please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
awesome bar, awesome atmosphere. had a wicked night last night with the ladies behind the bar (10/10 ladies!). bit pricey but nothing you wouldn't expect from a decent bar these days. shame the jukebox is a bit moody.
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Spit and saw-dust but friendly staff and clientele of mainly young age and clad in goth, piercings etc.. One real ale on which was not mainstream, and in very good condition. Small Venue at the back for small rock bands and jamming sessions.
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oh yeah don't go in there wearing a suit from work as the leatherclad,pierced,tattooed regulars get upset and they start pretending they're Jeffrey Dahmer
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Great pub and venue. One real ale pump with new guest beer 2 - 3 times a week, never been disapointed yet.
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Does exactly what it says on the tin. Basic no frills pub with separate room (with bar) for the bands. Ale quality indifferent, but it's not the main reason to go there.
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great music,brilliant atmosphere when busy,cider a bit too pricey though which takes a mark off for me
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They got Pantera, Machine Head, Metallica, all the kings of metal, all on one juke box. You have to ask the staff to crank that sh*t up once in a while but they are more than willing. I don't know of any other pub with such a good juke box in and around SW so I go there. V friendly staff, and bogof jgermeistr at the moment.
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Run Down Music Pub!
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if your into rock, metal, this is the place to go, friendly staff, chav-free, love the place, keep up the good work
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Good music of varying kinds, comedy nights also, and now they do real ale (Hobgoblin, appropriately for the pub's atmosphere) although it wasn't brilliant the other night. Not somewhere I'd go just for a drink but for the music I definitely would. Nice people too - don't get the kind of insulted belligerence you do in some other places.
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Top pub. Full of interesting people, great live bands, some lethal drinks and a very relaxing atmosphere. have had some excellent, and very messy, evenings here.
Delightfully chav-free
patsy - 15 Jan 2009 16:28 |
Not too keen on this pub but I suppose I am not really into the muzik that they play. Been there with friends recently which was ok and I hear that they do good comedy nights there from time to time. The last time I was in there a few weeks ago there was a funny incident. A particularly portly gentleman who didnt seem to fit in with the rocker crowd due to wearing business trousers and a tucked in shirt proceeded to pull the projector screen off the wall and get kicked out. I think he had 1 too many Bulmers.
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I went here a couple of nights ago to catch up with an old friend whose band was playing later. Small place, standard drinks. Good music overhead, and lovely and helpful staff!
Didn�t seem at all pretentious, though I could see why some might say it could seem a bit cliquey, due to the rocker aspect. However, I was also very aware of the variety of people who were drinking here, including one woman (for quite some time) who looked as if she�d come straight from teaching a children�s church Sunday school class.
It's mentioned below that the loos were in bad condition, but as someone VERY nitpicky about such things, I thought the ladies room was absolutely fine. Although the lock on the stall door is a bit fiddly, and possibly dangerous for someone to easily get locked inside!
I didn't stay for the bands, but the venue is positively minuscule. Not a place for one who�s claustrophobic or has a problem getting up close and personal with strangers!
This was my first time venturing into town centre Kingston, and would definitely go here again if I was in the area.
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Wow�what a selection of comments.
I�m a 40 something metal/goth/heavy rocker/Company director�etc.etc.
Respectable by day, despicable by night.
My honest comments are.
Seemed like a great crowd (mixture of young and 30-somthings) on the last three occasions I�ve been in (all Nov 2007). Perhaps the crowd was clicky, but then aren�t all pubs with a younger (or for that matter older) crowd? Music was to my taste and suitably loud.
Lighting was too bright for a rock venue (may be I�m old school). Door staff were friendly, especially since they didn�t know any of us. Beer was disappointing, but I�ve got high standards, especially regarding real ale. Given it was from the Wychwood Brewery I would have thought that they could have stocked wider range, perhaps in bottles if they can�t keep the beer in the cellar. The problem with real ale is you have to know how to store, pour and handle the beer. If it�s poor no one drinks it, then it gets worse, then even less people drink it. I think that�s what happened here.
The larger seemed to be going down very well, lets face it, that�s what most people drink anyway.
This pub is definitely on my list of Kingston town centre pubs. It�s alternative, it�s not a wine wantabe and not a single scarf in sight!
