The Hope And Ruin

Character is wear and tear, it’s cramming a room with things you love, character is chaos. And that's exactly what you’re going to find in all the old things here in the bar. With that feeling in mind the magnolia has remained in the tin, in favour of leaving the chips in the old, well-used paintwork and exposing the age of the worn wood. The effort instead has been put into ingenious use of found objects to make the bar look like nothing you’ve seen before. There’s so much going on that you might miss some things on the first visit, but some of the reclaimed objects are so big you could literally live inside them. The venue upstairs has become a much more practical live music space from simply moving the bar to the back of the room. That’s considerably more easily said that done, by the way. The unmissable gigs of the past like The Strokes, Adele and Bonnie Prince Billy (who have all played in the venue) are only going to increase. The support of the local music scene will remain, as well as making space for upcoming acts like top-selling songwriter George Ezra and 2015 BRIT Award Critics’ Choice winner James Bay, who have both played here. We will have food available from midday until late including vegetarian and vegan options, Sunday roasts and an express menu for punters attending shows upstairs. The bar’s expanded range of beers now features a continental-style tank lager: smooth, unfiltered and unpasteurised beer poured directly from the tank into your glass, completely brewery fresh. Of course there’ll be DJs at the weekend and acoustic evenings, but there’ll also be nights for zine-makers, writers and artists. The Hope & Ruin is completely unique, and one of the most visually arresting bars you will ever drink in, certainly in Brighton, and the venue has taken a big step up. The pairing will be exhilarating.