Brighton Rocks!

With it’s eclectic music venues, independently minded population and iconic hotels it’s hard to find something not to love about Brighton. Immortalised in novels and films alike, Brighton’s association with rock n roll is impossible to ignore so Mr Pinch and I decided it was high time we pulled on our skinny jeans, headed down to the Lanes and find out if Brighton still rocks, and, indeed, it certainly does!

Places to stay

If you’re looking for the ultimate rock n roll weekend in Brighton it’s impossible to overlook the most iconic hotel of them all The Grand. It’s appearance in the Who’s Quadrophenia cemented the Grand’s iconic status. This is without a doubt the ultimate in luxury hotel experiences. Myself and Mr Pinch do tend to push the boat out and make it here at least once a year (albeit midweek and low season) and it’s definitely worth it. The staff are absolutely fantastic and more than happy to show you around complete with annecdotes and snippets of the hotel’s fascinating history. Rooms start from £110 in the low season and £130 in the high season. If you’re staying elsewhere and still fancy visiting, afternoon tea starts from a reasonable £14.95 and I’m sure you’ll still be able to find an enthusiastic staff member to show you around.

If you’re after something a little more quirky The Artist’s Residence may just be the place. The hotel has 13 rooms all individually designed by various artists and each room boasts some fantastic decor. Rooms start from £110 midweek in the high season and £85 midweek in the low season. Although the staff may look achingly hip they’re a friendly bunch and will always upgrade you if they can. Again, if you don’t wish to actually stay there, their Set restaurant is well worth a visit if only to sit at their open kitchen table and watch chefs Dan Kenny and Semone Bonner work their magic. Their cocktail shack also deserves a special mention as Mr Pinch loves to sip his delicious old fashioned whilst taking in the beautiful sea views.

Places to eat

Brighton on the whole is a fantastic place to eat, literally every cuisine is catered for here so it was something of an arduous task to try to pick out the best. A special mention must go to Veranous for their amazing brunch, particularly the chorizo hash and the buttermilk chicken ciabatta with sweet potato fries. Also if you need to nurse that hangover, check out Trolls pantry at the Hobgoblin pub, it has a lively garden and simply the best burgers. Ever. Be careful though, when it says hot it means blow your head off hot!

Places to rock out

Before I set off to Brighton I do always check what’s on at the Brighton centre. This is the place if you want to see the really big bands and they also have a selection of interesting events such as viynl and vintage fairs throughout the year. Concorde 2 also deserves a mention. It’s a great gig venue by the sea with an eclectic line up of established and up and coming artists. But by far my favourite place in Brighton has to be the Green door store. It’s a riotous late live music club in a railway yard behind Brighton station. Mr Pinch and I have spent many a night partying into the early hours here, listening to the sounds of the best up and coming artists, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!

Finally…

There are so many interesting and quirky little areas in Brighton to explore and I seem to find new ones every time I visit. The Lanes is a great place to run around and try to get lost in. North Laine is also a fascinating and sometimes overlooked area. See if you can find the second hand shop ‘Snoopers Paradise’ (half the fun is in discovering it) and see how many bargains you can leave with. I should also mention the Kemptown area famed for it’s many bars and clubs. I did want to go into this in more detail but, in true rock n roll style, I’m afraid it’s all a bit of a blur…