21 Nov 2024
Over the last half-century, The Horn of Plenty has established itself not only as a local icon, but also as a grassroots music scene institution.
The rollcall of talent who have graced its stage since 1974 reads like an A to Z of musical history, covering a wide mix of genres from punk and rock ‘n’ roll, to jazz and ska.
The diverse mix of performers from the past 50 years include Bad Manners, Chas and Dave, Chrissie Hynde, the James Taylor Quartet, Bastille, original Beatles drummer Pete Best, Years and Years and U2, but that’s barely scraping the surface.
Local talent who have strutted the stage include Enter Shikari, Friendly Fires and The Subways, and the pub has a continued focus on offering up-and-coming acts the chance to perform in front of a live audience, as seen with the recent Battle of the Bands during The Zombies’ Begin Here Festival.
Originally The Midland Station Hotel (not to be confused with The Midland Railway, or Little Midland, opposite), it hosted the occasional band during the ‘sixties before becoming a pub.
Changing its name to The Horn of Plenty it became renowned for its live music, with a separate staged area established behind the bar.
At one point it was even a bikers’ pub, with a Harley Davison motorbike hanging down from the ceiling, attracting performances from the likes of Motorhead and seeing regular clashes with the Mods who patronised the Little Midland.
Not only did Vinnie Jones’ mum Glenda run it at one time, but the legendary John Peel was a frequent customer, Kim Wilde once worked behind the bar, and Paul Young made his debut there with his group Street Band.
We caught up with venue programmer Luke Hinton, who has been working at The Horn for the best part of 15 years, while also running indie promotion company Juicebox Live with wife Rachael, co-chairing the Association of Independent Promoters and also overseeing the line-up at Hertford Corn Exchange.
“Some of the artists playing now weren’t even born when I started promoting,” he laughs.
“Generations of people have seen live music at The Horn. It’s more than just a venue or a run of the mill pub, they’ve met friends, partners, people with the same mindset they have, and they have the same feeling about it now as when they first started coming.”
The pub has been celebrating its milestone anniversary throughout this year, with returning acts including The Bluetones, Sleeper, Gaz Coombes, Tom Meighan, China Crisis, Hue and Cry and Mohair, who have played the venue a staggering 54 times.
“But we’re not just focusing on the last 50 years,” Luke emphasised, “we’re still supporting new and emerging artists. After all, without places like The Horn you won’t have the acts to eventually headline Glastonbury.”
Having weathered the Covid storm and the cost-of-living crisis things are actually looking good: “Gig attendance is above pre-pandemic levels, we’ve had lots of really strong shows this year.”
Programming the calendar of acts is a balancing act between surefire sell-outs and newbie risks: “We want to take gambles but we also have to be safe. Tribute nights are our bread and butter, and mean the venue survives, so we’re playing it safe there to ensure we have a future.
“We’re in a fortunate position in that our cover bands are some of the strongest out there.”
The Horn now has a new PA thanks to an arts council grant, and Luke says the facilities are first class, with one of the best sound systems for a venue of this size.
He puts on around 100 bands a month, including 10-15 original shows and the open mic sessions at The Blue Angel Acoustic Café, which has been going for 27 years and seen several performers appear on TV’s The Voice.
“Live music is what The Horn is all about, it’s an intimate venue which packs in 200 people but still feels busy with 40. There’s a great sound, it’s good for the artists and the audience, and we’re very diverse, so we cater for lots of different markets.”
A 50th anniversary celebration event is taking place this coming Saturday, with covers band Allergy playing hits from across the five decades. For tickets see www.thehorn.co.uk/full-listings/horn-50. A book on the pub’s history is also planned for publication next year.
