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History of the Reat Ale Twa*ts. with Tris39
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Detail Pages
The Hootananny, Brixton, SW2
SW2
SW2 1DF
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4 of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about The Hootananny
A large two bar venue and live music space with a big outdoor garden, Hootananny is clearly primarily geared towards performance nights. The main space is a cavernous open-plan room with the stage to the left and the bar running along the rear right-hand wall. The bar itself has a simple, traditional wood-panelled counter and a modest, functional bar back. The floor is a mix of wooden boards near the stage and rough stone tiling by the bar, which proved a bit awkward underfoot when attempting to dance. Dark walls and large shuttered windows lend a moody vibe, enhanced by a few music posters and event flyers. The stage is set high, allowing good visibility throughout the venue. Seating had been cleared for the performance I attended, but there’s a sense the room can be reconfigured depending on use. A revist a month or two later uncovered a side bar to the right, which is a pretty large room in its own right, with an L-shaped servery tpo the rear, some grand pillars, loads of seating and a few traditional features. Crucially, it appears to be an unticketed space that can be used whilst performances are underway next door. The outdoor area is extensive and well screened from the busy main road, with ample picnic tables, benches, covered areas, and a food truck on site.
No cask ale is available; Beavertown Neck Oil was the rather dim highlight on keg, priced at £7.00 per pint, which is about par for the course in music venues these days. The service was fast and professional given the busy gig atmosphere and as you might expect, the venue had a buzzy, youthful energy and seems a good choice for a night out or catching a band.
I enjoyed my two visits here, both of which were to catch some music, but the place falls down a bit when solely viewed as a pub, not just for the lack of any cask ale, but also because the venue side of the pub isn't very pubby, whilst the right-hand room feels like a bit of an afterthought - somewhere you'd spend the night wondering what you were missing out on next door. Go for the music by all means, but there are many better pubs in and around Brixton.
Date of visit: 16th February 2025
On 2nd September 2025
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Hootananny
Probably rebuilt in the interwar years, this is an early 19th century pub, which as mentioned, was once the George Canning and a branch of Hobgoblin until 2007 when the current Jools Holland-free name arrived.
I did encounter the aforementioned bouncer at the time of my Wednesday visit at just gone 8.30pm, but not the ageism, probably because I still fit – just – the demographic at which this pub is aimed. With an even larger live music venue in use to the left-hand side, as mentioned, the interior is huge; the right-hand bar alone is substantial, with a flagstone floor, modern bar array, with a salmon pink matchboard front, which matched the Anaglypta to the dado then either cream walls or friezes depicting scenes of Grecian Bacchanalian revelry, also applied to columns. Furniture is either conventional stuff or green velour booth-style seating to the perimeter; to the rear there’s a raised area with bizarre zebra striped wallpaper and upholstery; well-used too, were the brace of pool tables. Customers were mainly mixed and outside, many enjoying the West Indian food dispensed from a shack.
There’s still no cask and a basic range of keg, me having forgotten what I ordered, but it was £3.80 a half, served by a vapid barmaid.
This place is a bit stark, but I suppose it may serve a valuable purpose as part of Brixton’s vibrant musical culture. However, the Effra Social bang next door, despite not being a purpose-built pub, offers a superior experience and decent cask.
On 14th June 2024
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2298 recommendations about 2245 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Hootananny
Big old scruffy sort of pub.Young crowd and the bouncer thought it funny I would like entry to the pub.Ageist bastard.Keg only but Blue Moon never disappoints.Nowt to recommend but it serves a purpose for this area.
On 9th December 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Hootananny
This pub used to be The George Canning many years ago, and is a massive edifice of a pub set back from Effra Road. It’s so large, that just the one bar on the right was in use on Saturday afternoon, with the other rooms seemingly being used for storage. But live music is advertised, so the larger rooms on the left are probably opened up for that. The room in use contained a pool table, and a massive pull down screen, showing the Arsenal game when we dropped in. There were a good number of people in, mainly family groups as far as I could see.
What it didn’t have was any handpumps, so our visit was a fairly short one. I don’t expect to pay a return visit.
On 15th December 2013
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2612 recommendations about 2526 pubs]