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Hey my names Big Jon, I like touching cocks, is this the place for me?
ps: Hey Groovehound, I reckon that you and me could create a pretty cool vibe.
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Wow! looks like someone wasnt happy. Im a non smoker so cannot tell similiar stories, but what i can say is my own view of this place. Have visited on around 4 or 5 occasions. The drinks range is never anything to write home about. If you want a type of ale but not real ale there is John Smiths and Newcastle brown.Rooms are divided up so you have a quiet hidden away room, the main room a pool section.. they do really get in the way! and a music room. also some toilets which r in bad condition. the music room has krounenberg and j smith for beer. didnt see the others. soso place but alright for a gig. music can make it get very got inside however.
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Hooray pleased to report they are finally getting in Real Ale! Hobgoblin I believe which is quality.
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Thank you chubtank. Trebles_all_round can hang his head in shame. 'Sides, as I understand it, most youngsters drink spirits. Lager is an over-25s thing.
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a crazy boozer. my friend was talked into buying a double vodka, by an australian nutter. he hates vodka. no ale, which is annoying, as some young people like ale. surely it wouldnt hurt too much to have a tap of pride?? a scary bunch of locals, and a rather "scene" crowd. i slipped on piss when i went to the loos though.
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Awesome pub with top top juke box!
anonymous - 1 Mar 2008 10:40 |
No ale! Whatever the attractions they provide there, it's all pointless if there's nowt to drink.
anonymous - 5 Oct 2007 20:08 |
Good pub, nice lagers and a bit different to the mostly average drinking holes in Chavton upon Thames. Some good bands live although a hell of a lot of bad ones aswell. Comedy night on Monday is good.
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Facebook group: The Fighting Cocks, Watering Hole of the Great & The Good!
anonymous - 12 Jun 2007 21:16 |
Pleeese get some ales on. It'd sell, for sure. Not everyone wants to drink lager.
anonymous - 12 May 2007 06:13 |
Love the alterna-crowd, love the jukebox but I went there for the first time last night and was kind of shocked at the prices of the drinks!
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Nice quiet pace to escape from the shopper hordes on a Saturday afternoon. Good juke box too.
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Good pub for live music and I always have a laugh in here. Drinks are standard for the area (lagers only), staff and clientelle are friendly (the pub attracts lots of alternative types), bogs are grim but the jukebox is very good.
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It is perhaps the best pub in the area, somewhere close indeed. At least it is interesting unlike some of the chain bars. The live music nights tend to get rather lively here. The Metal night on Saturday the 27Jan was an example of that. But all in all entertaining.
Only downsides would be slight lack of choice of beers and the toilets are in a poor state, somehow i doubt most people coming here are too worried about these things
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By far the best pub in Kingston.
anonymous - 17 Nov 2006 15:33 |
I like this place. No real ale so I can't give it more than a 6 though. Come on, you know you used to, why not now?
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btw, not dissing clubs and bars per se just thinking of certain places located further west than Kingston
Will2 - 12 Jul 2006 17:47 |
Tends to attract a more alternative crowd than other places. Has live music in the back room. Can't understand why we can't have more places like this and less of these horrible clubs and bars where everybody bullshits and pretends they're having a good time. Reclaim the town centre from the smug w****** and come here! 10/10
Will2 - 12 Jul 2006 17:46 |
Don't be put off by the title. This is an excellent place, has the most lively atmosphere of pubs tried in Kingston. Seemed like a place people come to have a good time
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Great pub. Good jukebox and good beers. I saw Eric Clapton in here years ago too.
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Becky - it is however frequented by the over worked and underpaid bar staff from The King's Tun, who quite rightly love it for it's atmosphere and staff!
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GREAT PUB , ABIT PRICEY THOUGH BUT ALL IN ALL A WELL RUN CLEAN AND TIDY PUB ,WITH POLITE BARSTAFF AND A NICE GUV.
anonymous - 18 Nov 2005 21:20 |
VERY badly kept beer, though a good range of spirits. Rather expensive considering its location - wouldn't have thought a pub like this could afford to nudge customers out through high prices...
Clientele range from office workers early evening, early 30's posers mid evening and then trendy little goths the res of the time - or so it seems.
Not too bad, but certainly not a pub that you'd go to for a chat or anything else really. Unless of course you wanted to down as many shooters as possible and chat up kids!
