"Why I hate Brighton" - article

[The Large One]

I moved out of Brighton 8 years ago and visit the old place occasionally. It is unfriendly and many parts are run down. Brighton in my opinion has lost its sole and character.

Students now occupy Queens Park and Hanover area where once there was a community of people who knew each other well and have now been pushed out.

Those of you who still live there do not see what I see and a few of my friends who used to live in the town agree as we talked about it a few times. The city has become souless.

For me I remember Brighton fondly during the 70's and 80's when I was proud to live by the sea and where I came from. Now this is not the case!!

The only saving grace for the town is the football club which is the greatest club in the world and I am proud to be a Brighon fan!!

And all this from someone who lives in Barnsley...

Brighton in the 1980s was a pretty awful place - far too many derelict spaces in the centre (Churchill Square, New England, Jubliee Street). Those who chose to stay do appreciate the community spirit that still exists and indeed thrives in some places.

 

[Superphil]

And come to think of it, no he's not "spot on" either. How many times have you seen tampons and turds in the sea in Brighton then?

dull reverse snobbery for people that want to let everyone know how 'real' they are. Very trendy at the moment, but always popular with class conscious Brits.

Only highlighting his own prejudices really.

But then he doesn't like the middle classes much either.They do things like drink in coffee shops and buy nice things from quirky shops (God forbid). .

Just about sums up that article, a load of crap spouted by someone who sounds like he has a number of chips on his shoulders.

Talking of chips, I've been to the pier bundels of times, and never once has a seagull come anywhere close to nicking a chip.

 

[keaton]

I like the fact he hates the working-class for loads of snobby reasons, then goes on a inverse-snob rant about the middle-class. He must be the last upper class person in Brighton, wandering around trying to find a mate

 

[Brovion]

I moved out of Brighton 8 years ago and visit the old place occasionally. It is unfriendly and many parts are run down. Brighton in my opinion has lost its sole and character.

Students now occupy Queens Park and Hanover area where once there was a community of people who knew each other well and have now been pushed out.

Those of you who still live there do not see what I see and a few of my friends who used to live in the town agree as we talked about it a few times. The city has become souless.

For me I remember Brighton fondly during the 70's and 80's when I was proud to live by the sea and where I came from. Now this is not the case!!

The only saving grace for the town is the football club which is the greatest club in the world and I am proud to be a Brighon fan!!

Disagree completely. Brighton is MUCH better than it used to be during the 70s and 80s when it was a semi-derelict, decaying slum which was fast asleep by midnight. The dead hand of reactionary nimbyism is still stifling a few developments (the ice rink at Black Rock being one, King Alfred being another) but the wastelands of the station site and Jubilee Street are thriving - as is the rest of 24-hour Brighton.

Stay in Barnsley, we don't want you back.

 

[chucky1973]

I live in Crawley, now in itself thats not a problem as I live in a cracking part close to Tilgate Park, the golf course and the lakes, so the best part, but myself and the wife fav past time is to go to Brighton, visit the lanes, for meals and pub and to be honest there is no where better on a sunny day than sitting out in the sun, supping a beer/wine, people watching...its the best place on the planet.....now when its wet and windy....its pretty miserable!!

 

[Westdene Wonder]

Brighton is a decent place to live but has dropped in appeal due to the Councils lack of real action over many years,West Pier,King Alfred site, Blackrock etc,etc.
London Road is another example, at long last a new scheme for the Open Market, just too late, the people who used to shop have for the most part moved on to the Supermarkets of which there are many in all areas.Why has the large Co-op Building been allowed to stand almost empty for some years,that and the few remaining outlets in the Open Market gives the whole area somewhere to avoid.

 

[glasfryn]

I moved out of Brighton 8 years ago and visit the old place occasionally. It is unfriendly and many parts are run down. Brighton in my opinion has lost its sole and character.

Students now occupy Queens Park and Hanover area where once there was a community of people who knew each other well and have now been pushed out.

Those of you who still live there do not see what I see and a few of my friends who used to live in the town agree as we talked about it a few times. The city has become souless.

For me I remember Brighton fondly during the 70's and 80's when I was proud to live by the sea and where I came from. Now this is not the case!!

The only saving grace for the town is the football club which is the greatest club in the world and I am proud to be a Brighon fan!!

I left 8 years ago too, and I suppose it depends on where you move to Barnsley must have something that Brighton does not have, Wales certainly does not have any of Brightons zip and personality and the Brighton people are much friendlier even if they were not born there ....its just that sort of place

 

[algie]

I left 8 years ago too, and I suppose it depends on where you move to Barnsley must have something that Brighton does not have, Wales certainly does not have any of Brightons zip and personality and the Brighton people are much friendlier even if they were not born there ....its just that sort of place

Well i disagree with you. I find northern people in general far nicer people to get along with then people from Brighton or in the south overall.

