A Hoxton night inn

Tuesday nights at the Stag’s Head have a close-knit feel Photo: Lucy Andrew

Did you know that knitting has made a big comeback? I didn’t, until I was invited to sit with the knitting club at the Stag’s Head – a Tuesday night ritual where nibbles, the odd glass of wine, a healthy bout of chatter, and of course, working your needles furiously, are all compulsory.

I’ve come down to find out for myself what the Stag’s Head is all about after hearing muffled rumours it holds its own version of blind date, serves up free sausages, and tells NME writers to wait in line.

“We don’t have guest lists and we don’t do VIP, we just treat everyone the same,” says Matthew Graham, the pub’s owner and the man behind this revamped Hackney establishment.

“We’re not looking to be trendy. We want bands and reasonably priced drinks. Music is what we’re all about at the end of the day – folk, metal, whatever, we’re open to anyone who wants to get up on stage and be heard,” he explains.

Matthew unveiled his new vision of a pub hosting cheap gigs and shunning any music-cool hierarchy back in May last year. “I want to keep the old boys happy. They’ve been coming here a lot longer than we have and I’m hardly going to turf them out.”

A regular for 30 years, Michael Hughes said, “I knew the guv’ner before him and the one before that. One thing that can definitely be said is that it’s a lot busier these days. They treat everyone the same, whether it’s us guys or this new lot.”

And by this lot he means the gatherings of twenty-somethings who descend on the pub every night, and of course, the knitting club, who tell me their one-year anniversary, is around the corner in March.

“Anyone’s welcome to join us if they fancy a bit of knitting and a natter,” says Esther Berglund who founded the club.

But why the Stag’s Head? “We do chop and change as to which pubs we meet up in, but this is our mainstay. They’re really accommodating here and we stick to our usual table, right next to the fire,” says Claire Squared. “And right beside Stanley.”

Stanley, I learn, is the name of the club’s creation of a knitted stag’s head bust mounted on the wall, currently being tried out for auditions on Harry Hill’s knitting factor (honest!).

Despite the juke box, the dark wood panelling and the pub’s original features, I’m beginning to feel like I’m in someone’s living room as the night wears on. Everyone appears to have nicknames for each other, and everyone’s happy to openly chat and bark jokingly at one another.

It’s as though a group of mates came across the building one day, took over, and have been partying in there ever since.

Whether they’re having a film night, playing blind date, inviting a few bands over, or just chilling out with a beer or two. It’s a bit of a playground for us adults, and you’re more than welcome to get a little bit raucous.

Don’t come here if you’ll eek at the sight of peeling wallpaper, turn your nose up dusty carpets, or want to strut yourself around the bar and feel important.

It’s as Matthew, owner extraordinaire, put it: “It was crucial for us to keep all the original features. We just wanted to refresh the pub and make it somewhere we wanted to have a drink.”

And it’s looking like everyone is in agreement – the old boys, the staff, the quizmaster, and the knitting club.

Oh, and there are free sausages. You just have to be quick to get one.

The Stag’s Head
55 Orsman Road
N1 5RA

Telephone 020 7739 6741