The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in St Albans, Hertfordshire*

St Albans, Hertfordshire Record Shops and Venues

Record Shops

• Vinal shop on station bridge dont know name
• Vinal shop on train bride in Victoria Street
• woodstock records - shut down now though, went all cyberspace!
• Maniac Vinyl on Hatfield road do loadsa stuff.
• plastic records is by far the best. manic vinyl is always full of ru'bwoy hood rats and if boxer records still exists, they've taken their password to enter policy a bit too far.
• Manic Vinyl in Fleetville is good for U.S Hip-hop and DnB but slightly commercial. Plastic in town stocks British Hip-Hop, got some heavy beats. But then again for £9.50 get a travel card and go Soho.
• Manic Vinyl, it is situatied just past the crown pub near st.albans station. this is for tastes such as dnb, garage, house, dance etc
• Go to the market near past times theres a quality record shop there. Trust me.
• HMv all the way large selection as well ad vids and DVD's although theie world musicsection needs a severe shake up
• Woodstock and boxer are the only ones I remember. Lot of attitude in Boxer until my friend told me he used to bun with the sales assistants during lunch break
• Boxer records down a small side street with the pub 'the swan' on the corner they are good for drum n bass, garage, hard house etc. so if your not into raving..dont bother!
• Plastic Records is near Argos, and it's quite a fun place to go. The guy who stands there all day (not the one who works there, the other guy) is called Rob Focuz, but you should probably call him Mr Focuz until you're aquainted. He actually DJs in the Horn quite a lot of the time, and he's quite a safe dude, but don't invite him back to your house! He once tried to climb into a really small cupboard under the influence of much drink!
• Well there's HMV and Woolies....Im sure there are alternative record shops which are well hidden away from the wrath of the townie population.
• HMV, is crap but plastic records is sick loasa brumm and bass + hip hop it on st peters street down a little ally
• HMV, Virgin Megastores and there used 2 b Ourprice not sure now though. Might have turned it in2 Soletraders or somethin.
• Plastic records....they make records from plastic, with music that is good, and sell them for money...make love to me money...baby bbabby
• hmv's probly ur best bet
• HMV is the enemy!!!
• Long Haired Ed works in sainsburys now so buy your cds there and say hi.
• HMV 'top dogs'sucking each other off behind the counter eh????? Personally, from an ex pups point of view, this is a fabrication of the truth, only certain pups do. Check out the Cross breeds (no names included unfortunately, not that I'm ashamed, but they know who they are) for example....ooooooo, woof woof, how they bark!!!!!! They have Tiffany's back catalogue too.........go the the bearded and spectacled one on the market on Saturdays!!!!!! Bargain of choice!
• 'Upmarket records' on hatfield road. What an ironic title, full of shit garage 12 inches and very little else
• HMV? fuck that! erm... woodstocks gone. oh dear lets go to camden.
• our price
• hmv has a good selection but is sometimes lacking in punk
• Ruth works at the Maltings Our Price now, but they are destined to close, and so she has been bringing large parts of the contents home for ages. On the last day, she will take her manager home with her. She also makes her own clothes out of any materials she can find. She once made a coat from the skin of a young man.
• HMV is OK but expensive....not enough WARP, Planet Mu, Rephlex etc. Our Price...both shops now suck ass
• Our price not in the maltings, has many skaters workin'! skaters welcome
• Woodstock Records, the guy on the market - he sells 'em cheap - probably pirate, our price (x2!!), HMV.
• The best Record Shop in town is "Robbie Record's Sister", which is a shop that Paul Pepper keen to visit is. It has many pictures of CD and Tape and Record and 14 Year Old Girls, and Paul like to frequent them all. Quintin Parker also lives in there, and he render the Neighbours Theme Tune to all who care to listen. Once, all the occupants of shop were to vomit all simultaneous. Buckets were provided, but none were saved.
• I like to buy CDs from the Wax Factory, in George Street. Old Drunk Men own the shop, but they are strangely lovable in an endearing way. One of them is grotesquely swollen with helium gas, but he does not have the squeaky voice this would notmally produce. Instead, he give discount CDs to kids with amputated limbs.
• there are no shops in St Albans apart from: meg's baking, hair by jules and the smell emporim that sells aromas, mostly greek, getting records is hard.
• You joking? There are two Our Prices.
• Go to Woodstock records and tell 'em Nick sent you. Or go to Our price and say hi to long haired Ed.
