By Nicola Walker
Slouch, which has been a Bath Street staple since 2010, recently closed for one month to undergo a refurbishment and the results are dramatic.
Owned and operated by Mark Lappin’s One Leisure Group the venue looks cool, welcoming and a great place to chill out and listen to some rock music.
Mark explained to me the reasoning behind the refurb, “Slouch has been open 13 years, and we hadn’t done much to it since it opened. We knew we wanted to showcase more live music, so it made sense to put a stage in the main bar area and make the layout compliment this so that people could see the bands better.”
The first thing you will notice when entering is that the bar been relocated from the centre and now spans the length of the far wall. The bar top is an ornate bronze, and the back bar features a smart grilled mesh and metal gantry in front of the bare sandstone walls. The pillars and the front of the bar are finished in an eye-catching burnt orange brushed effect. The lights over the bar are long pendant lights where the bulbs are concealed within metal cages.
The walls around the bar have been painted a dark teal around the beautiful natural stone and others are clad in glossy cream metro tiling. There is also artwork adorning the walls which runs across both the stone and the tiling and which includes a large Slouch logo in the centre.
This is painted to appear like a subway map with stations named after iconic American music venues such as ‘Madison Square Garden’, ‘Café Wha?’ and ‘Whisky a Go Go’, nodding to the venues rock ‘n’ roll theme. There are long wooden tables, ideal for larger groups, reminiscent of the seating at sister bar, The Howlin’ Wolf.
There are also two standalone tables nestled into the stage area at the window which have comfortable leather bucket style chairs. While at the rear there is private booth seating which is raised and upholstered in a rich brown leather by Thistle Upholstery.
The tables are all made of polished wood with a smart herringbone design. Mark adds, “We wanted to have different seating to suit everyone’s needs. That’s why we have high sharing tables, lower tables, and booth seating.”
The second room echoes the layout of the first with the long tables and booths at the rear. There are comfortable leather couches tucked into the raised window area which doubles as another stage if required. Red and white neon strip lighting is used to its full potential, not only for lighting, but to create artistic elements behind the metal mesh around the walls.
The corridor between the two rooms now has a steel mesh roof which holds more of the neon strip bulbs and connects the two areas perfectly There are also large ornate metal frames on some of the walls which are bronze to match the bar top. Some of these are mirrors and others contain classic rock music posters, making them a real talking point.
The outside area has also had a makeover with comfortable green armchairs, old barrels that are used as tables and new wooden benches.
A new addition to the venue is a private room which can be hired for functions. This room has a door which creates a totally separate area with private bar access. This includes two long low tables with the same comfortable bucket chairs as they have in the window area. The lighting here is particularly impressive with two large metal cages suspended from the ceiling containing the lights as well as some planters filled green leafy flora. This room is already proving a massive hit.
Says Mark, “Since Slouch opened, we have had many rock stars through the doors, from Liam Gallagher to The View and even David Essex has been in! So, we wanted to create a private space for people to use. Lots of the drinks brands have said they love it too and we already have loads of events booked in.”
The venue really looks great and hasn’t lost that laidback rock’n’roll vibe that it is famous for. They now have live music every night and a new food menu showcasing some tasty offerings. I’m sure Slouch’s regular customers will love the new look and I’d imagine they’ll be attracting some brand-new ones as well when they hear about how great the place looks!
