Over the Christmas break, The Fighting Cocks has plenty of events and gigs lined up, including its popular and returning LGBTQ+ night, What’s Your Star Sign (WYSS) and its Christmas party on 22 December. WYSS is a pride event and pop-punk band You Over Me will be playing alongside the band Girls Like Us. Doors open at 7:30pm and tickets are £6 when bought in advance.
You Over Me have played at The Fighting Cocks twice before and lead guitarist Eloize Pridham said: “I love performing at The Fighting Cocks, because it’s a community full of people who are like minded and enjoy the same type of music.”
Pridham explains that the band will be undergoing a change in the new year, elevating their pop-punk style to metalcore and hardcore music.
Not only does Pridham play guitar for You Over Me, she is an upcoming DJ and has previously performed sets at The Fighting Cocks after teaching herself to DJ in lockdown. It has led Pridham to play in bars, clubs, corporate events and festivals. Going by DJ Eloize, she plays popular dance music but she also mixes in some alternative. Pridham said: “My favourite memory of DJing was playing in Rome to people from all around the world.”
As well as gigs, the The Fighting Cocks also has comedy shows and film screenings, including The Nightmare Before Christmas, a free event if you book in advance.
The bar is based on the London Road, the street with the falling telephone boxes. It’s been around since the 19th century (1890) and has a vibrant gig history.
The Fighting Cocks website describes it as: “A popular stop off for touring Jazz acts during the 30s and 40s our musical heritage seeped into the floor boards and walls of the building established in 1890.” The bar is now a buzzing metropolis for celebrating differences with their LGBTQ+ events and a place to call home for alternative music lovers.
Find all of The Fighting Cocks’ upcoming events here.
Erica Goncalves Lopes
Bethany Aspinall
Tyler Law