• Boxer Records is the only one, but they are pricey (£7+)
• Last week I was buying records from HMV, when I was beaten by a little kid, oh yeah, he's only four feet tall, stronger than he looks you know.. it was a massive fiasco, and next time I'll be a-shopping in Our Price. Falcon Records was fun, but some guy who was actually a woman took all their shop displays, including a massive Kula Shaker spaceman, and they had to close.
• I went in Woodstock and they had lots of lovley ninja tune / wowax / warp stuff. Yummy
• Woolworths are perhaps the most suck, but you should also take into account Our Price and of course HMV. Our price is full of sale stock that is expensive, and HMV is full of a guy who talks to your boyfriends.
• If you want to Spin the Black Circle in style, then go to "Sick and Wrong", it's a record shop behind Woolworths, and they use it for slaughtering pigs at night, but that doesn't make it any cooler.
• Woodstock records in Heritage Close, just off chequer street I think, that's very good. The blokes in there are really helpful and will order in anything they can for you. They've got a mix of new and second hand and they've got all types of music. Definitely worth a browse
• Theres Hmv, and Ourprice but the best selection is in HMV. I like to listen to the classics like Bach.
• They sell the Toilet Boys CD in HMV thats probably the best of the record shops
• You can buy hot spinning disks of iron from Dr. Ennis, who isn't really a doctor, but runs JACK SHOW records from the Fighting Cocks, a local place. God bless his sadly truncated floppy hair.
• HMV
• Woodstock's schmoooove daddio. Shame the weird dude just got rid of all the CDs tho'... Still Harry Secombe rrrrrocks. Or something.
• There is a rather strange but cool chinese/canadian guy in Hatfield Road, who sells really wierd music that you can't get anywhere else. He's called Warren and he does some really odd things.
• Woolworths suck hard.
• A new HMV recently opened in St Peters Street, expanding the amount of music available in St. Albans many fold, Stratospheric prices however. Good CD stall on the market every saturday, normally outside WHSmiths somewhere. For the more specialist stuff go to Woodstock Records in Heritage Close.
• I thought HMV suck anus, but they did have a single for £1.99. MAGIC CUM!
• HMV suck eachother off under the counter, they take turns at this, and they sold someone a Clash CD and it was all scratched. They are downright evil. And they have singles for about £5.00 each. Go to London or Brighton.
• Woodstock records is a grand place to buy stuff cos he plays dodgy music in the background that he wrote himself buy a fireside in devon during the 1980's
• hey theres now an HMV. still pretty shit though. if you do go, remember your student card!
• Falcon. They'll get you what you want (if you ask them nicly) thell even happly let you put your name on thwe back of there displays so you can later have them (our price tend to promise you them, but then give them to someone else!)
• Boxer records sell mainly hardcore and rave, but are a good stockist if you like that
• godamnit ----Boxer records is a load of dump!!!!
• Quite a few crappy commercial places inclusing 3 Our Prices! Woodstock records is a cool shop tho, catering for underground dance.
• Every Monday in the Town Hall - Little man selling cool second hand records
• Woodstock Records - Purveyors of fine second hand records. Always worth a laugh - especially when playing "Who can buy the most embarrassing record?" game.
• Our Price x 2 (aren't we lucky!!)
• The only good record shop in St.Albans is Boxer records... Ok, Ok it's only dance, but I assure you it's good. Oh, and then there's the guy on the market... he's just about opposite WH Smiths.... Sells good stuff, new & second hand. See, there are some decent places to shop for music in St.Albans!

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• THE HORN REBORN
• just steer clear of batchwoods. In fact, if you want clubs, go somewhere else. Just go to london.
• Standard Thursday night proceedings is Vintry then Batchwood. Fridays is an O'Neils night or Vintry and hit the Destiny bus to Watford. City isnt too out the way so you go up there but its a ton night that way.
• biggest club would be batchwood after its £1.5million refurbishment. thursdays- student night, over 18's cheap drinks, fridays and saturdays-over 21's expensive drinks but better music and a better croud.
• The Pioneer - Even the pikeys are friendly.
• batchwood strictly rest of the palces to go out are bars!!! or pubs
• It had to be batchwood, I'm through it now, but those days were cool. Guarenteed pull.
• Batchwood on a thursday night is 18+ has alot of young looking 18 year olds, not that i would doubt their id'ing process at all. good night for cheesy music and old dance tunes, with hip hop an rnb in the second room...somethin for everyone. friday is ok.. saturday is 20+ but the croud are around 30+
• Batchwood is great. The clientelle has changed for the better since it was done out and stopped playing garage. Certainly the best club in St. Albans and attracts fit birds rather than the dirty slappers in Watford and Hemel.
