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There is  the Chatsworth which is about 50 foot away from the old redback, The George and dragon used to have a great restaurant at back not sure about it now, the bollo (which thinks it is in Chiswick), the common room is short walk from Acton, the Askew in East Acton / Bush borders.I think one well run place will make a difference. The Rocket for instance has made a huge difference. the Common room and the Chatsworth would not have opened if the rocket hadn't proved you could do a gastro pub in the area. Same goes for the relaunch of the george and dragon that happened a few years back.Also, i remember when my friends started going out east instead of going into soho, they were basically going purely because of the old Blue last and some other place i can't recall. There was bugger all there in 99 / 2000. It took a long time for the eastend to transform itself.One or two places can make a difference.Notting hill was a hang out destination in the 90's because of only one or two good places, same goes for Brixton.You have to start somewhere.These guys look like they are in it for the long haul which is good because the people who owned the Libertaire (the place by the bridge) gave up their lofty ideals in about 6 months and that place doesn't seem to add much to brand Acton.I most likely won't use this new place unless they do great cocktails or have a brilliant restaurant or they have a country music night...heheh...but i would be happy to have something new in Acton that makes money and creates jobs but isn't selling super cheap booze for people to get absolutely blotto on.I know that a lot of people on this forum (me included) would love Acton to become the new Chiswick but if it happens to become the new dalston with a few good places for a night out then at least that will be an improvement on our position as the UKs premier place for cheap fried chicken and laundry bags.

Jamie James ● 5243d

The Kings Arms in Acton has relaunched itself as a music venue in the last year or so.Not sure how successful that has been as they don't seem to have much listed on their website.I have been in bands on and off for the last 25 years and i would say that in general it's easier to see live music and easier for bands to get gigs in London than it is elsewhere. It is Certainly easier than it is in Birmingham where i am from. The gig circuit ( for unsigned acts) tends to focus on a number of venues, some of which have been around for years others which get popular and then disappear.West london has been poorly catered for for quite sometime but we have had good venues in the past but for whatever reason they could not sustain a place in the market.We do have the excellent Bush Hall. Not sure anything else would survive. Bush hall is unusual in that it is of a size different to many other venues. There are a lot of bands who can fill a venue that size so they have a usp. it's also really beautiful and i suspect that some acts choose to play there as it fits their aesthetic more than other venues.A while back there was a place in Kilburn called the Luminaire. As a musician it was the best venue i have played.This takes into account equipment, the deal the act gets and  also the attitude of the management. The luminaire was voted best live venue in London by Timeout in 2006 and Best UK live venue by Music Week in 2007.Even these guys couldn't make a live music venue into a successful business model. It's a really tough gig. Pun Intended.I don't know how they will make the Acton Arms unique enough to survive, so it's encouraging that the company who have bought it have a long standing track record. I think that they will lose money for a longtime on this but if they can stick it out they may be able to create something a little special.I don't envy them i have to say. I went back the the Midlands last week and the amount of empty pubs was just incredible. I hope it works and i'm really intrigued to see what they plan to do with it.

Jamie James ● 5242d