After being a mainstay on the Chelmsford music scene, staging over 650 gigs, Barhouse on Victoria Rd finally closed its doors in May of this year.
Rumours have been rampant as to what, if anything, was going to replace it, so Panic has gone to the old site to chat to Marc Miller, co-manager of Barhouse.
The inside of the building is stripped right back, and it is clear something big is coming. The name? Hooga. But what is Hooga?
“Hooga is going to be a lounge bar, still with live entertainment” Marc tells us.
“We will still have DJs and live bands, plus we will be doing comedy, quiz nights, spoken word and we will be open during the day doing food.”
The bar itself is being moved to open up the middle of the room, and the stairs will be gone, widening the entrance to the venue. The stage is remaining in the same place but has been shrunk slightly, again opening up the venue and creating an airy, chilled out space.
So what will be the main differences between the two venues?
“It is going to be much more relaxed than Barhouse” Marc explains. “Barhouse was pretty full on, but we are still keeping our music edge.
“We are not going to be a wine bar playing funky house and R&B, we will still be playing good music but it will be a bit more accessible than Barhouse was.”
With music still firmly in the venue’s ethos, they are also looking change the already highly regarded sound system.
“We are doing a few things to improve the sound – speakers are going in some different places and we are improving the decor.
“Hooga will be doing a lot of acoustic stuff – there’ll be lots of seating and it is much more suited to it.”
The venue itself will be opening on the 11th June. “We are going to have a launch party with a lot of local DJ talent and some live acts” Marc explains.
So with Hooga moving into the Victoria Road location, what of Barhouse? The name lives on, not as a venue for now, but looking to create some unique and one-off events.
“Barhouse is a promotional company doing festival work which involves running bars, stages and tents at different festivals” Marc tells us.
“Plus we are going to be doing big one off events where we will be taking over other venues and bringing in DJs and big bands.”
A new venue is also on the cards.
“We are also looking for space to open up another venue. It will be bigger than Barhouse at Victoria Road, with more space and a bigger stage.
“We are going to get Hooga up and running first and there is so much work with the festivals, but we are positively looking for a new place.”
The Barhouse net is currently cast around the local area, but the guys are looking to expand around the country.
“This year it is Chelmsford and Essex but next year we have made contact with some bigger festivals, so it should be Chelmsford and some national festivals.”
Hooga opens on Saturday 18th June
