The Horn is iconic, write Anders Anglesey

Whether it was in the early days, where you could be served a pint by Kim Wilde, have a chat with John Peel and play pool with Paul Young, or in more recent years where you could see bands, such as St Albans locals, Friendly Fires, cut their teeth on the pub’s stage; The Horn has a rich and impressive history.

Since opening as The Horn of Plenty 40 years ago, on Victoria Street, the pub has acted as a springboard for new and exciting musicians to earn their stripes and can boast having hosted giants of the industry, such as U2, Motörhead and Wilko Johnson.

It is unsurprising then that many of the bands who have played at the The Horn are proud of their ties to the venue, with St Albans band, Enter Shikari, hosting after- show parties at the pub when they are in the area.

But owner Adrian Bell, 52, who took over the Horn in 2005, has seen the pub go through some harder times and is grateful that the venue has stayed open despite the harsh economic situation of recent years.

He says: “It’s great that we’ve made it this far. I think we’re lucky because so many venues around us have closed in the past five years since the recession hit.

“Even iconic music venues like The Cockpit in Leeds have closed down. It’s a really tough time for independent businesses at the moment.”

Adrian also thanked the pub’s regulars for supporting it and new musicians for using it as a space to kickstart their careers, but he also says he’s had to adapt to the economic situation and expand what the Horn was offering.

“I don’t think there is a set formula for being successful or staying afloat. You have to rely on the local support to avoid a bad situation and we’ve got that.”

Adrian stresses that it’s important to have backing from the community because it helps grassroots talent to find their feet.

“It’s a venue for up-and-coming musicians and if places like ours were to go under then there would be no places for them to develop.

“Though we knew we had to adapt and do more as well, we couldn’t just be a music venue. We had to deliver high quality food and have a great bar, so we spent £100,000 to make that happen.”

And it is this attitude that has seen The Horn survive and come away fighting, even after things came to a critical head in 2012 where the pub was at risk of closing its doors for good.

But since then the pub has fought on, hosting Hornfest at the pub last August and is now throwing a week-long party to celebrate four decades in the hope that long may it continue.

For information and listings about The Horn’s 40th birthday celebrations, visit: thehorn.co.uk