196 GRENFELL STREET, ADELAIDE
"Review" by Joe Blogs
March afternoon, 2013
Cranka ; Adelaide Pubs Part 6
The Cranka. Kranka. Crankerrrr. Kranky Crown. Skanka. Crank & Ankle. Crank-handle. Stink & Stanka. I just made a few of those up. If I was still living in Adelaide, I would be happy to call The Crown & Anchor Hotel one of my locals. Although it wasn't in easy walking distance to my house back then, it was always welcoming, comfortable and only a shortish bus ride away. (I did walk home form there many a time though (even run a couple) but that doesn't count when you're drunk out of your mind.) Swinging by for a revisit earlier in the year was a bit strange, especially considering it was in broad daylight and the place was near empty, it didn't take long before the familiarity and memories came back.
Friday 4:20pm, 1 March 2013. It's just me and two others - the barman and his mate. Nick Cave is playing from the bar speakers. It's super hot outside.
On the surface, the place seemed pretty much the same to me although I had heard from a few Adelaide friends that the place has definitely changed. Out with the old, in with the new. I don't know, maybe we're just getting old. Things change. Apparently, gone is the metal and punk scene, making way for hipsters and those knobs who ruined the Hottest 100. I received a text message recently which said, "at the Cranka last light and they're playing f***ing Rhiannah or some shit, and not as a joke. This place is officially dead to me!"
I digress.
The grungey-feeling, covered-in-years-of-sweat-and-grit pub is a hard one to describe for anyone who doesn't know it. While the place has a certain eau de toilette look and feel, it's hard to detach the venue from the years of fond memories, having some absolute top nights out, meeting new friends, getting up to mischief and coming away with many stories to tell. *cough, cups of piss, cough*. Some walking through might find themselves turning to walk out in some kind of fear of catching something from the bar surface, floor, or the pub patrons. Back in the day, those people would be better off having a wank at The Treasury or The Richmond, or getting filthy at The Stag or General Havelock.
When I think of the Crown & Anchor, these are some of the things that come to mind - sitting out the front with beers, catching some great live music, pool tables down and upstairs, decent drinks, good music, great location, making the pilgrimage with your mates from across town to down shots at the Cranka, making new friends, front bar DJ, upstairs bar and balcony, grabbing a great spot at the bar, bar stools, leaving to top up on drinks somewhere else and then coming back again as the early hours kick in.
I digress.
The grungey-feeling, covered-in-years-of-sweat-and-grit pub is a hard one to describe for anyone who doesn't know it. While the place has a certain eau de toilette look and feel, it's hard to detach the venue from the years of fond memories, having some absolute top nights out, meeting new friends, getting up to mischief and coming away with many stories to tell. *cough, cups of piss, cough*. Some walking through might find themselves turning to walk out in some kind of fear of catching something from the bar surface, floor, or the pub patrons. Back in the day, those people would be better off having a wank at The Treasury or The Richmond, or getting filthy at The Stag or General Havelock.
When I think of the Crown & Anchor, these are some of the things that come to mind - sitting out the front with beers, catching some great live music, pool tables down and upstairs, decent drinks, good music, great location, making the pilgrimage with your mates from across town to down shots at the Cranka, making new friends, front bar DJ, upstairs bar and balcony, grabbing a great spot at the bar, bar stools, leaving to top up on drinks somewhere else and then coming back again as the early hours kick in.
I found this write up quite difficult to write, being unable to separate the facts from the memories. It just one of those places. You like it or you don't. Of course, I write most of the above with a fair bit of my past experience in mind. Visited during some quiet day time hours and years later doesn't help my cause. I have the memories but I don't feel as connected anymore.
So to finish off with a bit of fact...
I wouldn't normally do this, especially at the Cranka but I bought a Boags Draught. Fuck me, it was $7 for 425ml! I recall this to be about the price of the same volume of Coopers Pale Ale (maybe that was a tad cheaper, $6.50?). Coopers Celebration was $7.50 (425ml). I also noted on tap on this visit Coopers Lager, Coopers Sparkling and Pale Ales, Coopers Dark, Coopers Clear, Coopers Light, Coopers Best Extra Stout (lots of Coopers!), Tooheys Superdry, Chancer, and Hills Ciders. Jukebox is gone - although it was never updated anyway!
A final word from Spoz of Spoz' Rant. I asked him what his thoughts on the Crown & Anchor were, here's his sensible response: Smells like a Big Day Out circa 1994 farted in it, and they never opened the windows since. Old punk haunt. Occasional abode of Neanderthal metal both young and old. Frequented by slapstick acts of drunken disorderly. Very friendly to all types, occasionally friendly to those that are anything BUT friendly to those who aren't. Now sports a very hipster-centric upstairs venue called "Ghost Ships" with a high prevalence of macbook techo and occasional BBQ'd snacks. Also now frequented by just about every CD launch party / interstate touring act that used to hit up The Ed Castle. Blues, rock, psyche, indie. Adelaide's (arguably) best house engineer Matt Hills on the decks. Rather don't mind it.
https://www.facebook.com/thecrankerhotel/
https://www.facebook.com/thecrankerhotel/
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Pt 1: The Duke | Pt 2: Ed Castle | Pt 3: Austral | Pt 4: Exeter | Pt 5: more Adelaide pubs | Pt 6: Cranka
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