Bricks is buzzing

Isabella Nova was at the opening night of a new Brixton bar in a space with a history.

Underneath a sparkling disco ball, a dazzling opening night for a refurbished bar – Bricks – unfolded at the The Ton of Brix venue on Coldharbour Lane.

It hosted a night of funky music, cool vibes, and a reintroduction to Brixton, with a promising future ahead.

Bricks is on the ground floor space of the venue. It has new management in the shape of Tom Broadbent, founder of TOLA Peckham, a music venue, event space and roof terrace.

The opening was held to showcase the refurbished bar and to provide a sneak peek at the upstairs club venue.

Walking through the doors, the space feels modern and fresh with tables and booths to sit and enjoy cocktails and delicious Alessio’s Pizza.

There is a bar-stool seating area in front of the windows, which open to the street, to watch people walking past and looking in.

The main attraction of the new bar is the vibrant “custom-built” DJ booth which will soon host many a party starter.

The sound was clear and loud, built with a Masters Sounds Radius Mk2 mixer and a state of the art Funkion-One sound system, creating a groovy ambiance.

On show is a huge collection of vinyl and the opening night gave us a taste of what is to come. The music, mastered by DJs Ed from Balham and Nowt (FYI Chris), while jazzy and old school, had a feeling of being new and eclectic.

Pretty in a peachy pink hue, the new bar offers handmade and original cocktails, natural wines, craft and traditional beers.

Right in the centre the huge disco ball sparkles and lights up the whole space. Although tables occupied the space, it hosted a promising dancefloor for a boogie and enjoying the music from the booth.

Past the bar and up the stairs is the new club venue, a place where dancing will definitely happen. The space has vibey neon lights, a small bar and a high quality DJ booth. The space is soon to host club nights, with a commitment to offering affordable tickets. All events in the Bricks bar space will be free.

The new bar also commits to work hard to also give back to the community as well.

The new management says it will open up the space to work with local groups and youth organisations, allowing local projects and teams to meet and collaborate.

It aims to develop a programme that honours the venue’s long history (see right) and the local area.

The venue will be hosting a monthly residency with the Artistic Development Programme (ADP) which showcases and nurtures young local talent.

Bricks was buzzing on opening night, with lots of locals and music enjoyers walking in and taking in the new modern space.

The new direction for this music-focused bar sounds hopeful for locals to enjoy a cool, funky space with an optimistic mindset for the potential of this space to give support back to Brixton.

Ton of Brix and Bricks are at 414 Coldharbour Lane which, for decades, was the home of Louise Barron and Tony Pommell and their Club 414.

Establishing the club in the aftermath of the 1981 Brixton Uprising with the aid of a small council grant, they almost single-handedly kept alive the night-time economy in Brixton – dealing with both officialdom in the shape of the police and council and the perennial problems of crime, violence and anti-social behaviour.

Winning more than one famous legal victory against eviction, the pair finally won the support of the council for making their club an asset of community value.

However, they were caught up in ongoing property-dealing machinations linked to the sale of Brixton’s covered markets and had to leave their club and home against their will.