The Brook, 466 Portswood Road, Portswood, Southampton SO17 3SD
Box Office Hours - 1.00pm - 7.00pm Mon - Sat (023) 8055 5366
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The Brook is the best 600 Capacity live music venue hosting national and international Blues, Rock, R'n'B, Funk, Punk, DJs, Indie and many other things including Tributes. Because of the fine calibre of bands that we have, people travel from all over Hampshire, Dorset, Sussex and the Isle of Wight. People often come from Portsmouth, Winchester, Bournemouth, Salisbury, Brighton, Reading & Poole, to check-out the most friendly and very best place to see shows in the South of England. It's not just the punters that say that - it's the bands!!! "Best dressing room on the circuit!"

"This is most definitely the best gig in the South!"

Our very own fab four return to their very own 'Cavern Club'.

Doors £

"...Cover bands are big business these days, but this quartet are clearly a cut above most with suits, mop-tops and jerking stage manoeuvres all in place as they blast out 'From Me To You', 'Roll Over Beethoven' and 'Please, Please Me' with note-perfect aplomb."

The Daily Telegraph.

There seems to be two different methods employed by tribute bands in copying their heroes. One is to immerse themselves totally in character, become the band. The other is to still do this, but do it with tongue very much in cheek. So how to interpret the greatest pop group of all time? The Silver Beatles go for option B, not taking themselves too seriously and this approach definitely works for them. They indulge in banter among themselves and with the crowd, making the most out of the fact that every Beatle is instantly recognisable. The first half of the gig is the young Beatles, suits and mop tops, covering all the early hits; 'Saw her standing there, Can't buy me love' among others before finishing on 'Twist and Shout'. Then it's a quick break and costume change where they miraculously transform into the older, hippie era Beatles; the period where they wrote some of their finest songs. Just point non-believers to songs like 'In my life' and 'Let it be' which show, more so than the early years, why the Beatles are still held in such esteem. Not that anyone here needed convincing. The 500 plus crowd, arms held aloft, nah-nah-nah-ing during the encore of 'Hey Jude'. Nope, no non-believers were present.

Review by Thomas Christie

Never mind your Wigan Casino, Rufus Stone at the Brook is where it's at.

Doors £

Time to dance the night away with the band who make every gig a party night! Those that have followed the band will know that the Rufus Stone Soul Band, based in their home town of Southampton, has been around in many guises since their start in late 1984. After all this time you would expect that some of the sparkle would have gone, not a bit. They still have the same distinctive sound, which ensures that they get the maximum involvement from their audience.

Over the years they have built a loyal following and it is this support that has kept the band not only on the road but still as soulful as when they started. The music is authentic soul with selections from The Blues Brothers and The Commitments, but the bulk of the set comes from the soul greats such as Otis Redding, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex and many others.

During their time together there have been a number of highlights that include support to some of the top soul artists like Jimmy Ruffin, Edwin Starr, Curtis Mayfield, Geno Washington, Ben E King, and Gloria Gaynor.

Exceptional Mod Band doing their "Mods & Rockers" Set

Doors £

"The best sixties covers band in the world" with a massive tribute to...

"The Who" and nobody plays it better than this band says time out !!! "Small Faces" "The Kinks" "The Yardbirds" "Desmond Dekker" "Spencer Davis" "The Animals" and many more. Up to 2 hours of devastating energy and fun. A truly brilliant unforgettable nights entertainment. Fresh from last years headlining at the isle of wight scooter rally and the small faces convention and Butlins sixties weekenders plus countless gigs the band are eager to meet and play to as many like minded fans of the greatest era of music and bands of the sixties and all heard in one night.