• If you go to the Horn on a Monday, it's not quite a club, but they have got a tasty Monday night late licence, where a number of talented DJs spin records for your joy and for mine. Look out for Sleeve Hancock, who plays Michael Jackson, Squarepusher, his own stuff, and also raps in a ragga style during the more hot and pounding points of the night!
• Batchwood and Adelaide are both shit, but Adelaide is slightly shitter, but easier to escape into a taxi from, which you will inevitably want to do after 1 hour, as it is much nearer civilisation than Batchwood.
• St Albans has 2 clubs, the Adelaide for the town elders and Batchwood, the most overhyped club in the world. Despite a recent refurb, the loft carpet is already sticky and a few new lighting effects dosn't disguise the fact that its a pile of poo. However, we go there as there is NOTHING to do in SA.
• Batchwood(!)
• If you wish to buy some flesh (mostly cow) go to batchwood. If you want some real fun go to Nicky P's Gimp Palace on Churchill road, just stand on the abandoned and knocked down tree filled lot at the end of the road whilst wearing riding chaps and holding some kind of whip and crack the weapon three times whilst crying out...'take me nick..take me somewhere I've never been before...HURT ME!!!' Or you can join the St Albans Organ appreciation society (somewhat similar to the Gimp Palace, but a slightly rougher clientele)
• nothing doing, go to luton (batchwood at a stretch)
• The Tool Tent is probably the best underground two-step club in the whole of Hertfordshire. It's quite small and cramped, but ever since they've had the extenstion they have a whole new clientele. So yeah, all the cool kids in St. All Brans seem to be hanging out at the Tool Tent. And then they get Vangos and so everyone won't be seen dead in the Tool Tent, they just want to go to Vangos. Come on! The Tool Tent may be a bit more run down, and Vangos is snazzy and nice and orange, but blatantly, Tool Tent has more character.
• Batchwood Night club, St Albans, Herts RB's, Chester or if you really wanna get off the beaten track......City Bar, Chester
• Nothing in St Albans, with all the pubs having later and later licences there is no excuse for anyone to show their faces in St Albans, again if you want a big night out get into london!
• mmm... yeasty snatchwood.
• The Adelaide is for pervy old blokes and desperate teenagers
• don't go to batchwood or the pioneer damm townies
• Batchwood - like a night time New Look - same music, as much class and quality of lady folk... Best stay at home!
• Batchwoods is a meat market and is fine if all your after is a quick shag with some st albans tart who looks about 16 years old and is wearing a skirt bearly covering their arse
• Anyone thinks Batchwood is good needs to be shot!! The place doesn't even resemble a nightclub the music is Garage which is rubbish and the dance floor is tiny, Its more like a big PUB i.e FULL of drunks. The atmosphere is nasty , it was a better club before it burnt down.
• There is a new club opening up, called the E-Shack. This club has remarkable features, including set music of Tool and Drum'n'Bass and Rammstein! However, best feature is the Smoke Machine, which in fact is Greebo Al in a small box, with a lightweight portable rapping roll-up machine keeping him with a constant supply of roll-ups. See the smoke gush into the club! Dancing goes on way into the night, and indeed until the next morning. A night not to be missed!
• Rumours are that there is a secret Underground Two Step Club in St. Albans at the moment. It moves about all the time, and apparently it was in the now legendary TOOL TENT at one point. The grapevine allows us to keep track of the movements of the Underground Two Step Club. It's run by a crazy kid called Evan, who once fell asleep in the Tool Tent, on top of Emily, who then force fed his comatose figure half a packet of biscuits. Evan nearly choked! However, he was fine, and went off to have Two Step Clubs in pastures new. Evan and the Two Step Club have been sighted in Brighton and Southwold. Look out.. the Underground Two Step Club could come your way soon...
• My favourite club is Destiny! It's really cool, and I go down there with a big lump of butter! They have this guy with tiny shorts doing a pole dance!
• Batchwood...never been there as of yet there is a shit little club on the high street but it looks, erm, shit...
• Adelaides is shit. plain and simple. not shit in a good way, like cheap but run down and in actual fact good to get pissed and fuck around, but shit in an expensive, run down, thinks its really something crap hardhouse 1992 way. avoid st albans for clubs. best thing here is the horn, which is a shitey late opening pub, cheap but ok to get pissed although full of grungers
• The Pioneer
• I WAS DRIVING NEAR HATFIELD THE OTHER DAY SO I THOUGHT I'D HAVE A LOOK AT THE FORUM - THE PLACE WHERE EVERYONE USED TO GO - PINEAPPLE CLUB ON SAT AND HAUNTED HANGER ON FRIDAY.............OH MY GOD ITS NOT THERE ANYMORE - JUST RUBBLE!!!! THE BEST OF MY EARLY TEENS SPENT THERE. FIRST THE ODEON WENT AND NOW THE FORUM.
