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Half Moon Herne Hill reopening

ska invita said:
That back room in the Half Moon was a rock venue with amps and shit. Fullers and that dont really add up in my book. I foresee the back room being knocked through, filled with tables and serving pub roasts and then some gentle non offensive music in the corner "for the community" box ticking.

You have to admit that is a likely scenario....
Thats whats happening in the rest of London
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Yes that is indeed possible. As is the scenario of the pub's reopening dragging on for so long that it will never get to reopen as a pub again (See: The Plough, Stockwell). But right now, there is some hope.
 
Well, true I guess - at least it remains a pub. But my heart sinks at the ever decreasing music venues in London, and the draining of culture that goes with it. A Fullers will definitely keep Dulwich Estate happy.
 
This thread is in the Brixton forum and the Half Moon used to feel like part of Brixton.
Fullers taking this over feels part of the Dulwichification of Brixton territory. Will be hard to tell the difference between the Regent, Commercial, Florence and Half Moon :(

Im just sad at the monotone that London pubs are becoming
 
I lived in Herne Hill for about ten years before moving down to Sydenham and the Moon was my local for all of that time, and I have to say I don't think the 'Brixton feel' and the 'music venue' part ever coincided in that time. For years the back room was never open, and when the new landlord took over and opened it up (which was great) he also moved it well in the direction of the rest of the Herne Hill pubs (not so good). It never quite got there because of the regulars in there but not for any other reason IMO. Maybe when it opens again then they'll come back - at least it'll be some sort of pub.
 
ska invita said:
Well, true I guess - at least it remains a pub. But my heart sinks at the ever decreasing music venues in London, and the draining of culture that goes with it.
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But that's as much down to fewer people going to smaller gigs though, no?

How often did people post here after seeing bands at the Half Moon before it closed? How many times did you go? (I'm not having a go here, but it's a conversation that should be aired). I can't say it felt remotely Brixton to me since about 2005 or something.

Truth was that there was rarely much on there that caught my eye and the one time I did DJ there I wasn't exactly enamoured with the way that we were treated.

Of course, the landlord/booking agent plays a very big part in the success of a pub's live gigs - get the right one and you can still pack in the punters. Get the wrong one and the pub can be steered on an altogether less interesting course and it's hard to get that vibe back once it's gone.
 
Yeah agree with both of the above - I went a couple of times in the back room and it wasnt great either time, poor bands, empty and vibeless - but in my mind the spot was a lost opportunity and i had it chalked up as being mismanaged, or that Id come down on a shitter night and maybe occasionally there were good things on that i was missing.

Though even my experience of its failure still gave it an atmosphere that carried on into the main bar areas - it definitely had a character to it and some characters in it.
 
snowy_again said:
To add some balance - I've been to, worked at and run nights at the HM in the last five years which were full, well supported by the two landlords in that time, and were successful.
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Last time I went to a gig at the Half Moon it was sold out, packed, and responsible for the worst hangover I've had in five years. I think sitting drinking outside with the bands afterwards until the pub staff politely asked us to move on, as they'd shut ages ago, might have been part of it. A great night.
 
Last line of that blog review says it all:

"And that's how gigs should be, amazing venues, full of community, supporting independent bands and labels and promoters who work damn hard in really harsh times, and where you come away smiling."
 
ska invita said:
:(
how much can you hear the music up there anyway fingers?

Eric Clapton, U2, The Police and Paloma Faith & Frank Sinatra played it! I didnt know that.... good thing to use to fight for keeping it a music venue...
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Not a great deal in the winter, maybe a bit more in the summer with windows open.
 
editor said:
This guy wasn't playing a ukulele at their Distillers pub in W6:
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They have a cracking open mic night there, and the Fullers pub down the road from me in the Bush has a fair number of bands (tiny stage mind).

The thing is, though, while chains may be fine with the concept of music, particularly if the place has an existing reputation, they're not going to put any specific effort in themselves, so it all depends on somebody having somebody prepared to make the case and the effort consistently.
 
FridgeMagnet said:
They have a cracking open mic night there, and the Fullers pub down the road from me in the Bush has a fair number of bands (tiny stage mind).

The thing is, though, while chains may be fine with the concept of music, particularly if the place has an existing reputation, they're not going to put any specific effort in themselves, so it all depends on somebody having somebody prepared to make the case and the effort consistently.
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I'll see if Buzz can be in any way instrumental in stoking up the fires for live music there.
 
The worry for me is that the dedicated music room will be subsumed into the rest of the pub, and so the level and type of music that is possible will change..."music" is a nebulous word

Once its subsumed it doesnt really matter who the promoter is, they will be limited by what they can and cant do.
 
To be honest, I like the fact that Herne Hill is very distinct from Brixton. Two quite different worlds, both of which I enjoy. Buzz has been doing an impressive job of drawing young mobs into Brixton. Perhaps Herne Hill could be allowed to do its own local thing rather than be touted out to the whole of London.
 
Nice try at a wind up post :D :D`:thumbs:

I used to like drinking in Herne Hill... especially for a session of pool in the regent on those beautiful tables they used to have...occasional pop in to the Irish pub where the Florence is now... I think Herne Hill had its own unique character, distinct from Brixton and from Dulwich...feels a lot more like Dulwich these days though
 
ska invita said:
Nice try at a wind up post :D :D`:thumbs:

I used to like drinking in Herne Hill... especially for a session of pool in the regent on those beautiful tables they used to have...occasional pop in to the Irish pub where the Florence is now... I think Herne Hill had its own unique character, distinct from Brixton and from Dulwich...feels a lot more like Dulwich these days though
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Not a huge fan of the Florence - perhaps it's too made over? But The Commercial and Regent are great pub pubs. Some of the shops on the Half Moon side are a bit chi chi. But it's all pretty low key and laid back. It's a nice contrast.
 
Any idea of Fuller pubs and whether they show sport? I watched a few football games in the Half Moon years ago, and (as far as I can work out) there are no Herne Hill pubs with Sky Sports or suchlike.

Fantastic news about it reopening as a pub either way.
 
Not been there for yonks myself but happy to see that the building will at least remain partly a pub, although from their blurb it still sounds like what's happening to the dog over Dulwich way which is now in something like it's 13th month of being closed for it's semi-hotel conversion. Fingers crossed for the half moon anyhow.

My last local, also a huge victorian booze cathedral, had the novel idea of turning the top two floors into flats and the staff given first dibs on renting them. I really should get a patent open on the whole "landlord living in the pub" concept, can't think why no-one's ever tried it before.
 
I saw two gigs there - Back to the Planet reunion and the Effras, both maybe 5 years ago? Both nights were packed and a really great atmosphere.

I spoke to the landlady about costs for putting on a night there myself - my band's EP launch plus some mates' bands as a bit of a free for all. It was only going to be 200 quid to hire the place which I thought was pretty decent. But then we split up :(

Hope it stays as a live room as I thought it was a great space.
 
At least its going to remain as a pub.

Even in its last (brief) incarnation, it had gone upmarket though - no football, no pizzas etc and was much more of a gastropub than previously.
 
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