Political opinion with John Milne MP: Horsham live music scene is back in business
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of cutting the ribbon on Brolly Brewing’s new ‘Fermentarium’, a formerly derelict warehouse now reinvented as a live music venue. Owners Brook and Holly, together with manager Ben, have achieved wonders on the back of amazing community support. Hopefully, it will become a firm favourite for both bands and comedy acts.
But that’s not the only cultural new kid in town. ‘Live At The Drill’ is a new live music and culture series at The Drill Hall, created to bring high-quality live performance back into the heart of the town. Founded by local musicians and promoters, the idea is simple: great music, a welcoming crowd, local beer, and properly good food.
I was still a councillor with Horsham District Council when we managed to save the Drill Hall from demolition through a sale to Livespring Church. The Church have kept its word and maintained community access to events, as well as committing crucial funds to the renovation of a building which was on the point of demolition under the previous administration.
And that’s not all. The closure of the much-loved Malt Shovel pub on Springfield Road was a serious loss to the music scene. Now it is re-opening under the management of Jodie and Richard, who also run the King’s Arms in the Bishopric. It will operate as a freehouse, which will hopefully protect it against unreasonable rent hikes in the future. And if you hop over to The Bedford near Horsham station, you’ll find another enthusiastic new management team in place with a new commitment to providing live music.
This sudden rush of new venues extends from Horsham Town to Billingshurst, where The Railway Inn looked to be lost to the scene when previous landlord Nathan King gave up the pub after 40 years in the job. But now villagers are celebrating following a re-opening event over the Easter weekend. New landlords, Zoe Fitzgerald and Nick Marshall, also posted their delight on social media. “The Railway is back!“ they said. “We couldn’t believe we had a crowd at the doors at 3pm … we are so grateful for the support!”
And to round off the cultural explosion, we can all look forward to the return of Horsham’s popular Friday Lates live music and food entertainment nights in the Carfax. Staged by Horsham District Council and Food Rocks Markets, they must be one of the most successful music events of their kind in the country.
I congratulate all the dedicated professionals behind this summer's amazing expansion of our musical culture.