• Snatchwood.
• The Stud Room in Brampton Road has been expanded, and not can fit even more people. But the clientele aren't as cool any more, and they fixed the wall. Batchwood burns down every month, but sadly everyone gets out. "The Drunk Guy" on Verulam Road is good for people who like to drink. However, the ultimate club in St. Albans is "KEEGAN'S GAMES FIELD JACK SHOW", for people of all ages in the Town Hall on fridays. Keegan jacks for me and mine. He is the coolest, and has the best shorts!
• The Batchwood Bus now goes from outside Marks and Spencers in St Peters Street, not outside Vintry anymore... at 10, 10.30, and 11pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday
• No. DON'T GO TO ANY CLUBS AROUND HERE THEY ARE JUST SO SO SO BAD. Trust me.
• By far the best club in St. Albans is KNIFE PARTY, which is on Holywell Hill, but is worth the journey. Chino Moreno is known to frequent there, and you can always find some space on the dancefloor. Bring your dancing shoes! Also, the Jacking Club on George Street is worth a visit.
• Batchwood is fun, if you like to squeeze 1700 people.
• The Bone Machine is always a good club to go to. Some guy bought me a soda, and then he tried to molest me in the parking lot. Yup.
• Two places that are worth mentioning - the Vintry It is really cool, the bar staff are young fun and cool!! the landlady is a gem! i like the big new guy Dave, hes always friendly and helpfull, not to mention goodlooking, bu es got a bird, all the other guys there are kool!! Batchwood nightclub is great!! get there before 11, coz it can get expensive, there is a free us fro outside te vintry, it also brings you back to town after!! its a big venue!! it has a main room, loft, garden and conservatory, its better tan it sounds, can squeeze about 1700 people, doormen are cool, dancers are good. barstaff are also great, you get all te trendy people in town at batcwood.
• Well, there was Kiss. And then it burnt down. And now there is Batchwood. All the cool people in town should really create a recurring theme, if you know what I mean.
• Bensikins Morris club are real scary. They dance around in circles outside pubs and things. and there are scary pictures of them on the internet.
• dance music should be banned
• The STUD ROOM! The hottest Gay Club in the whole greater london area! You won't believe the hot guys they have here, and it's such an exclusive venue. Above Verulam, in Brampton Road.
• Batchwood is my joy factory. We dance there and tease drunken men. Suzy did a pole dance.
• Genetic Dance Possibly in St.Albans................ http://members.xoom.com/geneticdance/
• Batchwoods for the little girls but thats about it. Everything else are pubs.
• I like the gay bar
• Batchwood night club
• Clubs suck. Clubs also blow. In fact, clubs circular breath like jazz musicians.
• They have a lovely disco at the Town Hall every Friday, which is called "Keegan's Games Field Jack Show", for some reason or other. It's very good if you like young patrons! You often see them leaning out of the window on your way home from the pub. Kingsley actually took his video camera.
• Yes, they have cool Trance/Garage at the end of the Bell, comically called the Bell End. The irony is that the people there are throbbing man organs.
• There is only one Gay club in St. Albans as far as I can tell.. it's called "The Stud Room" and it's on the second floor of Verulam in Brampton Road.. It's a lovely intimate venue, with regular clientele.. the chairs are a bit broken, but there's always something going on.. They also have a thing at the moment where everyone there helps to paint the walls after the club closes, so it gets redecorated.
• Clubs that arnt golf courses? the very idea is obserd , however if u like a lot of chocolate on your buiscuit, then the minty club on hatfield rd is good. youll find it out side the CAMRA headcourters near the nphone box. yum.
• Spritzers on the Redbourn Road is an amazing club for gay people. It is run by Stephen Howard and has been voted national gay club of the year for several years in a row. - A remarkable feat Stephen!
• Not a decent bloody club for miles. London is the best bet as the train service home is prety good, but ONLY on a Friday night. Try coming home after about 1am on saturday night and you'll get stuck at Kings cross for 5 hours waiting for the first of the Sunday service trains home and debating wether to stump up the 40 or 50 quid for a taxi.
