Princess Square,
Northumberland Street,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 8ER
0845 604 9904
The ViewNewcastle Review
Trillians is Newcastle’s only dedicated rock bar. There's live music almost every night, and it pulls in some decent names and many tribute bands. Plus there's a resident rock DJ to keep your head banging.
The Venue
Trillians is on Princess Square, opposite the city library and accessible via a small side street off Northumberland Street. It's in a cellar, so it’s artificially lit all day. The long bar takes up virtually one side of the pub, except for two slightly isolated seating areas to both sides. Glass-topped tables are decorated with album covers and ticket stubs and each table is decidated to a different artist.
What's left in between is mostly standing room, apart from a handful of stools and bar tables. Trillians main feature, apart from the bar , is the stage, which has a big screen to the left of it to present the band. The toilets are a little disappointing but do, in a strange way, add a kind of authenticity to the spirit of the music most commonly heard in this venue.
The People
During the daytime, this bar can see all kinds of folk, from shoppers to rockers on a lunch break. But Trillians makes its money from its evenings, and depending on which night you go, the clientele vary slightly. There is, however, always plenty of old rockers present – long hair (mostly greying) and ripped denim, thus justifying Trillian’s ‘rock bar ’status, but it’s hardly exclusive to any one demographic.
Monday night is the Pound Party, where entrance to the bar (with a live band) and many selected drinks is £1. It’s popular, but then again so are Sunday night’s quiz and the weekend nights. From Thursday to Saturday this bar is open until 1am and even after the bands finish ‘Big Gordon', the resident DJ, keeps the rock flowing until after the witching hour, and friendly doormen guide you up the stairs and into the night.
The Food
The bar serves food from 11am to 7pm and it’s all basic pub fare. From baguettes and melts to curly fries. The beer and burger is quite tasty, and they also run a ‘two meals for £5.95’ offer, which is cheaper than most of the competition, as are the desserts starting from less than £2. The only real problem with the food is the wait you have to endure to receive it. Even on a seemingly quiet day, be prepared to wait almost an hour for a simple sandwich.
The Drink
Trillian’s long bar leaves plenty of room for a good choice of beers and there's Smith's, Stones, Fosters, Carling, Kronenbourg, Stella Artois, Guinness and extra cold, Tennants and even Hoegarden on tap. There’s a good selection of bottled beers and wines, and they’re something of a specialist in vodka shots (try the Kamikaze). It’s all top quality so don’t be scared to experiment with something new. Be warned, however, on busy nights the staff seem easily confused so be prepared to wait or muscle forward to get served.
The Last Word
This bar is legendary, and worth visiting for the gigs alone. The beer is good and the atmosphere relaxed and welcoming. Sadly, Trillians is let down by the length of time it takes to get served both at the bar and at the table. If it wasn’t for that, this would be the top bar in the city. But for live music, it rocks.