Creative Review - Sept 2000
Modrophenia in Brighton - The Hotel Pelirocco

You are in Brighton for the weekend. You are staying in a B&B or second rate hotel and you think to yourself 'I could run a better place than this...' So you sell your flat in London, rent a small one in Brighton, pack in your job and buy up a rambling hotel with sea views on one of the best Squares in town. Or, at least, if you are Jane Slater (ex PR) and Mick Robinson (ex buyer for The Duffer of St George) that's what you do.

Hotel Pelirocco (roughly translated means 'Red Head' in Spanish after Mick's crop of red hair) is no normal hotel. However, it fits: Brighton is no normal town. Brighton is sleazy, Brighton is cool, Brighton is camp, Brighton is whatever takes your fancy and the Pelirocco is all of this and more. Take your pick from 18 differently themed rooms, each one a sideways slant reflecting an aspect of a hip popular/sub/youth/counter/underground culture, again, take your pick!

Jamie Reid, still best remembered for defining a generation with his work for the Sex Pistols, has produced one of the most enjoyable rooms. Lie back and think of England under the 'Fuck Forever' duvet or stare through the muslin 'No Future' curtains at your neighbours whilst being watched over by an image of John Wayne, in red lipstick, with the slogan - 'Peace is Tough' to help you gather your thoughts.

Dub Reggae label, Pressure Sounds, has a dedicated room with Lee 'Scratch' Perry on the decks hand-printed onto wallpaper, framed Jamaican Reggae Festival posters and the feeling that on a very sunny day it could almost be Kingston, Jamaica. Well, almost.

Room no.7 features a map by local artist, Dan Johnson, depicting the locations of all the cafes, clubs and alleys that feature in the epic movie Quadrophenia (yes, the young Leslie Ash's alley is there). From the target motif duvet covers to the nine wing-mirrored wall mirror by Steven Greenfield at Liberty Hall, Modrophenia is the sharpest room in town. A shame that there is no scooter bay outside Pelirocco - I had to park my Piaggio on the pavement!

The links with Brighton are strong. The town gave birth to the 'Big Beat' sound as Norman Cook became Fat Boy Slim at the Big Beat Boutique run by Skint Records; the designers of Room No.3. Pussy and owner Nicki Harper, based in the North Laine area of the town, are behind Room No.9 and have furnished it with all manner of kitsch items found in her funky interiors and accessories shop. Brighton's Red Design have produced graphics for a host of local clients, from Fat Boy Slim's best selling LP 'You've Come a Long Way, Baby' to Bobo Design's upbeat interiors/furniture catalogue and website. Red are in the process of putting the Pelirocco website together; prepare to be entertained.

Remember, Brighton is sleazy and if your weekend is a dirty one then Hotel Pelirocco is for you. Lenny Beige's Love Palace or Bettie's Boudoir, after 50s bombshell; Betty Page, can help cater for your every whim and desire.

Crazy decor, PlayStations in every room, Nokia equipped conference room, well stocked and laid back bar, breakfasts to hunger for and friendly folk on the desk and the decks make for a successful stay.

You are in Brighton for the weekend. No longer do you need to say 'I could run a better place than this...'

© Lawrence Zeegen