The New Cross Inn is what some people might refer to as a ‘student dive’.

Those people would be what other people might refer to as ‘pretentious twats’, and quite possibly hail from East Dulwich.

Sitting at the cross roads between three south London art colleges, the New Cross Inn had little choice in life but to carry out its chosen role as a rough and ready live music haunt for students and musicians. Painted black on the outside (à la sex shop), inside it’s, shall we say, distressed. Like a south London version of Nambucca (R.I.P), it’s look and vibe couldn’t be more fitting with the shambolic music scene in New Cross.

People have been trying to re-invent the area for years, calling it, and Deptford, the new Shoreditch. Trendy bars like The Amersham Arms moved in. It was good, but it never really happened. What has remained the same throughout is The New Cross Inn. Never trying to be something it’s not, it does exactly what it says on the tin: live music and booze.

Having recently been taken over by John Bundy (who also owns The Marlborough in nearby Camberwell and previously managed The Inn seven years ago), the venue is taking on more and more live music nights though its promotions manager, Steve Kleenex, and a host of other promoters who now run regular nights there.

“It’s building all the time,” says Bundy of The Inn’s growing reputation as a place to see live bands. “Liar Liar Club and Polite Riot Skawash are two of the big promoters that have been putting on nights for us. On 22 May we have a live funk, soul and hip-hop night starting up called Remedy, and one of our favourite bands, Bad Manners, are going to be playing here on the May 16. It’s their only London gig and it’s going to be amazing.”

Bundy tells me that The New Cross Inn is actually one of the oldest buildings in the area and once stood next to the toll gate, which led to the name New Cross replacing Hatcham as it was originally known. The pub only became a live music venue in the nineties, and had been a popular Irish boozer for years before that.

Just behind the pub is The New Cross Inn Hostel, which is one of the cheapest places to stay in London, and next top that is The New Cross Inn shop. Known simply as ‘The Shop’, and run by ‘Kate and Tristan’ it’s a fashion boutique which is attached to the venue. It helps to promote local artists and designers, in the same way that the The Inn supports local bands. Together, the three businesses form a kind of community on the site, and it feels like a microcosm of the spirit that exists in New Cross itself – with all the pub and venue owners seeming to know and help each other out in one way or another. Being south of the river there’s an ‘us against them’ spirit and it makes you hope that the area does achieve its goal of being up there with Shoreditch or Camden on London’s music scene.

New Cross has had a bad reputation in the past for being a bit run down – not to mention the aforementioned disdain of North Londoners. More and more though, it’s growing as a place where people go to see music – rather than just somewhere where Goldsmiths students get pissed before they hit town.

The New Cross Inn is at the centre of this trend. With something going on nearly every night of the week – be it live music, open mic or quiz nights – it’s fast becoming one of the must-play venues for any London band. You’ll find us down there… as soon as they get a tube.

Where? 323, New Cross Rd, London, SE14 6AS, 020 86921866
Web? http://tiny.cc/37TWp
How? National Rail from London Bridge to New Cross
Founded? 1619
Atmosphere? Happily shambolic
Pint? £2.90