[Closed] Walking into dodgy pubs - etiquette?

I took a young DJ from Morecambe to play at a teenage 'donk' night in the club upstairs.

I'm probably going to regret this but I'm at work and afraid to Google. WTF is a donk night?

As part of my youth work job I took a young DJ from Morecambe to play at a teenage 'donk' night in the club upstairs.

Grum i used to be a youth worker too. we also had a group of local lads who had a DJ night set up to play upstairs too...mainly on a thursday night
i think i only ever went upstairs twice...which was 2 times too many! downstairs wasnt too bad but you can make it the nicest place on earth but it will still fill up with the same unsavoury people!

Queens takes the title of the biggest shithole pub in rawtenstall simply because Madisons wine bar is now closed and the the Sun Inn eventually got demolished...now that was THE biggest shithole ever...full of the worst of the worst....mainly wannabe gangsters and drug dealers.

hora - Member
My boss told me about the Manchester tradition of buy a pint and tip the barman (20p?). Is that common place?

Many moons ago (early 90s) got a job in a rough pub just off Deansgate (long since gone) and on 1st day a girl bought a couple of drinks and said to me "And have one for yourself". Now I'd just rocked up from that there London and when you say that to a barman you'd literally mean have a drink for yourself. So I took for a pint for me and gave her her change. About 30 seconds later this big Manc charges up, grabs me by my shirt front and tries to pull me over the bar. Turns out that "Have one for yourself" does indeed mean take 20p.

I explained my mistake and we all laughed uproariously (not). Didn't work there for long.

Also many moons ago, me and a mate went to Merthyr Tydfil to score (long, long story). Met up with mate's mate and the deal was done. Went with him for a quick pint at his local. Every bloke there was bigger than me (I'm 6'4") and all they talked about was fighting and f***ing (usually at the same time) and how much time they'd done for inflicting various types of gbh on various poor sods. We were safe 'cause we were with a local but I was well happy to get out of there and I can happily say I've never been to a big city pub anywhere (and I've drunk in some well dodgy gaffs in the likes of London, Manchester, Salford, Bristol etc etc) that even came close to that pub

Stayed in Whitehaven a good few years ago to do a fell race. Few places there to get teeth in a basket! Also Wrexham has its fair share of friendly welcoming pubs!

Putting a banging donk on it is a Wigan thing, familiar to listeners to Rad Mac on 6 music, from the sample..,

"You know what you want to do wi that, right....?"

"You wanna put a banging donk on it!!!"

The music itself is awful!

A pal of ours who is a coded welder got a job in Harland & Wolf in Belfast and quite soon found himself being checked out because he's from Lewis and nobody could work out his accent and hence his likely religion. Once it was established that he was OK, he found himself being invited to some increasingly dodgy pubs in loyalist areas and then one day taken to buy a black leather jacket... at which point he realised he was getting sucked into something unsavoury and he left Belfast, quick.

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Govan late 70's - not the place to ask for two pints of bitter! (Off ship in local drydock).

A pal of ours who is a coded welder got a job in Harland & Wolf in Belfast and quite soon found himself being checked out because he's from Lewis

A coded welder from Lewis with a tendency to get into 'scrapes'. Barvas?

No, Burns.

I've got a visitor from Cape Town coming for four days in April and he will be wanting to go on a pub crawl in Manchester. Suggestions welcome but I've already planned the Old Monkey because it's Holts and right next to his hotel, the Novotel. Next a taxi out to Salford to check out the Crescent, then I think we might head over to Rochdale Road to try the Angel and then the Marble Arch, maybe having some food there. How does that sound?

Ah, thought it might have been the same chap
i knew.

for those that know the Rossendale valley, the Roebuck in Haslingden was a shocker of place.

'stickies' or Q bar in Rawtenstall was terrible, Madison's wine bar was marginally better

globalti

http://kingsarmssalford.com/

Heh - gonzy it may have been their night I brought the lad from Morecambe to! It was full of a terrifying amount of very young girls dressed like Amsterdam red light district workers. 🙁

Cougar - donk is an onomatopoeic word to describe the off beat bass sound found in every single track. Sometimes known as bouncy house or scouse house or just bounce.

This is the defining moment of the oeuvre (make sure you get to 40 secs in):

globalti - Member
Has anybody ever been inside The Crescent in Salford? Whenever I drive past I think it looks interesting enough to warrant a visit:

It's a completely harmless student pub, with a music venue upstairs - appearances are very deceptive in this case.
🙂

Hora's suggestion of the King's is a good one.
Used to work in the old Gas Office building opposite - used to go there or the Salford Arms down the road - a lovely Pub run by Dave and Gwen until the local gangsters took a shine to it.
They took it over one weekend, painted the windows black and ran it for their own benefit.