 

[Falmer]

My opinion is, Brighton as a place is as good a it gets in England. Plenty of bars and clubs, lots of art and music, a great choice of restaurantes and plenty of shops to shop in. What I dont like about living in Brighton is the amount of weird people who live here. You meet people in Brighton who come from very wealthy backgrounds but yet like to pretend they're working class. I've met people who pretend they're into arts and crafts but really would rather spend all their time paying darts. When I was at school (Newman) I found a very snobberish mentality between the pupils focusing on peoples hair styles and shoes, this was at an age of about 13 onwards which probably still exsists.
Image is more important than character in our town, this dosen't exactly say alot about Brightons 'laid back mentality'. look at how people talk about Moulscoombe and Whitehawk, two areas of Brighton which look and behave no worse than any other suburb of Englands cities but yet Brightonians like to make out as if they're both on par with Basra. We are trying way too hard to be different without trying out where we could socially restore Brightons issues. Its no coincidence that Brighton has the highest deaths per head on drugs in the UK, Its no coincidence that depression in Brighton is as high as anywhere in England. I remember once relaxing down at the Pavillion Gardens when I remember some youth getting told to grow up by aload of cool hippy Brightonians because they were playing football. I actually told the cool gang to piss off and stop ruining other peoples fun. I was told to piss back to Asda bvy one of them. This is what I dont like about Brighton.

 

[ofco8]

Sabotage Times, whatever crappy paper it is, just about sums up the writer and article. Obviously only exists to pretend to be contentious.

 

[User removed 4]

Am i the only one who thinks it was a bit of a tongue in cheek piss take ?

 

[Goring Gull]

I've actually read a remarkably similar article about Manchester 15 years ago

 

[Goring Gull]

I left 8 years ago too, and I suppose it depends on where you move to Barnsley must have something that Brighton does not have, Wales certainly does not have any of Brightons zip and personality and the Brighton people are much friendlier even if they were not born there ....its just that sort of place

Barnsley does have Treadles - White stillettos and dancinng on the tables.

 

[Mammoth]

My missus emailed this to me, but that's cos she is from norwich and just jealous. And then I pointed out i moved out in 1979 when i ws just five........

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Well i disagree with you. I find northern people in general far nicer people to get along with then people from Brighton or in the south overall.

Er sorry I find that there are a hell of lot people living in Brighton that come from the North...Why...what is the attraction if northerners slag off Brighton...why come here...if you don't like it...go home...seemples!!

 

[DerbyGull]

he wants to try Wales, he would have a field day.
exactly the reason why I am trying desperately to get back to Brighton nicer place, nicer people.

You certainly do appreciate it alot more when you don't live there.

 

[alan partridge]

I live in Crawley, now in itself thats not a problem as I live in a cracking part close to Tilgate Park, the golf course and the lakes, so the best part, but myself and the wife fav past time is to go to Brighton, visit the lanes, for meals and pub and to be honest there is no where better on a sunny day than sitting out in the sun, supping a beer/wine, people watching...its the best place on the planet.....now when its wet and windy....its pretty miserable!!

I don't live in Brighton at the moment either and last summer I went down for the day. The weather was beautiful, and even though I'm a massive fan of the city anyway, I couldn't believe how nice it was. So many people out, sitting in cafes, restaurants, bars. You feel like you're in a place that really lives. I'm sure there are plenty of people who want to read what they like into seeing people drinking coffee or buying a chocolate cake from a shop, but for me I could have moved back there and then. And with the Amex going up too....

you're right about the wind too

 

[Chicken Run]

I've actually read a remarkably similar article about Manchester 15 years ago

I've actualy read a similar article on here by a Girl from a different publication!

 

[Chicken Run]

Found it. Interesting Review of Brighton

Come to Brighton, it’s ‘great’!
When I meet new people, and the question ‘where are you from?’ crops up – most people say, ‘Oh, you’re from Brighton? That’s a cool place’. My common response to this is usually a slightly disgusted smirk or some quip that yeah, it’s better than Bognor but it ain’t THAT great.
Brighton used to be really shit. Yeah, you had the beach – in summer it didn’t matter when you saw f***ing condoms and human shit floating about in the sea because you had pebbles, and a pier! Yeefuckinghaw!
In recent times, it seems that Brighton has become an epicenter for outrageous pretension, you can literally smell the amount of art students fingering their vegan slop that cost £15 and the ‘organic food’ only mothers force feeding their bratty kids innocent smoothies and Manuka honey biscuits they probably bought from some expensive twattish café.
I’m going to give you my thoughts on some of the things I hate most about Brighton (which is pretty difficult when you have a word limit.)

