Coopers Town House

No, and no.
We popped in here – or rather squelched and smished and pushed our way in here – on the Monday evening of the Matthew Street festival. There were so many people in here that there was no room to turn around. I had a panic attack and had to leave after only about 30 seconds.
It made for a very rotten end to a fairly good day. I am still freaked out at |the thought of this place.
And what is that doorman’s problem? There is no way that many people should be allowed in this pub at one time.

Pressed up against the entrance to Clayton Square shopping centre like a man trying to sexually abuse a bus, is Coopers. A pokey little pub for locals, you can hear the noise of the karaōke blaring out of here pretty much all the time. Inside, it’s deafening, like somebody playing the eruption of Krakatoa to you through a megaphone.
I normally love the crummy little places like this, taverns where you can sit and have a good groan. However, I found Coopers intolerable. The regulars are all stained with a needless kind of bitterness and will roll their eyes or prattle on in the worst-​sounding Scouse accents whenever you do something as silly as walk in. I don’t blame them.

Coopers Town house is small but very lively indeed and is typical of the spirit of Liverpool as a whole. What Coopers lacks in size it more than makes up for in character and is constantly busy with people bustling in and out o the doors no matter what the time of day or indeed what the day is.
This is the kind of place where the party seems to never stop however it does attract an older crowd and is not a typical student establishment. The one thing you would associate with this public house is Karaōke which is constantly blared all week long.
This place is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea and if you fancy a quick and quiet pint then forget it you may as well head somewhere else because peace and Coopers are not two things that mix.
On the whole a small and lively pub which requires the right kind of mindset to enter it is probably more suited to locals than the student types.

I could talk about how this pub is a little narrow and that its selection of ales and lagers is a bit limited but it would be missing the point a little bit. Coopers is the all-​day long karaōke pub and as such nothing else really matters.
Whether it’s a shopper, tired and emotional from a day trawling around the city, blasting out some ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart” or an auld feller in a shabby suit crooning along to «Magic Moments» or even those occasions when everyone joins in to belt out «Maggie May» there is a constant stream of music wending its way out of Coopers.
Be warned though it is a bit of a locals place and while students or tourists won’t be treated in a hostile manner they may find themselves subjected to a little gentle ribbing. Unless of course they nail «Bat Out of Hell», in which case they might find themselves temporary heroes.
Coopers has recently received a little facelift — it seems just the usual frontage has been given a lick of red paint and the gold letters have been shined up a bit. It’d unlikely to happen to such a local institution but let’s just hope they don’t refurbish the heart of the place.

That’s right, the famous Coopers. If you’re from Liverpool you will know of this even if you have never been inside that’s because it’s the pub that seems like a never ending Kareoke party.
I’ve only found myself in here during daytime drinking sessions as really it is the preserve of an older crowd — a much older crowd. It’s here and a few other pubs nearby that Mad Monday really gets going as the nans and granddads from around the city congregate to get bladdered and sing to their hearts content every monday afternoon.
Give them their due some of these fellas are pretty damn good and even if they weren’t you’d get a clip round the ear if you said otherwise. The order of the day in here is generally copiuos pints of mild and bitter and as long as you’re prepared to get involved with the banter it’s a pretty friendly venue.

Now then, a warning first: this is an incredibly scouse pub. Students and non-​locals beware. It’s also a favourite of mine, and somewhere once me, my mum and my nan all went to after an afternoon of shopping to have a good old knees up. Admittedly, we all went for different reasons: my nan went to glare at people and tut and whisper about them in a very obvious way; my mum went to see if she saw anyone she knew, and I was there for the karaōke.
Yes, karaōke. You see, Coopers is one of those let-​your-​hair-​down places where anything goes and as long as you don’t stare too long or look too horrified, you’re welcomed with open arms. When someone terrible gets up to do karaōke, they’re invited to do an encore, and everyone sings along at the top of their voices. When someone is actually good, everyone still sings along, but when they attempt to make their way back to their seat, they’re besieged with people telling them to audition for X Factor.
It’s a tiny little pub near to Central Station and you often find a little old lady in the corner guarding a pile of coats from various people. She may occasionally play the spoons as well. Have you got a decent idea of the place yet? It is friendly and robust and they drinks are fairly cheap too. There’s always some sort of betting thing going on, and if you’re really lucky, some bloke will worm his way in and try to sell you pairs of socks that he’s probably spent the whole day robbing from various shops.
Definitely not for the faint hearted, but a good old slice of genuine Liverpool culture.

Just around the corner from The Midland, believe me you will hear it before you see it. Fun and games seemingly never end, this place really is the Tardis of pubs as people keep going in but when you get in there you will wonder how they all fit. It’s tiny, noisy and fun. If you don’t want a laugh or don’t like being close to people then give it a miss. It’s a favourite with hen nights and anyone who wants a laugh but does have a down side or two– sometimes beer gets knocked over so keep your sence of humour and the loos are closer to anything you will experience in Greece without leaving these shores. So visit but perhaps move on at the appropriate time.