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Hmm, from the reviews here it seems like you either love or hate this pub. Personally, I love it: decent pint, outstanding jukebox, music out the back, some real characters among the clientele and staff, and the kids are all right. Easy way out for the malcontents: don't go there.
anonymous - 21 Sep 2005 09:40 |
Good pub, with some top rate music. Totally disagree with CHRIS on his comments about coco and Peel, but not everyone can see properly. Def worth a visit, loads of drinks choice is always good.
Scotty boy - 16 Jul 2004 15:32 |
I have seen the Cocks transformed from a friendly back street boozer to a 'yoof' pub in the last couple of years. The juke box remains one of its best features (particularly as the volume is kept high) but if you are over 30, don't bother going as it is now populated by students...
gearbox - 8 Jul 2004 11:21 |
Great things come at a price ... and its only the price of the beer ... you get great service and I have never had a bad pint in this place, when it busy its hard to get around but everyones friendly so it fine ... and why people are so uptight about kicking out time I havent a clue
the juke box is always worth a browse
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this place rocks, i have had some of the best nights ever here, totally check it out
sarah - 25 Apr 2004 13:53 |
Funky pub, good bands, crazy nights!
Sophie Anderson - 16 Mar 2004 13:16 |
All to pleased to take your cash at 11pm, but much more eager to take your beer back at 11.05pm.
This pub is becoming overly cliquey once again, with an incredibly agressive kick-out policy. Strangely the policy hardens when the landlord has an evening off, leaving the bar manager to drink more than all of her customers put together. This pub will improve when the aforementioned manager moves on.
Great if you're going to see a live band, otherwise don't bother.
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rad pub and rad people. who cares about the price of beer when ac/dc is always on the box. nice pool table too and really cool bands, e.g they died too young
oz - 10 Nov 2003 15:32 |
nice Start off pub, A tad narrow and the pool table in the Corner is really squashed. Friendly people, nice atmosphere though!!
Alex - 31 Oct 2003 11:00 |
Gizmo, what are you saying. This place is shocking. Far too expensive, nasty decor etc... You want a real place to go out try. You can come out with us and we'll show you a real place. email me.
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Nice pub, has great saound system for live music nights. Nice people working there, come down and check it out Halloween night. Me and my band "battlecat" are playing with i think three other bands, and there will be costumes...
hope you come down its a cosy venue, good beer, and what i think (hope you think) is good music.
Helloo to Rob Ryan and Sarah (mimi) - we should write a Halloween themed song.
Peace
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Nice beer, and good litle venue at the back. Also like the bottle of snake wine there (not for drinking, just for show, which is a good thing cos it tastes awful, but looks cool). ID is a must tho, I have mine surgically implanted on my arm so that I dont forget it.
If you're in the area, check it out.
Gizmo - 29 Sep 2003 11:34 |
Far and away the best pub in Kingston :).
Friendly staff, good beer, nice decor and its a pleasure to play or watch a gig there.
Its not exclusively an "alternative" pub either - with a good mix of drinkers. Keep it up :)
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The Cocks is by far the best bar in kingston and because of its friendly atmosphere it makes everyone feel welcome, Narns is a terrific manager.. the whole place feels homely, unlike your arrogant and trendy 'cool' bars like the cocoanut and the peel etc.
CHRIS - 27 Dec 2002 10:59 |
Thank God for Progress! The Fighting Cocks used to be aptly named, but has fortunately re-skinned and re-patronised a few times since then, attracting firstly a young alternative metal crowd from the legendary Flamingo / Hog and Stump when it ceased trading, but more recently a 50/50 mix of teenies and late 20s conforming to a variety of stereotypes. Any night of the week feels like a Friday here, thanks mainly to the eclectic jukebox, friendly staff and insane shooters. This is a fantastic pub with a slight international cafe-bar feel. There are only a couple of things that let this pub down. Firstly, the ventilation is a little poor; while you don't get particularly hot, your clothes, skin, eyes, hair, heart, lungs and corneas come out feeling stinky and sticky. Secondly, although the bar staff are without exception really friendly, at closing time they can be very heavy handed. This is great for clearing the pub, but it can sometimes be so forceful that it destroys that warm fuzzy feeling you had just before 11.00pm. Still, a top pub: vibrant and different.
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