Photo Mark Richards

Save The Tub!

Local venue under threat but you can help. The venue, known variously as The Union Bar, The Tub or The Tubman to its many loyal users has to find approximately £5,000 to improve fire safety within the pub, or it will have to close down by the end of February. Andy Gunton writes.

The venue have started up a fundraising page with Go Fund Me to help raise money for those improvements – and over £1,000 (now £2660) has already been raised, within a day. Something that shows just how much the venue means to the people of the Hastings area. And there’s also a fund raising event featuring Will Varley and Geoff Lakeman. Find out more about this gig, the artists and book tickets: Will Varley and Geoff Lakeman Save The Tub Gig.

With the greatest respect to all other local venues, in my humble opinion The Union Bar (as I will refer to it) is the most important music venue in the Hastings area.
A bold statement maybe, but since the demise of The Crypt several years ago, The Union Bar has been the venue where just about every new, young, original local band has made their debut, cut their teeth and taken their first falterng steps towards bigger and better things.

Lauded local bands such as Kid Kapichi, Matilda’s Scoundrels, Alibi and others would not be hittings the heights that they are now without a venue such as The Union Bar offering space for their first ever gigs.

Paul Osmond Photo Sam Kinch

The Union Bar, under the stewardship and pure hard work of Paul Osmond and Harvey Palmer, have always prided themselves on providing a stage, literally, for local bands to play that all important debut gig on.

They’ve resisted the urge to go down the cover/tribute band route and have always encouraged new and original music within the venue, something that should be applauded and supported.

The Union Bar has been a real labour of love for those involved with the venue, and as landlord, Paul says below, it’s never been about making money: it’s always been about supporting live music and new, local acts.

But it’s not just local acts that have graced the stage. Bands from across Europe have also played there, as well as up and coming UK acts too. One of the best gigs I’ve seen for many a year took place at The Union Bar in September, 2014. The acts that night included Kid Kapichi and one of those up and coming bands, Slaves, now one of the most highly regarded bands in the country and who are now playing headline tours, including a recent gig at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill.

Photo Mark Richards

If we don’t have venues such as The Union Bar where are those new bands, wherever they come from, going to learn their craft and start their musical careers?
The loss of this space would be a huge blow to the town of Hastings – and not just for the bands either.

Many local teenagers have experienced watching their very first live gig at The Union Bar, an experience that may well have set them on the path to a life of gig going. So please help support this very important fund raising campaign. We wish Paul and his staff all the best in their efforts. We need The Union Bar!

“Even if you could just spare a pound to help towards the costs, it may well help us to keep the fire officer happy and continue to put on events and bring more bands and artists to Hastings… If you’re able to donate we will forever be indebted and we thank you in advance. Paul and the Tub crew Tublife x”

Here’s that link to the donation page again: The Tub Go Fund Me Page.

Andy Garton’s article was first published in The Stinger.

Link to John Bownas’ article in The Flyer about his recent experience at The Tub/Union Bar/The Tubman. Great photos too by Sarah Bowrey.)

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