Guitarist Steve Byrd started as a young 18 year old protege in Zzebra in the mid seventies before joining Gillan, Holly Johnstone and Kim Wilde. Still one of the top session guitarists in this country/

Bass guitarist Steve Barnacle has played in Rick Wakemans band, Spear Of Destiny, Visage, Tina Turner, Pete Townsend used him on Face To Face, Fish and probably the biggest band so far apart from Rod Stewart.....Queen in New York at the rock n roll hall of fame depping for John Deacon

Drums Johnny Marter actually met Jimi Hendrix as a very young lad in a band signed to Chas Chandler before joining and having big success with Mr Big, then Voyager, Micky Moody, a spell with Marillion and then tours with Fish and is the resident Sas Band drummer

Keyboards Mickey Simmonds another child virtuoso joined Mike Oldfield's band for almost 10 years, and then successful tours with Joan Armourtrading, Paul Young's band, Camel and most recently md for the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band

Vocals Johnny Warman started the mods 5 years ago to pay homage to the music he grew up through and what turned him onto being a musician. Johnny has worked with Maria Callas, Tito Gobbi, Ringo Starr, Peter Gabriel, Asia, Cheap Trick, House Of Lords, Humble Pie and has had a very successful solo career making 4 albums. 

Doors £

Anyone who has seen this tribute to L.A. based supergroup GUNS N' ROSES will readily agree with their reputation as one of the most exciting tribute bands on the circuit today. The band's ability to combine their heavy metal technique with punk attitude has seen them receiving ecstatic reviews all over Britain, and their raw energy and frighteningly good stage show has led to GUNZ N' ROZES being labelled "THE MOST DANGEROUS TRIBUTE BAND IN THE WORLD"

Gunz N' Rozes are: Frontman GARRY CROWLEY's appearance on T.V.'s "Stars In Their Eyes", won so much acclaim that he was asked back to appear on the show's Christmas Special. He also performed vocals on N-Trance's recording of the Guns N' Roses classic "Paradise City". N.G.P. (Rhythm). NGP's energetic impersonation of IZZY STRADLIN's stage performance and guitar work, makes his physical resemblance a bonus. He also does much of the backing vocals, always spot on. SNAKE (Bass). Snake's hard edged bass style cuts through with punk attitude allowing his impression of DUFF McKAGAN to be uncannily accurate. STEVE HARCOURT (Drums). Recreates MATT SORUM's drumming with unswerving confidence. He is a drummer experienced in many techniques whose love lies in heavier styles. JOE HARCOURT (Lead Guitar). His performance as lead guitarist SLASH is simply superb, all of his classic riffs and solos are recreated note for note, and Joe's physical appearance is remarkably similar to Slash.

All the classic tracks including "Paradise City", "You Could Be Mine", "Sweet Child O' Mine", "Welcome to the Jungle", etc, etc, are performed by the band along with many other songs from the albums, "Appetite for Destruction", "G N' R Lies", and "Use Your Illusion I and II".

Doors £

32 years on, and the rush of witnessing a Damned live show is still comparable to that first buzz of energy released at some long forgotten sweat box of youth. A series of inspired, ambitious albums and amazing live shows combining full-on rock energy, stylish sense of performance, and humorous deadpan cool are not necessarily what anyone would have thought when Ray Burns and Chris Millar met in 1974 when both ended up working backstage at the Croydon Fairfield Hall.

Burns and Millar — more famously known in later years as guitarist/singer Captain Sensible and manic drummer Rat Scabies — kept in touch as both struggled in the stultifying mid-'70s London scene. Things picked up when Scabies talked his way into a rehearsal with London SS, the shifting lineup ground zero of U.K. punk that nearly everybody seemed to belong to at one point or another. There he met guitarist Brian James, while in a separate venture overseen by Malcolm McLaren, casting about for his own particular group to oversee, Scabies first met theatrical singer Dave Vanian, still working through his New York Dolls/Alice Cooper obsession. Vanian's own history allegedly included singing "I Love the Dead" and "Dead Babies" while working as a gravedigger, but whatever the background, he proved to be a perfect frontman. Scabies put Sensible in touch with Vanian and James and the Damned were born, with Sensible switching over to bass while James handled guitar and songwriting.

