As any casual walk down the high street will show you and as the RIP section details, it is no secret that Canterbury’s independent retailers have been hit hard by the recession. However, entrepreneurs Emma Smith and Gemma Porter are undaunted by the recent closures of pubs such as The Three Tuns and Scribes, instead choosing to transform a building situated at 18 St Peters Street into a magnetic venue with dazzling mirrored walls, titillating photos of pin-up girls beckoning the pub-goer with cheeky winks from by-gone eras and a rockin’ jukebox.

Formerly (and so briefly most would-be patrons missed it altogether) City One, formerly the Westbar, formerly the Three Compasses, a young couple who have recently left their careers as events organisers in London are attempting to inject some 50s glamour into this corner of the high street under a new moniker: The Lady Luck Bar. I met the co-owners a week prior to the launch to discuss the niche market for a retro pub in Canterbury and their ambitions for The Lady Luck bar’s evolution.

Interest has been brewing for some time after implementing the idea of having users of social networking sites attempt to guess the location of the bar weeks before day zero. The proprietors also described their wish to retract the student crowd and gay audience that City One alienated by promoting an atmosphere that is cleaner and friendlier than the typical rock pub. Discounts, themed nights and food are also available. Making my way past the black front entrance and picking my way carefully past paint pots and wood chippings, taking in the promising black and red decorated interior, we discussed what Canterbury revellers can expect from The Lady Luck: Rock and Roll music from the 50s to the present day, rockabilly, psychobilly, punk, a She-Bop night celebrating the best of female fronted bands and a zombie hop!

Gemma and Emma stress that it’s not just about the music – although in this case, in their words, “it is the music that largely defines the audience” – it’s about firmly integrating themselves in Canterbury subculture and supporting other local businesses. They are working closely for example with local tattoo artists, who have provided visual inspiration to the backdrop. Eventually local artists will be approached and encouraged to submit their work to be showcased in one of the rooms and DJs and jive dancers will be invited to perform. I mentioned a possible link to the burlesque trend, which The Farmhouse have also picked up on with their newly instated burlesque night The Supper Club. This scintillating form of entertainment may be on the cards for the future, so watch this space.

Many residents who consider themselves a part of alternative Canterbury have been pinning their hopes on the success of this bar and after listening to Ms Smith and Ms Porter’s colourful, intuitive ideas I can confirm it looks set to triumph: appealing both to those of us who can remember James Dean, Betty Page and Buddy Holly the first time round and for those of us that haven’t got round to building our time machines yet so are settling on slicking down our mock quiffs and twirling our poodle skirts (though perhaps not simultaneously). They have admitted it’s relieving to work with the surrounding businesses rather than work against them as competition, which was one of the suppressive downsides of working as DJs/events organisers in London and a reason for choosing Canterbury as the home for the bar.

So let’s practice our best Fonz impressions, trim those bangs and bop til we drop!

The Lady Luck Bar
18 St Peters Street
Canterbury
CT1 2BQ