• Batchwood now does a 16 - 18's night every wednesday. Its alcohol free and great if you fancy pulling some 14 year olds. although it is strange trying to prove that your under 18, not over!
• There is a secret Jacking club on George Street.
• All clubs in St Albans are big pants
• By the way the Adelaide is an absolute shite hole and Batchwood is superb and there is a free bus service from outside the Vintry on Thursdays now as well as Fridays and Saturdays
• batchwoods good for drunken pulling nights, but again, i think its worth going into london for this
• Batchwood Hall used to be a cult undeground place, but has re-opened under new management and is very much a 'lads' club, people go ther to pull or get in a fight *:/ having said that the decor and sound system are amazing and there is fun to be had if yer drunk enough! Adelaide's in Adelaide street has a rock/indie night every Wednesday, despite being tiny the club has a good atmosphere, and the DJs will play most things requested. The Club is applying to expand as well so this time next year it may be half decent. The Pioneer club does underground dance stuff every couple of weeks. The atmosphere is amazing, a real original rave.. Easy Tiger do a night as do Portable Deluxe.
• Since Batchwood has reopened after the fire, it has certainly improved and is better than any in Hemel or Watford. It's the best in the area without going into London. A tad expensive though. Try and get a flier from various pubs, in particular the Blacksmiths Arms. There are now free buses on Fri and Sat nights to the club which is a little out of town, form outside the Vintry and in the town centre.
• Adelaide - Quite fun in a "drunk n' fightin'" way.
• Decompression
• Only 'Kiss at Batchwood' - shit - go to Watford, Hemel or even Dunstable instead.

Live Music Venues

• try Pioneer Club
• THE HORN REBORN
• Pioneer Club hosts Trashcan gigs (for 14-18 year olds) about twice a month on Saturday Evenings
• Pioneer. Blatanly obvious one yeah. Also a nearby-ish venue is Milton Keynes National Bowl - It's outdoor so best in the summer. I've seen.. Green Day, Taking Back Sunday, Jimmy Eats World, Hard-Fi, Oasis, The Coral, 22-20s[or sumthing like that]. Was wicked but i suggest take picnics and lots of suncream cos its like a big outdoor park. Amazing though.
• THe peacock has some good stuff from time to time, also (of course) the horn.
• the Horn
• The Horn Reborn. Great for live bands of various genre.
• Drunk in Public ,which is Mark, Simon & Jon from the LEVELLERS with Rev Hammer are playing at O`Niells in St Albans on Sunday March 20th 05.I think the venue is the place for tickets
• Pioneer near the st albans fire station (dunno wat road it is) 6th march 2004 a big gig 7.30ish til aboutish the "not katies" are playing i think and many other kool bands! come dopwn fro sum fun and laughter only skater dudes,grunges etc not townie fags cos they suck and spoil it everytime by trying 2 fight us wen we no we could beat them anyday...........just dnt want 2 lol c ya there!
• Saturday Night under 18 Gigs at Pioneer Club mostly by Trashcan Promptions.About 1 each month
• THE PIONEER WOOO!
• Guitar, bass, drums and vocals courses for teens and adults from Musicademy. Tel 01923 285 305. www.musicademy.com
• The Horn has a lot of tribute bands, some better than others. O Neils (formally the Firkin) has the odd band, and very occasionally the Alban Arena but this caters for more mature tastes. London is where to go to see the big names.
• Flatline play at the pionner Rob Kiff is vocals he is a cool dude
• St. Albans Arena.
• The roof of the multi story car park at the station has a secret gig featuring world class acts every thursday lunchtime...unfortunately the gigs only last for thirty seconds. Previous acts have included the Nine inch nails, David Bowie, Steps, Coal Chamber and the Krankees (featuring MC noel edmonds)...that last thursday was hell on earth
• there's a bar just up the road from safeway-mostly tribute bands, but there are some origanals
• HORN
• The Horn. A wide range of bands, there's a Nirvana tribute band who play who are quite funny, Andy Meek never fails to entertain, and on Mondays there's a load of crazy ravers there dancing to repetitive dance music.
• St.Albans music scene is dead. Whichever brain dead wanker promotes music at St.Albans only half decent live music venue the horn, always seems to put on the kind of dire 70s rock cover bands that would make your dad cringe.
• Lordy Lordy the Forum in the early 90 s.Bottle of wine outside,the joy of getting hand stamped so as to be able to buy snaky B.Blow jobs,fights,Moshing,Stage diving and,of course,Vagabonds.
