The Seabright Arms is another of the east's gems. Shut away down a narrow, dark alley, the location keeps it secret and gives the pub-cum-club its shabby exclusivity.

The Venue
Hackney Road gives a home to down-at-hill pubs that have decided they want a little added razz after hours since the extension of the licensing laws. The Seabright Arms isn't really all that dingy; it looks a lot like a Sunday afternoon family pub with classic velvety benches running along the wall and sticky wooden tables and chairs. The carpet couldn't be more of a throwback to the nineties pub with the tastes of the stereotypical landlady smothering the floor. Expect a burnt red base with swathes of blistering orange splashed across - the kind of patterns that only exist in pubs to camouflage the various types of spillage and splutter from visitors.

The pub is large, so it has no problem fitting in the mini stage at the back or the good sized dancefloor in front. The Seabright Arms does have a downstairs, but this place remains mythical in status – it’s like a VIP room, except not for the VIPs but opportunists looking for the real deal. As you head down the stairs, there's nothing much to see, but look again and you'll notice the chatoyant change - the yellow light slides to pink and invites you down. The tiled walls of below seem sterile but intrigue. It’s like a David Lynch scene, where either something really bad or really good is about to happen.

The Atmosphere
There is a strange mix of people, but the atmosphere isn't affected. It’s amusing to watch the old timers finishing off their beers with their backs to the rest of the pub, whilst the Hackney party heads move in. As the pub gains a name for itself it’s beginning to attract a different Friday and Saturday night regular - the Seabright Arms has a posse. The mixture is appropriated by the diversity of the nights that get put on here. After treating the pub like a pub it turns into a club. There's always dancing, screaming and singing and the do-it-yourself nature of the nights fuel it all. The Seabright Arms has a neighbourly kind of feel, it’s like everyone's come from just round the corner for the night.

The Music
If you're nice enough to the Seabright Arms then it might let you put on a night here. Whether you're just DJing for your own birthday or flyering for a proper night, you're in with a chance with the landlord. By offering out the turntables, the pub makes money whilst getting a lot of interesting music in return. Generally, there's a charge to get through the door and it’s hard to know what you're going to get for your money. Sometimes you'll see a couple of girls dressed up as sailors, just pushing play on their Gossip CD, but on other nights you'll get to see someone playing real life records! The set list changes every time you're there so, unlike a lot of venues, you can go back to the same pub on the same night of the week and get a completely different night.

The Drink
It's pretty exciting to go to a club and pay £2.90 for a pint of Kronenbourg, so the Seabright Arms is going to make you pretty excited. Maybe all club nights should put themselves in pubs. As well as the atmosphere here you get a pub just a dancefloor away. No cocktails or long waits at the bar, just the regular stocks and maybe a little look that says, "Ah, you kids. You think it's all so new."

The Last Word
This kind of venue is nothing new in the east, but the Seabright Arms gives you a lot in one night. Just don't tell anybody in the Old Blue Last about it.

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