Good morning, Brighton…. let’s great straight into it.

In today’s Brighton Scoop:

• £8m of Road Repairs Kick-Off

• Socktopus Take Over Empty Gak Store

What’s the Scoop

£8m of Road Repairs Kick-Off

🚧 Brighton & Hove City Council is investing nearly £4m to resurface 35 roads and another £2.1m to address immediate issues like potholes in East Sussex (which have swallowed up many cars, people and dogs in the last year). Over £3m is allocated for safety, accessibility, and sustainable travel improvements, with £620,000 for pavements.

The roadworks cover 176,000 sq/m and will take a year to complete, aligning with the council's maintenance programme. Councillor Trevor Muten emphasised the effort to address road conditions resulting from years of underinvestment. With an additional £1.6m in this year's budget, the council will use a data-driven approach to prioritise repairs and coordinate with other planned works. This is great news as with most of us using two wheels to get around town, I look forward to not playing pothole bingo every time I venture out.

Socktopus Take Over Empty Gak Store

🧦 The site of former music shop Gak Music Emporium, which filed for insolvency in April, will be taken over by Soctopus, a family-run sock business from Brighton. Founded by Nick and Josie Starsmore in October 2021, Soctopus has expanded to eight stores nationwide.

The new flagship store will replace Gak’s iconic yellow building with a "Soctopus blue" facade, opening in August. Manager Jess Game expressed excitement over the transition, emphasising Soctopus's unique, Brighton-style brand. Known for its humour-infused designs, Soctopus's best-selling "cowboy capybaras" socks were recently featured in a Guardian article on trendy socks. Although sad for Gak, it’s fab to see their iconic store filled once again with a suitable Brighton tenant. 🐙

Weather

Wednesday 16/7

☀️ | 📈 23 | 📉 17 |☔️ | 🌬️ 10% WSW 12mph | 🌊 2-3ft

Thursday 17/7

☀️ | 📈 23 | 📉 17 |☔️ 10% | 🌬️ SW 10mph | 🌊 <1ft

Beautiful Brighton

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Summer Festivals ‘25

The Brighton Festival and Fringe may be over but we have plenty of other festivals on the way over the coming months in and around Brighton & Hove. We’ll keep this little section in for the next few months and update it every week. Be sure to check back people.

• 🎾 Trilogy Rackets Festival | Hove Beach Park | 21-27 July | Book

• 🎸 On The Beach | The Beach | 18th - 20th, 23rd,25th - 27th July | Book

• 🍸 Gin & Rum Festival | The Grand | 26th July | Book

• ☕️ Brighton Coffee Festival | All Saints Church | 9th & 10th August | Book

• 🍹 Brighton Cocktail Festival | 40 Bars Across Town | 19th-28th Sept | Book

What’s On

Wednesday 16/7

• Flyweight Poetry Night | Komedia | 8pm

• Budgie in Conversation with Simon Price + Book Signing | Komedia | 8pm

• After Supper Swing | The Actors | 7pm Beginners 8pm Technical

Thursday 17/7

• Chaps & Straps - Queer Line Dancing | Komedia | 8pm

• Pierre Novellie & Marise Gaughan | Komedia | 7.30pm

• Drag Thursdays | Maggie Mae’s | 8.45pm

Live Music

Wednesday 16/7

• Moon Idle | Alphabet | 7pm

• Revolt Brighton Presents | Daltons | 7.30pm

• Divorce Attorney | Green Door Store | 7pm

• Open Mic | Bee’s Mouth | 9.30pm

• Hük - an evening of electro paranoia | Brunswick Cellar | 8pm

• Overthrust + Crypsis + Human Leather | Hope & Ruin | 8pm

• Music of Sound with Adam Kid + Lynnie Snow | Prince Albert | 7.45pm

Thursday 17/7

• A Crazy P Takeover | Alphabet | 9pm

• TIMES OF DESPERATION + STRANGEHOLD + WISEGUY + MORTAL SPIRIT | Daltons | 7pm

• Florescent | Green Door Store | 7pm

• Harry Pannell | Old Albion | 9pm

• Beanbag, Fire Escape & Lynnie Snow | Bee’s Mouth | 8pm

• John Jenkins and Pippa Murdie | Folklore Rooms | 7.30pm

• George Crump + Misha Mandy | Hope & Ruin | 7.30pm

• Lowpines | Pipeline | 7.30pm

• Mind Frog + Downs Hotel + Red River + Cabbage | Prince Albert | 8pm

• The Vernon Spring - The Seasonal Spring: 'summer edition' | The Rose Hill | 7pm

Cheers for popping by

Great to have you follow the Scoop today. If you liked it, do share us with a friend. There’s a beer on me if you spot me in town.