If you like your nights loud in spirit but warm and analogue in sound, clear your diary: OnAir is about to plug itself directly into Brighton & Hove’s musical bloodstream. The new hi-fi listening bar and daytime creative hub opens on Thursday 4th December on Western Road, taking over the old Health Rebels spot and turning it into a temple for people who actually listen to music rather than just Shazam their way through a pint.
By day, it’ll be a 30-seat co-working nook for music, sound, and arts folks; by night, a deliciously detailed sonic sanctuary, powered by a custom Audio Gold system and curated by much-loved underground radio station 1BTN. It’ll be 1BTN’s shiny new broadcast studio, too – yes, you’ll be able to see the DJs doing their thing in real time.
“We’ve always wanted an outward-facing platform where 1BTN and our community could share the same space. OnAir is a place where listeners, DJs and the community can connect – a home for people who love music, sound and culture, and want to share with like-minded people,” said 1BTN founder Mickey Jukes.
Launch night on Thursday comes with serious credentials: Nancy Noise on the decks (8pm – 11pm) with sun-drenched Balearic sounds; then it’s the The Record Caddy, Difficult Dad and J-Felix on Friday 5th; Civilisation of the Rough, Taxi and Linda Boyle on Saturday; and Danny Webb and Chica Morada rolling through on Sunday. You’ll also catch 1BTN stalwarts Wildblood & Queenie popping up during the week, plus a parade of 1BTN favourites setting the tone for what’s clearly going to become Brighton’s newest audiophile haunt.
But it’s not just about the music. Drinks are indie and interesting, featuring craft beers, low-intervention wines from the UK and Europe, a collab with Still Room Vermouth, who are supplying sweet and dry vermouth by the glass (and some vermouth-powered cocktails). Food-wise, you’ll find charcuterie from Beals Yard, cheese from Neal’s Yard, and a regularly refreshed small plates menu based around Brighton’s favourite small producers.
OnAir are all about community and the details that make the difference: for example, the co-founders – Mickey Jukes, Marcus Palmer and Jake Northcote-Green (who brought Drifter to Brighton) – have commissioned a whole set of hand-thrown ceramics made by one of the founders’ mums, designed to sit perfectly in OnAir’s Bauhaus-meets-Brutalist interior.
In short, the listening bar’s designed to be a home for people who love good sound, good design, and a shared experience that doesn’t involve shouting over a subwoofer. We can’t wait.
Opens on Thursday 4th December; from 7pm
85 Western Road, Hove, BN3 1JB
OnAIr
