Injecting a fresh burst of energy into one of Brighton’s most historic music venues, Thu 14 May sees the opening of Patterns. The building at 10 Marine Parade has been a staple of Brighton’s proud music scene for over three decades, where legendary artists such as Daft Punk, The Stone Roses, The Chemical Brothers, Carl Cox and Paul Oakenfold have all graced the premises. Whilst continuing to honour this rich musical heritage, the venue sees a new name, refreshed style, space and music policy, offering a hub for Brighton’s creative crowds and those partial to delectable food, great beers and even better music.
With the venue’s deep ingrained musical tradition – from its beginnings as a jazz club, to Ted Potter’s Music Bar and on to the world famous Escape Club and Audio – the new owners are keen to keep Patterns as a hub of music, both vocally and physically. “While we are not looking to completely switch up from any of the venue’s past heritage, we are looking to give the programme more of a global, and perhaps grown-up feel with our musical direction,” Patterns programmer, Paul Gibson, said. The ethos of the revitalised venue is to take the best of what’s gone before and mix in new exciting elements from all areas of the music spectrum. In the first couple of months Patterns hosts Brighton debuts from acts such as Jeremy Underground, HNNY, Anthony Parasole and DVS1. Brighton-bred SpectraSoul also visit to launch their new album and, in a nod to the Audio days, Deetron, Artwork, Ivan Smagghe and Optimo all return to check out the refurbishment.
With cutting edge light and sound production, and a creative design concept, it’s intended to be a space to enhance the experience of both daytime drinkers and weekend clubbers. “We want our customers to get more than a night out, so we’ll be developing a channel for information, video content, immersive experience and community interaction,” said Neil Ellis, the venue’s promotions and digital marketing manager. “For me the transition from Audio to Patterns has been nothing but exciting, the venue was in need of modernisation and a new forward thinking outlook and that’s what it is getting.” Remaining the ‘go-to’ place in Brighton to catch original music acts, Patterns will offer a 360° experience under the careful curation of the Mothership Group.
Promising a friendly, vibrant atmosphere round the clock, the venue is now ideal for lazy weekend lunches on the south-facing terrace, mid-week gigs and after-work socialising in the bar, right through to late night revelry in the basement club. Introducing an impressive drinks menu that reflects the playful Patterns spirit: a selection of local craft beers, international draught favourites and an extensive range of spirits will be served across both floors. The menu also includes seasonally-curated menus including shrubs – a homemade fruit and spice based drink topped with alcohol and soda and the fiery Mexican ‘beertail’ Micheladas, served in giant steins. Patterns will also be teaming up with Brighton’s hottest street food outlet, Street Diner, to bring the tastiest of treats from all corners of the globe.
Stylistically, the redesign embraces the building’s original art-deco style elements, nostalgically highlighting original features within the former hotel and long-lived music venue. A twist of Bauhaus design will run throughout the venue’s trio of spaces, with an earthy tone of natural materials, red light, coloured glass and playful oversized convex mirrors. The interior reconstruction is mindful of its role as a music performance space, equipped to offer a superior listening experience; whether it’s acoustic live bands or uncompromising, underground DJ sets.
After testing different sound systems in the downstairs space, local sound engineering company C3 Productions custom selected a range of L’Acoustics components to build Brighton’s finest club sound system. “Our intention is to make Patterns the best sounding venue in Brighton, and the UK,” Dan Spinney, Senior Music Programmer at Mothership, said. With live music in mind, a new Midas 32 channel desk and green room with shower facilities have also been fitted, making Patterns one of the city’s leading live music venues for touring bands. On the ground floor a hand-built DJ booth, designed by Bad Habits, will be powered by a bespoke OHM PA system.
Staying true to its roots, the infamous basement area will remain a heads-down, hedonistic club space with huge investment made in a world-class sound system for a fully immersive party experience. Patterns will bring globally acclaimed DJs, promoters and live talent to the historic venue, as well as a carefully selected family of resident DJs. Events will focus on engaging and creative artist-led content, really maximising on digital exposure and innovative branding.
Patterns opens on Thu 14 May, at 10 Marine Parade, Brighton.
