives saome great choice of munchies if your hungry and the bar staff are all really nice and are always having a laugh with the customers . so go to chicago's for the all round night out. IT%S GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!
• ANATIDAEPHOBIA (not that i'm biassed) but i've been told by people that it's a good rock night, it's in the underground at the uni 3 times a year but we always try our hardest to show everyone a good time! plus discord on a saturday night at level 2 at the university is always a friendly place to be, rock music, cheapish drinks etc... if you like rock music, come down to both. if you want more details, go to www.anatid.net there's news on up and coming rock stuff etc...
• Hippodrome on Saturdays, although I'd advise people to avoid Friday nights as came feel a bit Youth Clubbish - try Route on Fridays instead. Good RnB music, average price drinks, though would recommend putting your name on the guest list in advance if you don't want to stand in the cold all night.
• There should be a Liquid in clochester!
• no-bodys mentioned Route yet?? Tuesdays good all inclusive night thursday card night weekends ok too a fairly decent nitespot considering this is colchester!
• KINGS has just kicked off a rock night called RAGE on Thursdays (at last!) opening night was wicked so should turn out to be a scorcher! loads of stuff like metallica,soil,audioslave,gnr,even iron maiden!
• Bar 33 is cool. 4get all the tacky 1's like Hippodrome, Route, Chicagos, Playhouse etc.
• Home of Essex girls - the Hippodrome.
• Never done any of the clubs round here, they all look far too seedy/trendy. Though I hear the guy who runs the indie/metal nights at kartouche in ipswich has just started up something similar at Fagins Den.
• stay away from the following- roller world hippodrome
• If you're a middle-aged divorced woman, looking for a shag from a drunken, violent retard squaddie - Chicago's is just the place for you.
• The Twist, soon to be the Soundhouse - alternative music club.
• In Colchester I think you've missed out two clubs that are really rammed on weekends. Route - personally I think the dancefloor is too small and the music's pretty crap. Valentino's is the best laugh for a Saturday night, when the music is great for dancing and everyone is friendly - none of the aggro you get in the Hippo!!
• It seems most people like to slate the hippodrome, but the truth is most people seem to end up there on a night out and end up having a good time! Its not exactly Amnesia, but if you're up for a laugh, a drink and a dance- and can put up with a slightly sticky floor and drunken squaddies- it's the place for you! The bouncers are kewl, but maybe they should make a point of asking EVERYONE (even the attractive 16 and 17 year old girls) for ID! Best on a Thursday night or on a Friday when the R&B room in open. Route is on Queen Street and has a completely different atmosphere- more chilled and laid back. Slightly older (more 18-40 rather than 16-25)with the emphasis more on socialising (pool tables etc than dancing. Thurs is the best night (10 pounds entry for women, 15 for men and ALL you can drink) but closes at 12. Most people go on to the hippodrome afterwards. Kings- Minging.
• most clubs are pretty good, noit the playhouse though
• Except maybe these weekly club nights at the Arts Centre, no decent clubs I'm afraid. The Arts Centre recently also surprisingly introduced all nighters at their bar. Cafe Mondo @ Essex uni is sometimes ok, but it's closed over the summer.
• Kings Nightclub Friday nights are really starting to hot up bank holiday just gone , kings had the largest capacity out of all of the clubs in Colchester it was rammed they played fresh tunes and the best bit is Fri - £1 a drink before 10:30 Sat £1.50 a drink b4 10:30 also ladies get in half price on a sat , Sat 29/6/02 Red Square is gonna 66p a bottle all night and the follwing sat Dj Luck & Mc Neat are appearing to guest a few tunes , despite its reputation kings is COMING BACK its starting to become the place to be cos the best bit -NO SQUADDIES
• hey, want to know what people think of ROUTE in colchester...? am planning a big night out at the weekend for a mates birthday, and have been reccomended Route, but would like to know what anyone else thinks of it?
• act one bar (goth pub) please , no townies. you'll ruin it.
• ROUTE- colchesters newest club, very trendy has a big room full of about 12 pool tables
• L'Aristos at the bottom of East Hill is to be avoided at all costs - sticky carpets, overpriced drinks and a maximum of five people on the dancefloor. They used to have an excellent Soul Room upstairs at the Hippodrome - the only worthwhile reason for going in.
• laristos the best under 16's dico in the town
• Oh to be young again and spending Saturday night at the Copford Windmill! Boogie Nights!!!!!!!!! Wghat was the name of that resident band? White flares I kid you not.