Black Horse was ace, Pen and Whig not so much - both gone now.

Gwen runs the Briton's Protection now, another pub you should try, along with the Fringe on Swann Street, Circus Tavern and ooohhh loads more.

Anyone else used to frequent the Thunderdome on Oldham Road?
A refuge for people not 'connected' to those who ruined the Hacienda, at least for a few months 'till a certain Manchester boxer was shot one night whilst working the door.
Shame.

Globalti- try [url= http://thecastlehotel.info ]the Castle[/url] too

for those that know the Rossendale valley, the Roebuck in Haslingden was a shocker of place.

I stopped going to Haslingden when I was about 16-17 and could get into all the pubs in Rawtenstall (says a lot about the place)!

I stopped going to Haslingden when I was about 16-17 and could get into all the pubs in Rawtenstall (says a lot about the place)!

same here!

Gwen runs the Briton's Protection now, another pub you should try,

The Briton's is ace. Be sure to ask them for the drinks menu.

I remember quite liking this place as a very traditional Manchester boozer - not been in years though.

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I grew up in North Ayrshire. Dodgy pubs were its stock in trade.

A pint and a fight was most Saturday nights sorted - and a fair number of week days too.

But nothing really prepared be for the grimness of drinking in Fort William.

After being growled at by grim face locals - order drink, drink it quickly and leave in three pubs in a row we went back to our B&B. I might have understood if i'd been out with a gang of mates but I was just out for a quiet drink with the wife.

For a place that's meant to be touristy it really has some proper shit hole pubs

They're all dives (what's left of them) in Rawtenstall, apart from the White Lion just up Burnley rd. Well run, cosy, good ales and decent bands on a Saturday night. Always seems to be busy. Oh and the station bar as as already mentioned, not to be confused with the old [s]Jism[/s] Rhythm Station 🙂

The Crescent was my favourite Salford pub. It had a great juke box and loads of real ales on tap. Also had a giant orange juicer. I don't think proper rough pubs do pints of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Went into a pub in Bermondsy near London Bridge a few years back, wasn't just the looks that where the issue. We received a very clear "F Off, you're not drinking in here". Now its all gastro pubs & bistros round there.

Anyway, yes you can just walk straight back out.

FastHaggis; In all fairness the sportie is a cut above the tram and the 'hoe.

Rawtenstall has moved a bit, er, upmarket recently.
🙂

Worked there for a few years and found it much, much nicer and friendlier than Todmorden or Hebden.
Lots of decent shops on the high street, some 'inspirational and aspirational' house pricing and Madisons is now a curry house!

The Craven Heifer is a cracking boozer and cycling friendly.
And the Chinese chippy just across from Bumba's grill is one of the nicest I've ever been to.

chorlton - Member
They're all dives (what's left of them) in Rawtenstall, apart from the White Lion

I'd rather eat my own feet than drink in Haslingdon though - work with quite a few people from there, never met anyone with a single nice word to say about the place.
Sorry.

Jism Rhythm Station

😆

thankfully that cesspit is no longer

what has replaced it is Vogue on bacup road....frequented by rossendale's finest scrotes and skanks!

Worked there for a few years and found it much, much nicer and friendlier than Todmorden or Hebden.

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Lived in Tod for over 15 years and worked there and Hebden for 5.
Calder Valley Syndrome is not a myth.
😀

We've moved just up the road and the difference is unbelievable - I see more happy people in one day than I did in 20 years in Calderdale.
🙂

I did meet a few nice people in Tod, but most of them lived on the tops and saw more than 6 hours sunshine a year.

We've moved six miles away and the difference is unbelievable - I see more happy people in one day than I did in 20 years in Calderdale.

I reckon it's all a question of perception. You seemed to like Tod until you moved here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1963912.stm

😛

Rawtenstall has moved a bit, er, upmarket recently.

must be a coincidence that this happened soon as i moved out of there! 😯

much, much nicer and friendlier than Todmorden or Hebden.

thats true...was always a nice place to grow up and live.

And the Chinese chippy just across from Bumba's grill is one of the nicest I've ever been to.

you dont mean Heng Ju do you Rusty? that place was much better when it was known as Wing Li.
Bumbas on the other hand is a great place to get food from.
as for chippies you cant beat Tony fish & chip shop (was formerly rays plaice) next to Boots

Few weeks ago after very muddy ride me and my buddy fancied a pint of Guinness - we were just riding through a village, the pub was open... The guy stayed outside with the bikes. I went in to get the beverages... Mind I was wearing muddy overshoes, knee length socks, hummvee shorts... I left the helmet outside, so there was a buff on my head. I could feel/see few "boys" staring at me. Then one of them asked: "Have you been playing cricket?" 😆

grum - Member
I reckon it's all a question of perception. You seemed to like Tod until you moved here:

I like Tod.
🙂

Burnley is much, much nicer.
Honestly.
As is Rawtenstall.

you dont mean Heng Ju do you Rusty? that place was much better when it was known as Wing Li.
Bumbas on the other hand is a great place to get food from.
as for chippies you cant beat Tony fish & chip shop (was formerly rays plaice) next to Boots

Never been in the Craven. Always thought it looked OK. But then pubs always seem to be better a bit further out of town. The Red Lion up New church rd towards Water foot is OK too. Only a short stagger from me door.

