FunFair
A few years ago clubs and venues in Brighton were dropping like flies, but we’re hearing news of several new places opening. FunFair on Kings Road is the first to open – a freak show-themed affair from the London team behind the award-winning Bathhouse. Visually, FunFair promises “optical illusion hallways, hidden passages, secret sideshows and entertaining spectacles”. The delightfully curious sounding club opens on Friday 6th.
La Choza
Replacing Seasons Café in Gloucester Road, La Choza (‘The Shack’) is bringing authentic Mexican street food right into the heart of North Laine, for taking away, or eating indoors or out. Licensed for all your tequila needs, we give thanks to their Day Of The Dead logo that this brightly coloured café has arrived to deliver unto us pulled pork tacos, beef tostadas, and those sweet tasty churros we can’t get enough of. Mmm, churros.
Byte Me
For those unafraid of the accelerated modern age, Byte Me is a new club night celebrating digital culture in art, visuals and music. The Byte Me collective includes coders and hackers, as well as DJs and performers, and their launch show at the Blind Tiger on the 12th packs in a diverse bill, including guests Boss Kite (Donkey Pitch) and Bitbin (Skint/Under 5’s). Audience participation comes via a mass improv Smart Phone Orchestra, arranged by Bunty from Beatabet.
Velo Vitality
These cycle specialists sell a range of bikes and accessories that can only be described as lovely. With nine years in the business in the UK and Canada, Velo Vitality has connections to source stylish two wheelers (and the odd unicycle), parts and clothing from both sides of the Atlantic. Their shop is up on Trafalgar Street, meaning you can break in your new bike by zooming excitedly away down the hill, and test out the gears by trying to pedal back up again.
The Troll’s Pantry
Apologies to our veggie friends, but, by heck, do the SOURCE office love burgers. Well, the most voluble of us do. The Troll’s Pantry is a mobile catering business, parked up by The Bugle Inn on St Martin’s Street on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Their beefburgers are made from local cattle, specifically a herd of grass-fed English Longhorn, served with home made ketchups and sauces. Not sure what goes into their ‘Troll’s Stinky Breath Burger’, but we sure still want one.
The Hop Poles/Craft Beer Co
The past year has seen Middle Street boozer The Hop Poles change its identity more often than Howard Marks. After becoming The Spotted Dog, then the Cask Pub & Kitchen, it is back under The Hop Poles name (which, let’s face it, everyone still called it anyway) with new tenants Indigo Pub Co. taking the reins. Not pausing for breath, Cask owners the Craft Beer Co have moved up the hill and reopened the former Florist/PV on Upper North Street.
Mingler Corpsus
So, there’s a new art space up from Brighton Station on Terminus Road. It might be called Mingler Corpsus, or Mungler Copsys, or Mingles Calypsus, or quite probably all and none of the above. Either they’re playing fast and loose with bourgeois concepts like spelling and identity, or they’ve been inhaling the paint fumes too long. A quick trawl through their baffling rainbow nightmare website neuefrothkunsthalle.com leaves us none the wiser. Take a look and be both dazed and confused.
Words by Susan B. Bentley, Stuart Huggett, James Kendall and Adam Peters