• Insanitorium. A Monthly Gothic / Industrial / Eighies night at the Cambridge Arms in Military Road. Check www.insanitorium.fsnet.co.uk/index
• Hippodrome if you like lamb dressed as youngish mutton, Kings, but of course you can try the Terrace, but you may be forgiven for thinking that you've got 2 heads, 3 eyes and have shot up to 11ft tall, E's are good man!!!
• hippodrome , one last beer is the only reason to go . and chicargo's well?? leaving is the best part ..
• don,t bother with clb forin it's crap.
• Mostly teenybopper joints, or full of drunken squaddies. If you're looking for banging techno and the like, forget it. If you like disco/pop, slappers dancing round handbags, idiots with designer labels and no brain and fighting soldiers, then you'll love The Hippodrome, Chicago's, Kings, etc.
• Hmmm... the twist has great rock bands, and a once a month metal night with DJ Satan
• Avoid the terrace, at all costs, dodgy all over, from the manager to the DJ, they are all on Es and Speed!. The hippodrome is not better, full of little boys and girls. even the manager, is shagging a 16 year old.
• Hippodrome- well their is nowhere else to go!. Besides the younger members make the olders feel not so young. The terrace- is awful. Don't go their, inless you want to score drugs!!.Oh and also if you want to do a Gary Glitter. L'aristos- getting better....
• You're having a laugh aren't you. Dave Pearce was monthly resident at the Hippodrome (I don't know if he still is) but it still tells you all you need to know about Colchester. but, if having your arse grabbed by the ugliest fucking bunch of squaddie wankers you'll ever encounter is your idea of fun then take your pick from any Colchester club. Go to Clacton for garage clubs - see Mixmag.
• Hippodrome is now looking very good after it's refit. The Bouncers even seem friendlier now!!
• The Underground at the University has the odd good night, but it's every blue moon, and not cheap. Avoid Rapture unless you have too many teeth or you like Greeks.
• L'Aristos - strictly old medalion men and women who dance round their handbags Valentinos - Venue far too small & crammed for anyone who wants to dance! Hippodrome - Decent sized club that occasionally has good DJ's & could be good but they still let too many kids & idiots in, could do with a re-vamp
• "The Terrace" High street Colchester, is this the most seediest of all nightclubs ever? Ahem I think the answer is yes indeed.
• Best cheap/student nite on Tuesdays at Hippodrome on High Street. Also good on Thursdays but too busy and usually a bit of trouble. - Try Valentino's (behind Hippodrome) or King's in Copford.
• L.A.'s has ceased to be. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
• L'Aristo's - not great, but at the same time not bad either in comparison to other Colchester nightclubs.
• Chicagos - good place to be thrown out of.
• Hippodrome - no comment.

Live Music Venues

• OMG!!! blatently the arts centre..they do this great night called gigantic and its basically four hours full of indie music. its so so so good! went to one the other week and it totally rocked! name a band you like and they'll play it! and the best bit is tickets only cost £5! people under 18 can have bit of hassle on the door (i alwas do) but it is for over 16's....i totally recommend it! the twist is also a really cool place for live music..loadsa cool ands play there! avoid hippodrome...if you've ever seen the people leaving that place then you'll know why!!
• The Silk Road 01206-576003
• The Twist- the most terrible venue in the world. it's small, cramped, hot, and full of unsociable losers. avoid unless you're already drunk.
• The Twist is fantasitic for all kinds of bands. From Hip hop, metal and Rapping
• Hi A friend and I took over Legend Studios nearly two years ago now. See you still have the link. The name has been changed to Unit One Studios and we operate the exact same way as before. Clean space, good prices and now with a recording suite upstairs this place is a creative beast!! same number: 01206 870240 web: http://www.unitonestudios.co.uk
• There are crap bands that play at Oneils on Thurdays if you want a giggle go and see how bad it really is!!!!
• The hippodrome brings westwood to town on tour and Club D brings a few band to town
• colchester arts centre is the best in the town, we just had wednesday 13 come play here (wednesday from the murderdolls' other band). They were fantastic!
• MOLLY MALLONES the best pub eva live music from people like shameless/sevenless who are a great local band
• arts centre, soundhouse, legends!
• the soundhouse is cool and i have had many happy nights there!
• Nah, every now and then there is something going on in Castle Park.
• Colcvhester Arts centre.01206 500900
• The Soundhouse (was the twist) is really going somewhere, with lots more signed stuff comeing up on the program, instead of tribute bands. The art centre has stuff everynow and then, but, with their entry age lowered to 14, the security haul pretty quickly if you look like you might jump on someones foot (or mini mosher) by accident. Check out www.the13th.com for reviews and line ups.