Though the Sex Pistols became the most publicized of all the original London punk groups, forming and playing before everyone else, the Damned actually ended up scoring most of the firsts on its own, notably the first U.K. punk single — "New Rose" — in 1976 and the first album, Damned Damned Damned, the following year. Produced by Nick Lowe, both were clipped, direct explosions of sheer energy, sometimes rude but never less than entertaining. The group ended up sacked from the Pistols' cancellation-plagued full U.K. tour after only one show, but rebounded with a opening slot on the final T. Rex tour, while further tweaking everyone else's noses by being the first U.K. act to take punk back to America via a New York jaunt. Things started to get fairly shaky after that, however, with Lu Edmonds drafted in on second guitar and plans for the group's second album, Music for Pleasure, not succeeding as hoped for. The members wanted legendary rock burnout Syd Barrett to produce, but had to settle for his Pink Floyd bandmate Nick Mason. The indifferent results and other pressures convinced Scabies to call it a day, and while future Culture Club drummer Jon Moss was drafted in to cover, the group wrapped it up in early 1978.

So, 500 shows on from Grave Disorder, and just to prove their doggedness and belief in their own relevance, the band that many wrote off 2 years after inception, have recorded yet another classic collection of tunes entitled " So, Who's Paranoid? " and are stepping out on yet another exhaustive world tour to back it up. From the jangly garage punk opener of A nation fit for heroes to the lush psychedelic tones of album closer Dark Asteroid, the Damned have come up with 13 more reasons, after 32 years, that their trademark brand of dark melodic irony, blended with caustic political satire are more relevant now than ever.

"So, Who’s Paranoid?" Certainly not The Damned, who have conjured up yet another collection of genre-defying anthems that sit effortlessly alongside their classic albums, their first since 2001’s critically-acclaimed ‘Grave Disorder’ album. From the catchy, jangly garage rock opener of "A Nation Fit For Heroes" to the lushly psychedelic closing track "Dark Asteroid", The Damned masterfully affirms their legendary status. Thirty-two years on the heart of The Damned that is David Vanian and Captain Sensible beats stronger than ever, proving with "So, Who's Paranoid?" that their trademark dark, melodic beauty, tinged with jagged satire is truly timeless and very much intact. They might be a band with an incredible past but The Damned are very much here and now and the thirteen songs featured here are all the proof you’ll need.

Tracklisting:

1)A Nation Fit For Heroes
2)Under The Wheels
3)Dr. Woofenstein
4)Shallow Diamonds
5)Since I Met You
6)A Danger To Yourself
7)Maid For Pleasure
8)Perfect Sunday
9)Nature's Dark Passion
10)Little Miss Disaster
11)Just Hangin'
12)Nothing
13)Dark Asteroid

Two floors - two bars - great sound - great stage - disabled facilities. Limited seating around the balcony bar. Extended floor space and larger stage downstairs. New larger balcony bar is now on several levels. Creating an intimate atmosphere to experience the music.

Opening times and showtimes vary, depending on the day, the artist, and whether there is a support or not. The times shown below are given as a rough guide and may be subject to change. Please check the times when you book your tickets. To avoid disappointment buy your tickets in advance and get here early.

Box Office Hours are 1pm-7pm Monday to Saturday 023 8055 5366

Monday - Wednesday Shows - Doors @ 8pm - Main Act on @ 9pm Close @ 11pm

Thursday Shows- Doors @ 8pm - Main Act on @ 9pm Close between 11pm & 1am

Friday - Saturday Shows - Doors @ 8pm - Main Act on @ 9:30 We may be open to 1am

Sunday Shows - Doors @ 7:30pm - Main Act on @ 8:30 Close @ 10:30pm

The Brook is an eighteen plus venue, (apart from Joiners Live Promotions) although children of fourteen and upwards can come to shows if accompanied by an adult over the age of twenty one. Anyone under sixteen MUST be out of the building by midnight. This is the law.

No more than two fourteen plus per adult.

Please note that on the advice of Southampton Police - we only accept Passports or Photo Driving Licences as acceptable proof of age to buy alcohol. We do NOT accept any other form of age identification. We do NOT accept any national proof of age scheme cards. If you are lucky enough to look young - you will need I.D. If you are bringing under 18's with you, we accept any form of I.D.