This is by far the hardest blog, on my favourite pubs to write and may turn into a little bit of a lesson of my drinking history. You see, The Live was my ‘place’, it was more than a pub to me. The Live felt like a home from home, from when I started being a regular aged around 18. Going to The Live on a night out was non-negotiable, not that there was ever any resistance from my friends. When run by Pete and Haggis, The Live was one of the best pubs in the country. No really, it was. The beer quality at that time was frankly perfect. The pub was famous for its Oakham Citra and Green Devil, with Oakham Ales themselves hinting that The Live was the finest place to drink their beers. Umbel Ale, brewed by Nethergate, was the other regular beer on. Umbel Ale is an acquired taste, a taste that I very much enjoy. It was however, the ever changing dark beers, which cemented The Live as my favourite pub. There was usually two darks beers on, sometimes even Titanic Plum Porter!
Between 2015-2020, a night in The Live was at least a weekly occurrence. Every birthday, every pub crawl and every post Cambridge United match drink incorporated The Live.
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| 5 years ago, I haven’t aged one bit |
I was lucky enough to call Pete and Haggis friends. I haven’t seen Haggis for years, but I’ll never forget him reading Dear Deidre and doing all the voices! I still see Pete around, but I miss his unique take on customer service and his cracking sense of humour. Pete taught me how to tap a cask of beer, I’ll never forget his instruction, “hit it really hard or beer will go fucking everywhere”. Thankfully, my first cask tapping was successful and beer did not go everywhere.
The Live also did a few events over the years. My personally favourite was having the only cask of a 12 year aged Oakham beer. The pub was packed on that evening!
The Live was actually the last pub I visited before Covid forced them all to close. With lockdown looming, I had to squeeze in one last visit. During COVID, The Live opened for take outs. Gosh, those were weird times.
It was great to see Pete for a chat, as I picked up my beer. He’d ask me how many Covid patients were in my ICU and I’d respond, a lot.
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| As close as you could get to being inside the pub |
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| We tried to make the best of a bad time |
Short after this, Pete left The Live and my favourite pub was left dormant for what felt like an age. I wondered and feared if that was the end of The Live. But the story, doesn’t end there….
On March 1st, 2022, The Live reopened. I rushed home from my shift and headed straight there.
Quite a few of regulars were there and the place was packed, but it didn’t feel the same. The pub probably did need a bit of a spruce up, but I think the modernisation took some of the character out of the place. The pub is now onto its second management team, since its post Covid reopening. The Live is still a good pub, but I do miss the old Live. The beer has never been served in as good quality as the old Live. Whilst it’s usually still good, it used to be perfect. It’s still a pub I like to visit, but it’s no longer my first choice and it isn’t one visited on every night out.
However it’s still a good place to celebrate a Cambridge United win:
It’s still a pub with a good range of beers, including beers from Oakham and Nethergate:
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| Titanic Plum Porter Klaxon! |
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| Umbel on like the old times, this time I opted for Duck Dastardly |
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| Even my fave brewery, Siren, sometimes make an appearance |
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| Oakham seasonal beers served here! |
I guess I should think of the old Live and new Live as two separate pubs. If the old Live had never existed, then the new Live would be a more than welcomed addition to the Cambridge pub scene. I’ve been trying to do this, since The Live reopened, but I can’t. There’s just too many memories of the old Live. I guess my point is, when you find somewhere you value, like I valued the old Live, embrace it and enjoy it. In the end, nothing lasts forever.
I still recommend visiting the Live. I still consider it one of the best pubs in Cambridge. The Live’s snug remains one of my favourite places to have a beer.
Writing this has been a challenge and has brought back lots of good memories. It’s also made me realise that I’m also making new memories in the new Live. Thanks for reading!
I do know what you mean, the Live definitely has less rough edges than it did (the sign isn't a patch on the old one for a start), but I was encouraged by the typical King Street crowd I saw when it re-opened and the beer was fantastic. I guess some would say the same about the Free Press, an altogether different beast to the pub I remember in the '90s, but you're too young, Dan !
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory is visiting the Millennium Dome in 2000, when I was 4. Sorry RM.
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