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
