FIBLAR's guide to... Southampton

Southampton, as Morrissey so aptly put it is “the seaside town that forgot to close down”. It has 249,000 dull residents and about a thousand interesting ones, and is best known as the port from which the Titanic sailed in 1912. It doesn’t have many tourist attractions, but if you feel the urge to come here, here’s our quick guide:

Places to go: The Venues

The Joiners

Birmingham's JAWS playing at the Joiners as support for Swim Deep

The Joiners is Southampton’s premium music venue; it even holds the accolade of NME’s Best Small Venue. The Joiners is a 150 capacity small venue, with some of the country’s best acoustics, and the country’s best sound man. Even Swim Deep have called The Joiners’ sound man a “genius”, which he is- he’s the Ludwig Van Beethoven of Southampton’s soundmen. The pub itself is quite grotty, with a floor that you often struggle to move your feet from. It is run by the legendary Joiners Pat, who is ever present at the venue. Nothing else in the city compares.

The Guildhall

Southampton’s Guildhall (Pictured) is the largest venue in the city, but plays only the second fiddle to the Joiners in terms of sound, atmosphere and bands. The Guildhall should probably be avoided unless absolutely necessary, as the acoustics are the antithesis of those at the Joiners and if you’re stood more than halfway back, the sound simply will not carry to where you’re stood and it’s difficult to hear the bass over the other instruments without standing by the bass speaker. Despite this, the Guildhall is generally where larger bands come on their tours, so it’s occasionally somewhere you must visit. Editors and Franz Ferdinand are paying it a visit on their tours later this year.

The Brook

The Brook is very much in between the two. Its sound is sublime when watching acoustic performances, but not great for anything else. There is a capacity of over 600, almost all standing. There are two tiers, and it’s a pretty good place to watch music. While it lacks the character of The Joiners, it has its own distinctive feel; it’s just like a log cabin. While not the best, a trip to the Brook is by no means a chore.

The Next Big Thing? Local bands on the up

The New Desert Blues

Whilst from just outside Southampton, NDB are a local quintet about to take off. Their unique mix of noir-Americana often graces the Joiners’ walls. They have had Joiners support slots with Peace, Swim Deep and Wolf Alice, and have been all around the continent with indie band Cloud Control. The New Desert Blues are only going to get bigger, with plans to release an album on the horizon.

Tracks you must hear: “Daniel”, “Thom”, “Adam”

Mr Tom

Fresh of the back of their first UK tour, Southampton’s Mr Tom are the city’s greatest indie hopes. They have a vibrant, colourful sound and comparisons to Foals are easy to make. Mr Tom have, very recently, played a headline show at the Joiners, in which they stole the show from the other local support bands. The band have lately released their fantastic King & Queen EP; a must listen for anyone with ears.

Tracks you must hear: “Hook, Line and Sinker”, “King and Queen”

The Uptights

Since their legendary Joiners show, the city’s best new band have slipped off the radar a bit. Their Strokes/Libertines/The Jam inspired sound is brilliant, and the group are the closest thing to a proper mod revival since the late seventies. On top of this, the band are some of the South’s best performers, and their two lead vocalists are the only two people ever to sound okay whilst singing with a Hampshire accent.

Tracks you must hear: “Shalalala Oh”, “La”, “Let Me Love You”

Where to shop: the best places to buy records

BooHoo Records, in Northam

A ten minute walk from the city centre, BooHoo is a mini Cul-de-Sac in a busy place. The shop is only small, but packed to the rafters with fantastic, cheap records. It seems like the owner makes very little profit; how can you when selling Aladdin Sane for £3? It has a host of LPs for less than a fiver, including those by The Clash, the Pistols, Bowie, T-Rex, the Kinks, and many more classics! It’s a must visit.

HMV Southampton

Whilst BooHoo may be Southampton’s only record store, the HMV is a very good shop. It has three floors, and a growing vinyl collection. It can’t compete with BooHoo for sheer price, but it features new releases and lots of essential purchases.

The Star Hotel’s Monthly Record Fayre

The Star Hotel, once a month, plays host to a record fair. Although it’s mainly blues records, or reggae records, the hotel’s home to a few very good stalls. Once, I scooped up Meat is Murder for a tenner, and Cool for Cats on 7’ for a pound; so it’s a must visit for any vinyl collectors. 

Oxfam Music, on the high street

Although it’s 90% Cliff Richard, Elvis and Elton John, there are some real gems to be found in the Oxfam Record Store. Everything is reasonably priced, and most the singles are 99p. The ‘Rare’ section is wonderful too, but it’s more of a look-but-don’t-touch affair.  In the past, I've got many-a-Bowie single, and once I even snapped up Kings of the Wild Frontier for a pound. Located by the Bargate Costa, a monthly visit is more than necessary for anyone who collects records.

(Written by Calum Cashin)