Oktober Fest, Halloween & The C Word

The Crow Crew
Oct 11
4 min read

It's been a while, I know!

Don't worry, I won't be mentioning the C word (which is unusual for me)! We do have some great events in store for Oktoberfest and Halloween, but I will get onto those in just a bit...

How the hell is it October?! September came and went ridiculously quickly. It was my birthday at the end of August, it was still hot outside, and I swear by time I got over my post-birthday hangover, somehow it was October!!!

We hosted some brilliant events in September, but it was a strange month.

It was quiet. Even the busy band nights were not as busy as usual, and no matter how epic the band were, the energy in the room was a bit low.

Everything felt like it was hard work! The Autumn kicking in a bit early was a shock to the system, and we could understand why chilling on the sofa would be more appealing than the cold, dark outside world!

Sadly, having a quiet month has hammered our reserves, and having finally secured our 5-year lease in Waterbourne Walk, I am now back to breathing into a paper bag and rocking (hugging myself) in quiet corners!! It will be okay.... It will be okay...

The summer months are often bumpy territory in the events world, as small venues suddenly find themselves competing with beer gardens, weddings, holidays, BBQs, and festivals. Usually things pick up come Sept-Oct, and thankfully, it balances out!

After a roaring March-June this year, July was a tough month. Things (as expected) had quietened down. They picked up in August, helped by us having Crow Fest (of course!), but, as is so often the case, the cosmos gave with one hand and took away with the other! September didn't see that usual upturn in trade. The whole town felt quite dead! Then, just as we thought we had got through the worst of it, the UK caught the tail end of Hurricane Amy: the weather was apocalyptic (and hardly screamed, let's go out on the town for a gig)!!

So having wittered on with my oversharing, the fundamental point I'm trying to arrive at is this:

WE GET IT... It's bloody cold! It's dark. It's quite often raining. Ugly eating on the sofa & watching crappy old films is absolutely our bag too! Outside is horrible and full of spray-painted roundabouts! But...

WE NEED YOU!

As I explained in my posts earlier this year, we are on our way to being more financially stable and in a less precarious position; however, there are no magic beans, no quick fix!

We took the gamble, renewed the lease, and are doing everything we can to make The Crooked Crow Bar the glorious beast we know it can be. But we still need your help to get there!

We don't want to rely on fundraisers; we just need people to come and support us, enjoying the fantastic events we have lined up, whatever the weather!

So if you want to do something amazing, support an independent venue, a local business, grassroots music & events, (and an owner on the brink of a mental breakdown), don some wellies and the biggest pully you can find and we'll see you at the bar!

Nag: fin !

I also need to apologise that I have been somewhat off my game of late. I will endeavour to get the photos from the last couple of weeks posted, as well as listing the rest of the events booked in for 2025 up on our website next week.

You may have seen our recent social media post and/or heard the sad news...

We have been devastated by the loss of our dear friend and crew member, Fiona, who sadly lost her battle with cancer last Sunday. There's so much I could share about our lovely Pingers, but it all seems too raw and the grief is just overwhelming at the moment.

Her wake will be at The Crooked Crow Bar on Monday, 27th October, 3 pm, for anyone who knew her and would like to pay their respects.

In her final days, Fiona organised this year's Macmillan Coffee Morning and raised a staggering £1360! Her family have said that they don't want flowers, and instead have suggested that anyone who wants to do so can donate to Macmillan, via Fiona's coffee morning link (which we be open until after her wake)

COFFEE MORNING DONATIONS

Coming up this October at The Crooked Crow Bar...

ALL GENRES WELCOME
GREAT DECKS & PA
NO PRE-BOOKED SLOTS
FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE
POOL TABLE
DOGS WELCOME
OUTSIDE FOOD ALLOWED
FREE ENTRY | 18+
JUST POP DOWN & GIVE YOUR RECORDS A SPIN

This Saturday 9pm we have free live music from The Desert Penguins: Rocked up pop!

This Sunday 12-4pm: Afternoon Rave!

DJ Wout will be spinning the best retro beats - perfect for a Sunday out in the Buzz!

Thursday 16th October, we have 2, amazing grassroots bands: Garage Punk chaos masters, Audionasties will be supporting the fantastic Ska-Punk legends, Codename Colin.

Tickets are just £5 adv.

Friday 17th Oct: Nerdvana

This band is an absolute MUST for Nirvana fans! They're absolutely brilliant! And, sadly their last gig at The CCB, as their lead singer is leaving to concentrate on his original band at the end of this year. So don't miss out. Tickets are just £5 adv!