Burnley is a dump. The reviewer for 40 Carp Towns went to Burnley Wood, a poor white area. He waited 40 minutes for a bus and when it eventually came, it was doing 60 mph and was on fire. As it passed him, a car down the road blew up. He left as fast as possible.

Preston, Blackpool and Blackburn fans taunt the Burnley crowd by singing:

[i]Your mum's your dad,
your dad's your mum,
you're interbread,
you're Burnley scum![/i]

We lived on Padiham road in an OK area but a violent drug dealer and his spawn moved in next door and overnight, our lives became quite unpleasant. Mrs Gti and I were taking beta blockers to cope with the stress by the time we sold the house for a good deal less than its value; it was resold a year later for considerably more. I'm too embarrassed to admit by how much, but we needed to get out, fast.

Burnley is much, much nicer.

No word of a lie, I saw a list of "worst places to live in the UK" recently.

Burnley was listed in the top 5.

Twice.

I thought the same until we moved there.
🙂
I can't believe how nice it actually is.
Admittedly, we live in a 'decent' bit, but the town centre is clean, there's loads to do locally, pubs nearby are nice and the supposedly dodgy estate (that people had warned us about) next door is like Camberwick Green in comparison to many places I've lived.

Perception, as Grum says.

Preston, Blackpool and Blackburn fans taunt the Burnley crowd by singing:

Your mum's your dad,
your dad's your mum,
you're interbread,
you're Burnley scum!

You've been to Blackpool and Blackburn, have you?
😀

Admittedly, we live in a [s]'decent'[/s] white BNP-supporting bit

FTFY 😛

jambalaya - Member
Went into a pub in Bermondsy near London Bridge a few years back, wasn't just the looks that where the issue. We received a very clear "F Off, you're not drinking in here". Now its all gastro pubs & bistros round there.

When I first started to work in Canary Wharf, BITD, on the Isle of Dogs it was always heard to be proper rough, stories of Bullies and Fights n' stuff. Well that was bullshite, never had a problem at all in fact a couple of the pubs became locals for us lot back then. But you'd hear stories, many stories of lynchings, burned out cars with people in them, proper hard stuff.. But MrsBouy had a place up in Bow, now then, thats a proper locals area. Still is to this day certainly wouldn't walk into any pub there without some form of personal protection or an invite from a proper mate.. Ok a couple of places out Silvertown way you'd be not welcome but on the whole you'd have a good old night out down Docklands way these days, cerstainly for the last 10yrs or so...

But these days it's all (as Jam says) Gastro this/Craft that and Quirky the other.

Now in Hampshire, well we went for a bimble the other day up near Titchbourne, proper locals pub that, all Hounds and Wellies, Neddies outside and Shotguns behind the Bar.. We fitted right in there..
Got a few strange looks mind but hey, they we probably considering using one of their unused brain cells to comprehend "outlanders"
😆

Preston, Blackpool and Blackburn fans taunt the Burley crowd by singing:

The only one I ever heard I can't repeat here without banning myself. This masterpiece of Wildean wit was six words long, and went

"Burnley --------,
----- and -----.
-------!"

For those playing Hangman, the first word suggests that they are all illegitimate, and the other three missing words were slang for female genitalia in the plural beginning with T, C and F respectively.

Clearly the work of an intellectual heavyweight.

Surely you sort it by strutting in, up to the bar and order a pint of Pimms and demand the brolly is served on the side?

Rawtenstall has always been a valley cultural high spot compared to Bacup

how many visitors to Lee Quarry have dared to go into the Royal Oak?

You've been to Blackpool and Blackburn, have you?

Errr... I live in Blackburn now but happily on the leafy Wilpshire side so my "stamping ground" heads out through poncy Whalley to Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley. And we sometimes go to Blackpool because Mrs Gti has a bizarre fascination with the lights, so we just lock the doors and drive down the front then leave, fast.

There's one daycent pub in Clitheroe called the New Inn, which has a great range of ales on tap and Oirish music twice a month on Sundays. It's still quite a regular crowd though so you do get stared at when you enter.

Even worse - Lib Dem, Grum.
🙂

Agree with Rusty re Burnley its a nice area he lives in

Some rough areas but no worse than anywhere else in East lancs