Bar for the course (Bars & Entertainment)

Member Name: ermintrude

Product:	Bars & Entertainment
Date:	02/08/01 (180 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Alcohol served, grad students bar is okay, some good live acts

Disadvantages: Smoke, noise and crowds, poor quality beer and rising prices, quantity/quality of live acts inconsistent

[see update re. refurbishment!] UEA is blessed (?) with no less than five bars and one entertainment venue on campus, and another venue in town*. Sadly (perhaps like many university bars), their attempts to cater to the masses leave plenty for the lovers of cheap alcohol ingested quickly, and not much for those who like to socialise over a quiet pint, or (perish the thought) no alcohol at all. There's also the problem of there being simply too little room in campus bars, such that on popular nights, there'll be a queue regulated by bouncers.

* [update] As of the summer of 2002, the Pub and Back Bar are closed for massive refurbishment. This work is also bringing the old, terminally-dire Breakers "fast food" restaurant into use as more bar space, so there should be no more queueing outside on busy nights! I'll endeavour to update this review as soon as possible (hopefully before the freshers arrive and trash the place :) [end update]

I'll go through the on-campus venues first, then the city one.

--The Pub--
Imaginatively named, this is the biggest dedicated bar, although still not actually that big. It probably holds 4-500 people if packed, but I don't know that for sure. There are several areas of built-in seats around the edge, and a selection of wobbly chairs and sticky tables in the middle. Games machines and pool tables account for a fair bit of space too. The crowded atmosphere is not helped by the smokiness (despite recent "improvements" to the extraction system) and the incredibly loud jukebox - shouting-induced sore throat guaranteed. Not the place to go for a chinwag. The bar is usually reasonably well staffed, although the drinks they serve are awful. The lager and "bitter" (nitrokegs such as John Smith's) often taste metallic or watery, any real ale they have is either run out or just off, the coke and other postmix drinks taste either syrupy or watery... at least they ca
n't do anything to bottles and cans. Pints are often short as well, despite the pumps being metered. Prices start at £1.50 for the cheapest pints (Fosters, John Smith's), £1.60 for bottles (unless there's a special offer), and £1.50 for spirits + mixer. At lunchtimes, there's a limited range of sandwiches, and there's Golden Wonder or McCoy's crisps to choose from. Oh joy.

--The Back Bar--
At the back of the pub, this was supposed the be the quiet chat venue that UEA so sorely lacks. There is no smoking, no music, no games...there are even comfy sofas. Lovely. So why, why do they insist on having satellite TV on all the time? Big sports matches? Okay, fair do's. The Simpson's? Hmm, student classic, so okay I guess. Random MTV, or bar staff channel-hopping? No thanks! This (along with the crap drinks served as in the pub) has put me off the back bar.

--The Hive--
Serving coffee, sandwiches and snacks as well as booze (same stuff and prices as the pub and back bar), the Hive does a roaring trade in term-time during the day. There are those with few lectures who will sit there all day, earning the title of Hive Bunnies. The TV is usually a little quieter here, but the chairs aren't so comfy, and like the bar, it's really smoky. You can sit and watch the world go by, though, as you passive-smoke yourself to death. This is also the only place that allows you to eat your own food, but it shuts in the evening unless there is something special on. Gee, thanks. On club nights (see below), the Hive hosts a second DJ - they even installed a special cage recently... not sure what that says about the venue!

