Fatboy Slim plays surprise set in an effort to help save Brighton’s Prince Albert pub

Update: November 2, The Prince Albert pub has now been saved, read below for context to the campaign

Fatboy Slim has performed a surprise set at Brighton’s pub The Prince Albert in a campaign against its closure.

The Prince Albert was built in 1848 and has been running as a pub since 1860, however, property developers threaten its future.

The development would have the garage beside the pub demolished and replaced with a four-store building for commercial units.

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Due to this, the pub launched a petition which reads: “There are countless reasons we believe this development should not go ahead, not only for ourselves but the wider local community. These consist of planning issues, social issues and of course the threat of permanent closure of The Albert.”

On October 30, local DJ Fatboy Slim played a surprise set at the pub in an effort to save the building.

“I did this gig because I think this pub is worth saving and it’s under threat from evil property developers who want to build some very large stuff next door which will kill it slowly but surely,” he told DJ Mag.

Slim added: “On the one hand, as a Brightonian I think that Prince Albert is a great part of our heritage — it’s iconic, you’ve got the Banksy wall outside. When you come down to Brighton by train, you turn left to go down to the North Laines and the first thing you see is this mural of the dead pop stars — and it’s just Brighton. It’s eccentric, flamboyant, a bit rough around the edges. It’s worth saving.

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“We save Grade II listed buildings all around the city, and I think that buildings that are still up and running are worth saving to keep alive. Venues this size are the lifeblood of the music industry — every Coldplay started off playing in venues of this size. They are all suffering economically anyway, but they could do without having problems that they’re about to have with the forthcoming planning meeting.”

In a statement on Instagram, the pub wrote: Thank you so much Fatboy Slim for coming and blowing the roof off and supporting our cause. We can’t explain how much we appreciate EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU who has signed, shared and danced with us.”

A committee meeting is running today with councillors over the future of the pub. Find the petition to save The Prince Albert here.

Becky Buckle is Mixmag's Multimedia Editor, follow her on Twitter