Basildon's pubs played an important part in the town's music story. Some had only occasional entertainment, while others became genuine gig venues. The surviving records are strongest for a handful of pubs, and these are the places where named bands can be documented rather than guessed.
Whitmore Way, Fryerns
The Double Six opened in 1962 with a public bar, saloon bar, upstairs living accommodation and an off-licence. It was the third major pub serving Fryerns. Its name was probably inspired by the highest-scoring double in dominoes.
The saloon bar developed into one of Basildon's best-remembered live music venues. The stage was repositioned in 1977 and admission charges were sometimes made for performances. The list of acts associated with the pub is unusually extensive and includes Iron Maiden, The Only Ones, Trapeze, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Cock Sparrer, After the Fire, The Rezillos, Prowler, Screaming Abdabs featuring Alison Moyet, Jackie Lynton Band, Granny Grunt, Street, Breathe, The Crooks, The Pinkees and many more.
Recorded concert information places The Only Ones there in June 1977, Trapeze in December 1977 and Iron Maiden on 27 September 1979. The venue therefore connected Basildon's local music scene with bands that were gaining wider national audiences.
During the 1980s the pub was renamed the Flying Childers for a period, with famous racehorse Red Rum appearing at the reopening ceremony. It later returned to the Double Six name. After closing in the late 1990s, the building suffered a fire and was eventually demolished in 2003 for housing.
Clay Hill Road, formerly Bull Road
A new Bull public house opened in November 1961, replacing an older pub. It was operated by Mann, Crossman & Paulin and included an off-licence. Its lounge-bar stage became a well-known live entertainment venue.
Among the bands recorded as appearing there were Hedgehog, Street, The Cold Hand Band, Granny Grunt, Chief O'Hara, The Business, Rudy Cafe, The Pilchards and Big Lynne. The pub also staged other forms of adult entertainment during the 1980s.
On 7 June 1985 the Bull was renamed The Powerhouse. It closed in February 1998 and remained empty until demolition in September 2002, after which flats were built on the site.
Paycocke Road, Nevendon
The Van Gogh opened in November 1962 on the first floor above shops in Paycocke Road. It became an important local entertainment venue rather than simply a conventional street-corner pub.
Its music history is particularly interesting. Thin Lizzy are recorded as having played there in the early 1970s. In 1978 The Vandals, featuring Alison Moyet, appeared there, while Norman and the Worms, featuring Vince Clarke, also performed at the venue. Those appearances give the Van Gogh a direct connection with musicians who would later become closely associated with Basildon's international pop reputation.
The premises went through a succession of later identities, including The Factory, Hats Night Club, Monroe's and Yum Yum's, reflecting the move away from the traditional pub model towards bars and nightclub entertainment.
Pipps Hill Road South
The Treble Chance officially opened in January 1973 as part of businessman Reg Treble's larger Aquatels/Pipps Hill Country Club leisure complex. Its split-level building was designed in a Spanish Colonial style, making it very different from the earlier estate pubs.
It became a popular live entertainment venue. During the 1980s band nights were promoted under the name the Onion Club, while Sunday evenings combined live entertainment with the once-familiar pub meal of chicken in a basket. Philip and Olive Woodger were the first publicans.
The Treble Chance closed in the late 1990s as the Festival Leisure Park changed the area's leisure trade. The complex was demolished and The Quays later occupied the site.
High Pavement, Basildon Town Centre
A pub opened at 6 High Pavement in 1973 as The Heighway, part of the development that completed the northern side of Town Square. In 1983 it became the New Yorker, where live bands and DJ Mike Henry were among the entertainment.
Further changes of name followed: it became the Roof Garden and, from 2010, The Edge. Its elevated position above Town Square and connection to the Great Oaks car park made it one of Basildon's more unusual pub locations.