--The LCR--
Maybe I shouldn't count this as a bar, as it's only open during gig and club nights - but it does serve booze and more booze (no nancy coffees here, thank you). Seats? Nope. Tables? Ha ha ha. the only other thing to note is that they hike the prices on gig nights, but as I don&#
39;t usually buy drinks then, I don't know what to. The LCR is the main entertainment venue on campus (and, as far as live gigs go, the main one in Norwich), holding a maximum of 1400 people. It's hosted the likes of James, Oasis, Echobelly, Toploader, Embrace, and it has its regulars such as Jools Holland (who plays an excellent gig around November each year with his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra) and Abba tribute Bjorn Again (who seem to come about 5 times a year and are horrendously overpriced). It is hit and miss though - last term offered only Deacon Blue and Gary Moore in terms of "bigger acts". Other, smaller bands tend to play the Waterfront (see below). The LCR also sees many a club night such as Miss Moneypenny's, the legend that is Club Retro (60s/70s/80s stuff, DJed by the man who used to do the announcements on the waltzer at your local fair, you'll swear), and the Thursday chart-cheesefest/meatmarket that is "The LCR Disco". The odd comedy night and university production completes the LCR's repertoire. As a venue it's incredibly sticky-floored, smoky and hot... but most students seem to grow to love it. On the plus side there are plenty of security staff, but I'll admit I've never been on a club night - I hear that there is occasional trouble between locals and students, and the usual kind of minor drugs problems.

--Graduate Students' Club--
Hurrah - some measure of sanity here, at least as far as drinks are concerned. £1.40 for a pint of real ale (usually Hen, Polly's Folly, and another local brew), and frequent happy hours (although constantly changing) bringing it down to £1 a pint/bottle/spirit + mixer. The bar staff are friendly, there's a better range of snacks including pork scratchings, Nik-Naks, and chocolate products from the otherwise-banned bad boys of Nestle - the GSC is not under the power of the boycott-happy Union, thank goodness, and lets grown adults make their
own choices about which baby-murderers to give their custom to. Pool, darts and foosball are provided for entertainment, and occasional quizzes and live music also spice things up a bit. The best thing is the folder of takeaway menus behind the bar, and selection of cutlery with which to eat your feast when it arrives. Unfortunately, aspects of the kiddies' bars have made it up here. While the satellite TV isn't projected onto a screen and made impossible to ignore, it is often left on, with the bar staff aimlessly channel-hopping while you try and chat to your mates. The jukebox often gets turned up way too loud, and the bar is also ridiculously smoky. As most of the people in there are postgrads (it's members and signed-in guests only), you'd think they'd know better. But we can't have two bars, so it has to stay as a smoking area. It does still get crowded on busy ents nights (e.g. Club Retro), but I'll take it any day over the awful drinks and atmosphere in the Union bars. The main downer in the summer is that they are only licensed for consumption on the premises, so if you want to sit out in the square of a summer's evening, it's kiddies' bar beer for you. [update] Recent redecoration means the bar is now eye-popping red and orange, there are no sofas, and they've inherited the tatty tables from the downstairs bars' refurbishment. [end update]

--The Waterfront--
This is the Union-owned city venue, situated down by the river (you'd never have guessed, would you?), currently fairly out of things, but once the King Street bridge is built over to the Riverside complex, it'll be a bit more accessible. At the minute, it's a taxi ride (about £4 from the uni), or a bus ride to the centre and then a 10 minute walk (through the red light district). It hosts everything from barely-heard-of bands to more established acts (like Sparklehorse, Less Than Jake and the Divine Comedy), plus frequent club ni
ghts of all persuasions (UK Garage all-nighter, and the Thatcher Years 80s night to name two). The presence of two main rooms and a couple of chillout areas makes for quite a cosy feel, but this converted warehouse often feels dingy and cramped, especially during a gig when everyone is in the main room. Then, the low ceiling and lack of a ramped floor or lowered pit makes for very poor visibility for about half the crowd. As at the LCR, security staff are numerous and visible. Bar prices are well above campus prices - I haven't been for a while so can't put an exact figure on it, but you're nearing £2 a pint, certainly. [I recommend andydennis's review for more information.]

Well, there you go. If you're a clubbing freak who loves to get drunk on cheap, crappy alcohol, then you'll like UEA's bars and ents. If you're into live bands, you'll have a half-decent selection, but if you like good beer, then you'll have to rely on the grad bar. But to be honest, Norwich is blessed with so many good pubs where the music is quieter (or non-existent), the smoke extraction is better, and the drinks are certainly better, if not cheaper, that it would be silly to put up with the campus facilities if you're not happy. Especially as you move off-campus, you'll probably find yourself using them as a meeting point prior to other destinations - and if you ask me, that's for the best.

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