• if you rawk out and wear a chain and are very concerned about social injustice then the pioneer is the place to be. otherwise join us at the horn and watch the lyrical nick stephenson perform wonders as his groupies flock. oh yeah and if the brink ever played there anymore then they're worth checking out.
• my radio
• the horn was good until a very dubious winner of battle of the bands was announced rumoured to be friends with the management
• - The Pioneer! The only place in St Albans for Punk and Metal gigs, great fun even without a gig on, look for the bushjumper... he jumps into bushes...hehehe. Definitly no underage drinking or drug abuse....well..some....actually......lots.....Look out for townies throwing bricks and generally trying to hurt us.
• The firkin is no more. horn - quality when brainfreeze are there.
• The Horn Rebourn on Victoria Street is the best music venue in Herts... Freestyle beats on Monday's with Dj Hansi + guests, Tuesdays + Wednesday's are Local Bands that are V Cool also (X, Urban Native etc.) Thursday's are okish + have tribute acts mainly, Friday's + saturdays are wicked With acts like The Slaves, Soulfish (the lead singer looks like Errol Brown). Late licence till 12 monday to thursday, and till one on fri and sat! wicked cool...
• Horn Reborn!
• Alas, and woe, for the Firkin is no more. It was bought by O'Neils, and is no longer open. No more shall we see Indie-rock covers bands play for us, no more, alas, no more shall we climb the pole and get thrown out by the bouncers, woe, no more shall we break paving slabs, alas, no more backflips onto tables, no more drum 'n bass nights, no more Punk Kids from Oaklands and half of Sikth in the pub, woe, no more Incredibly Stoned Nick Russell incidents, alas. The Firkin has taken it's last breath, and we shall forever mourn it's passing.
• There are no big venues capable of housing all of MY fans! :p
• The Pioneer
• The Pioneer! Pioneer! It's always a fun place to hang out if you can't get into Noah's Arcade, and there are plenty of characters ready for you to experience. Nicky P is always wandering about looking dazed, due to Londis Cheap Vodka and Alan's "happy cigarettes", and Alan himself will be wearing the Green Shirt of the Gods. Timmy T will undoubtably display his bronzed and oiled torso to all who care, and Andrew London will be a twisted fiend, talk about cooked babies, and make out with a girl with no knees. Emilia will mock a young man known as Memory Bitch, who is Rosanne's fancy boy, whilst Rosanne herself will be thrown about by all present. People will scheme to squish the gun wielding Popcorn head's hair, and Madge won't get in because she will be drunk. Eventually, everyone will fight and kill a load of drunk violent townies, and their bodies will never be found. Oh, and there are bands, too...
• Go to Robbie's Lectures at Uni of Hertfordshire.. the Gamelan Practice is great, and you can often not see Mykee the 80s Goth at these. Also, they have a wierd man who keeps a bicycle in his basement, and lots of famous camp Madonna fans. You can get the full experience by following Robbie about all day, and you may even encounter the famed LRC Massive.
• the horn puts on bands mainly made up of immigrants. they swop instruments regularly, sometimes in mid song, and make a terrible din, put the patrons leap around and spill their drinks.
• the horn was recently run by the man with the moustache and is now in the Starbucks advert on the tv. It involved his drunken stumbling behind the bar and frequent molesting of fat Graham the dribbly stella ponce and his jug. he molested him to get at his potatoes, which graham had promised him back in 98 but never delivered. this used to happen every night about 11.30, sometimes on stage while bands like trooper where trying to complete their sets. imagine that! two hefty men rolling around a plinth making snatches for each others swollen organs. it made me sick.
• Anyone else used to go to the Forum between 1992/3 and 1994? Remember the dark bit? Snake bite and black and a dance to Vagabonds anyone?
• The Stereophonics once played in the Firkin in St. Albans. This is proof of what a dull place St. Albans truly is.. that they cancel quality bands like 100% and Clear Cut for boring sub-indie dirges like the Stereophonics. We threw rotted cauliflower at Kelly. It hit him in the elbow.
• MR T is no longer working at the Horn! But we still love him. Every week, we go to his house, and smear him with butter as a symbol of our love for him. He is very hot, so the butter melts swiftly.
• The Firkin is brilliant for live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Friday nights are £1 to get in (not £3, for whoever contributed that wrong info) and free on Saturday. Regular bands like 100%, Clear Cut and Sqwint are excellent. Very VERY few underage people get past our bouncers (who are lovely, by the way, as long as you don't piss them off) and it is NOT a moronic trendies bar. The place is generally full of pretty groovy people; I should know, I serve them. But you can get the occassional idiot trying to start a fight but they get kicked out pretty quickly. The Horn is also excellent for live music. Their tribute bands are really cool.