The Palace Pier

To me, this is an emblem of the depressing shit that Brighton has come to represent. The entrance welcomes you with the potent smell of exchange students, drug addicts and rotting burgers served by some poor immigrant who day in, day out has to make slop for the horrid foreign kids with their neon rucksacks. There is a distinct air of misery on the Pier. Hardly anything is ever open, even in summer. The poor fucks that actually have the misfortune to work here must have the daily reminder that their life is shit.

Don’t bother going into the Arcades. If you were to go all CSI shit in there, I’m pretty sure that you would find buckets of semen, piss, blood and whatever else. I’ve seen people f***ing on those driving game-seats so you can only imagine what horrors the machine guns have seen. The prizes you can win are laughable. They are so awful and all fake. So, unless you want to waste money or win a ‘cuddly’ toy that is probably a fire risk, don’t bother.

The rides are an option for you, should you wish to be gawped at by the grim staff who have nothing else to do with their day apart from press buttons and stare at you as you try to ignore the fact you & your friend are the only people on the Dodgems, or even on the pier. I’ve never liked or enjoyed the ‘ride’ section of the Pier. It’s not just the safety aspect (growing up, there have been innumerable rumors of people falling off rides into the sea etc etc) it’s just that there is no sense of fun or anything. I wish Brighton had that strip like the one in Lost Boys. So avoid the pier, it’s a waste of time and you’ll probably need to get pissed afterwards to wash the disappointment and sadness away.

The North Laine & The Lanes

The North Laine is basically a set of parallel streets containing a vast array of bullshit shops and cafes with the odd crap hairdresser thrown in. It hasn’t changed much since I was young; although now I always think I can smell regurgitated Innocent Smoothies, probably because I always see these three-wheeled-pram using mothers force feeding their bratty (and weird named) kids organic slop instead of Mr. Juicy which was good enough for me as wee’un. There are those shops where you can get dildos, vibrators, and gimp masks right next to some bland beige boutique where someone like Judi Dench would perhaps shop. There are a few cafes selling overpriced lentil shit or ‘meat-imitation pasties’. There are one or two good pubs, but it’s normally hit and miss with the people inside. I’ve seen far too many middle-aged, seemingly alcoholic Mods for one lifetime. There is nothing really to buy. Even the places that were once good, e.g. Snoopers Paradise (an emporium selling everything old and strange) has now become infected with pretentiousness and is ridiculously overpriced).

The Lanes consists of an amazing amount of rank jewelers and the only decent record shop in the whole bloody city. Just don’t bother.

Clubs

There is not one good club or even club night in Brighton (Smack That nights apart). Seriously. The biggest ones are on the seafront and you can normally find any STD you want in these places. The music is normally so mainstream and dire, the people so vacuous and dressed head-to-toe in River Island, afterwards you would probably want to wade into the sea with rocks stuffed into your pockets and die, just to avoid the same experience. The stench of semen dribbling out saggy vaginas from the night before is always too much for me to bear. Even the people that are relatively ok, are not, if they venture into these shitholes. Away from the seafront, there is no real night that is worth going to. Most of the people that go to the club nights that are tolerable, are pretty uninteresting. I’m pretty sure almost all of them are illustration/graphic/photography students because they are all f***ing boring. I have no idea where the interesting people of Brighton hang out. In all the good pubs, they are never to be found. To be honest, all the good people have probably returned to London.

Students

The ‘human rats’ proliferate the streets like rubbish. I have no idea how many there are, but it must be a lot. Too many than is normal. Everything in Brighton seems to be controlled by the student population in some way. They are everywhere…they are the ones who do all the shit nights, the ones who are in every pub and cafe (no matter where you are in the city) and the ones who have exhausted all supplies of K. If I have to talk to, or just encounter another curly quiffed, quilted jacket, deck shoe wearing prick with a bow tie again, I’m going to sew up my vagina and remove my womb so that in the event of an apocalypse, I do not have to procreate with one.

Probably best to stay where you are.

Words: Nina Lily Gill
Photos: Sam Hiscox and Google

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25 Responses to Come to Brighton, it’s ‘great’!

 

[Danny-Boy]

Who is Ted Bundy by the way? I remember a wonderful character called "AL Bundy" from a USA 1990's comic show "Married With Children", now THAT was funny. Funnier than Brighton anyway.