• the Arts Center - generally there's one or two class acts a month there, the last one being One Minute Silence. Hell is For Heroes were there but sucked :)
• Oh the Arts Centre! Years and so many nights. Big haze but, will never forget the Twisted Melons, Blow Up, 3ft. High and Rising & the local bands, Fridge, Dennis and Mouthy. With Steve Lamaqc making many appearances and reviews, huge bands from elsewhere loved it - best has to be David Devant & his Spirit Wife!!
• The Twist and the Arts Centre are both holes. But look out for a punk all-dayer coming to a church-turned-music-venue in the next few months...
• The Art Centre. Get In, Pull, Get Out. five minutes tops...if you're any good.
• Bring back the Picolo Pardre, them wine jars came in handy when the bog was full, you could put it on a table wait for it to empty then piss in it again, seem to remember the place was full of robing hard up students who was always moaning about the wine being warm.
• arts centre. the manager is a big c**t though
• THE TWIST - Plays good music but is mostly filled with Goths and Grungers
• colchester arts centre is good
• Molly Malones used to ba a good venue but since the arrival of the 2nd and 3rd Bn the Paranormals Regt., they changed the name to Slipstream.....yet another place that normal civvies can't use now. More durr brain paras than you can shake a stick at. If you do visit, watch out for the lobotomised monkies that work the door. Definitely the place to get a serious groping if your female and a serious kicking if your a normal type male. Mainly used by the intellectually dead listening to bands of dubious backgrounds and quality. Expensive beer and all the ambience of a locked mental ward.
• Deep is now shut down, due to it starting school-based gang wars. I DJed in there for a while and it DID suck and was run by scarey christians trying subtly to convert everyone (but £40 an hour so i didnt give a shit), had to escape out of the backdoors several times to avoid GUN wealding pissed kids shooting the windows with air rifles. not becouse of anything inparticular but becouse they were wankers after a fight with anything that moved.
• A decent rock concert needs to be held in Castle park, as long as the Westlife A1 and Boyzone & their teenybopper boyz & girlz are not there. How about Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Papa Roach and some of the other hard rock/heavy metal bands breathing some life into this town?
• the twist
• Music venues are pretty good. I've seen some amazing bands in Colchester to be honest - I mean forget muddy Glastonbury. We've got the Oliver Twist, Arts Centre, University, and I remember seeing Arthur Brown once at the Hippodrome when it had creative management. Colchester is also host to allnoise.com - a talent website started by local musicians and artistes. Blur originate from Colchester (if that's anything to shout about). Also actress Joan Hickson (Miss Marple to you guys) lived in Wivenhoe until her death quite recently, and Poet/Nutter John Cooper Clark can often be seen walking about as he lives here too.
• Oliver Twist: is this still going? When I last went there 2-3 years ago it was the same old shithole: putrid pink walls, godawful landlady and uncomfortable seats. Arts Centre: lovely lovely Arts Centre!
• THE OLLIE TWIST MILLITARY ROAD
• Check out the Arts Centre on Fri. nights - alternative, indie, occassional trance nights (highly rewcommended), open 'til 2a.m. All sorts of bands, theatre etc. rest of the week.
• The Arts Centre - Past acts include One Minute Silence, Feeder, The Dandy Warhols and Placebo
• Can't believe nobody has mentioned Molly Malones and the Oliver Twist, don't you people know a good time. Perhaps it just doesn't appeal if yer too sober or are of naff taste.....yep I suppose that's most of you. Will someone please re-open the Picolo Padre.
• The Arts Centre ran all sorts of different nights each week last time I checked (about 2 years ago), like Acid Jazz (full of 'trendy' sixth formers), drum and bass (full of nutters) and Thelma's (full of gay people). They have that 'stamp your hand if you're over 18 policy though, so can feel a bit like the community centre disco. Spot the 14 year olds with the drawn on stamps. Don't know why they bother, the beers crap. However, this is sometimes the only place you'll meet people who don't have 'I'm thick as pigshit' tattoed on their foreheads.
• Colchester Arts Centre's had some top gigs recently. Ash, Placebo, Mansun, Bernard Butler The University has a few occasionally Check out the Twist for local bands on Military Road
• Colchester Arts Centre - something to please most at some time or another.
• Arts Centre. Royal Mortar

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 Colchester. 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 Colchester.

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: 2007-09-19