• The Pioneer. That is actually it..oh no wait, The Horn. Desparate lack of music venues for the non-Garage loving fraternity.
• Pehen has live people on thursdays, pretending to be famouse.
• At Halloween, I go the the Erin Art Gallery, and wear my ties. Alice said to. I wept at the streets of the decay. Malison on the counter. Safeway delicatessen coutner, wihere we court food on a large grey platform. Ducks fed on the loin bread of those who remained. Anger was the fluid of the weak.
• If you go to the Horn Redbourn, you will find that it kicks severely, and you can see many bands, including the disturbingly cult-ish Dust, who rock greatly, and have crowd-surfers who kick the lighting about, but it's a bit scary in a spiritual sense. Steve once called the lead singer 'Dave Grohl', which I think confused him a bit. He knows Nina (who wears blankets).. There are also lots and lots of sexy people about in the Horn.. Chikin playes gee-tar for Beanfeast, and he is very hyperactive sometimes. Robbie has two cats called Pepsi and Max, who are large celebrity.. Chris has floppy hair and a bag of tricks.. Jon the Messiah can turn water into wine.. All of Moody's flesh is covered in stickers.. Puh brandishes a pint glass and asks "Does my cum look big in this".. Paul Pepper is the only person with a surname.. Becca compliments Ky on his hawaiian shirts.. Jess makes badges with everyone else on.. You too can become part of the cult of the Horn Redbourn..
• Da LRC massive will soon be holding events at the font bar (formerly the hub(formerly the font) ) in herts SU. so it may be an idea to go to batchwood instead. cos the music theres just so cool. like, harcore metal on tuesdays , indie shit on wednesdays and friday nights are punk with a classic grunge set upstairs. coooool
• francis bacon school on a thursday night between 7.30 and 9.00
• The Firkin is fun if you like sadistic bouncers, Fresh Faced Verulam Students, and Dave Atkins. However, some of the bands aren't bad, and we climbed the pole (so to speak) and crowd surfed in the Firkin, plus the band gave us one of their leads. Which we used to short-circuit Robbie's lights. But no.. it's a bit of a hell-dive, the Firkin.. the tables get soaked in beer, the bouncers suck, and it's usually full of moronic trendy kids. So we go to the Fighting Cocks. Which isn't a music venue.
• Stop spreading libels about me and my pals in the brink! We are the rockest band ever, and we will make it big time with our bad oasis covers! Brainfreeze are silly men!
• The Firkin was the place to go about two years ago.. we were underage and we could get in. But now they've changed it, and it means that underage cool people can't enter (so to speak), whilst moronic fresh-faced trendy kids can, and do, and start fights and do stupid stuff like that. We hate them deeply. Also, because of said moronic trendy kids, the bouncer (stupid scottish guy) stands right in the middle of the mosh pit and chuck you out if you crash into them.. We hate the Firkin now, plus, STOP PRESS, they now charge three quid to get in of a Friday night. We vote them the most suck ever.
• I like to pluck the strings of the Bass Guitar belonging to the Slaves, a covers band who play at the Horn, in Redbourn. They are joyful, and play a jolly metal version of Tainted Love.
• Genetic Dance Possibly in St.Albans................ http://members.xoom.com/geneticdance/
• THE BRINK ROCK - or do they "suck"? See them and make your mind up for yourself, check out the events listings here on knowhere.
• The Horn Reborn, where petty arguments can be started about two very different bands, one of whom won a certain Battle of the Fans and apparently sound like Oasis, and another which didn't win (er, came last actually..), but doesn't care 'cos all the members had loads of fun anyway despite playing like shit. There was also this wicked-arsed pink duck, that bobbed away all the way through both bands. I asked him which band he preferred, he said "qquuWAK!", so I really don't know. So don't ask.
• After a few years in the doldrums, the music scene seems to be opening up again. The Spotted Bull, White Hart Tap and White Lion are now regular hosts to local "adult" and original talent, and the Rose & Crown carries on as always with Monday acoustic sessions and Thursday folk/irish. The Horn Reborn, however, continues to insult our tastes with a constant stream of "Stars In Their Eyes" acts, otherwise known as "Tribute" bands. Still, it's agreat place to meet the local muso crowd and dream about St Albans one day having a proper music venue.
• da horny Horn Horn Horn. It doesnt like to blow its own trumpet. so i will instead. (oh my god that was crap. what was i thinking of)
• More than you'd realise. Most people only ever go to the Firkin or the Horn (both on Victoria street) to see live bands, but if you can get out to London Colney, which is becoming a much more happening place these days, you can see some really decent bands too. The Pear and Partidge and The Meeting Place are both on Lodon Colney High Street and have wicked bands. The bands in the Firkin are unfortunately only ever allowed to play covers so other pubs are better for originality. However, most live bands in most pubs around here do only play covers - even in the Horn a lot of the bands are only allowed to play covers. Most of the bands would rather play their own stuff, but the pubs reckon that the punters prefer what they know.
• The Firkin has some poo cover bands soetimes but the Horn is marvelous. Such bands as Brainfreeze featuring the Chikin, and Wiretap featuring St Albans most famous twat The Messiah
• The Horn is great, lots of young men
• The Horn's pretty good... la la la...
• They have very sexy guitarist at the Firkin sometimes. The band are Boot the Root I think, but he wiggles nicely.
• Yeah, the Horn is defo. best - and getting better (with real raw rock bands like The Brink); followed by the Firkin, which is unfortunately getting a bit w**k. 100% are a good Firkin band, very sexy and great snogging abilities. Good musical talent too, of course. The band to look out for is definitely The Brink, great covers nights at The Horn as well as The Pear and Partridge in London Colney and some pubs in Borehamwood. Check out the Battle of the Bands at The Horn, especially the semi-finals on Wednesday, May 10 2000. You'll get to see another brilliant originals set by The Brink, their new tunes kick the s**t out of any other band.
• club havana on Victoria street is da bomb. they do diz cool garage night dat proves. there's still an underground to this town. Student nights on Wednesay where you you can get in for only £13. wikid.
• The Horn, RE BORN! Brainfreeze are the coolest band! their guitarist (Paul) is SOOO cute!, and last time they played, his big combats nearly fell down, and we all saw his pants! We love paul!! xxxx Their music is cool, too..
• The Astoria is fun, especially on Saturdays (CAMP ATTACK), but it's a bit far away. Go to the horn, and if you avold being attacked by morons, it's really fun! Watch out for regulars, like The Messiah, Chikinboy, Moody, Dante (1 and 2), the wierd guy who burns your legs with cigarettes, Chris 1 who works in the fighting cocks, and lots of others. Quite a lot of them are also found in the LRC, another exclusive venue in Hatfield.
• Traditional covers bands and local talent frequent the Horn Reborn and the Firkin, (NB:the Horn charges admission to see most bands, the Firkin doesn't) try the Rose and Crown on St.Micheals Street for folk nights (normally sundays) it makes a nice change.
• The Firkin play cool music, with bands like One, Worm and 100%, but they have the EVIL David Rowe, who is the evil version of the good David Rowe we all know and love. Ky tends to seek out the Evil David Rowe, as do Rob's friends from Waitrose, but the rest of us can go to the Horn Re-Born!, which does not feature any evil people with curtains. No-one knows that is on the second floor of the Horn Reborn, but it is probably a brothel. Bands at the horn include Brainfreeze, Syndrome/Malpractice/Sikth, Beanfeast, The Slaves, The Organs, Paedophilophobia, and Can't Snorkel. All the bassists have short hair.
• John Lill's centre for music in UH. I'll make you some stuff that french people call music.
• They have cool music in the ANUS, but it's only open on Tuesdays.
• THE HORN THE HORN THE HORN....they have cool bands like Brainfreeze and the Slaves. The Firkin is good some days like when One or Worm play oooo oooo and 100% the basist has short hair
• the horn- go to the battle of the band nights always good.
• Horn - definatly. Go see the slaves. they are the best cover band around. Otherwise, the firkins good enough.
• Pubs are where the music happens in St Albans. The Horn Reborn has bands on every night, and now the Firkin has bands on most nights as well. Other pubs have folk music, and DJs etc... There is a very good atmosphere in the Horn and the Firkin and the latter is free most nights too!
• The Goat has a cool resident band called "Sour Kitten" The singers are really sexy
• Don't think the Alban Arena counts, try the Forum in Hatfield, if you like young flesh; usually a live band in the Firkin.
• Best music venue - The Horn Of Plenty - being renovated and has been taken over by new management - loads of good bands. Dance music scene - home of Decompression. If you like funky acidy techno then check these people out - usually doing events in and around St. Albans. My band "OUT" = hard to describe our style, but we play down at the Horn reasonably regularly!

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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Last updated: 2008-02-20