Deja Vu, Carlisle celebrates nine years of business

Deja Vu 60s, 70s, and 80s bar was born in Botchergate back in 2014 and has established itself as one of the city's most popular venues on Friday and Saturday nights. 

Offering a wide range of music from times gone by, the venue draws fans of classic artists such as Queen, Madonna, and Elton John.

And owner Julie Brown is delighted that it continues to prove popular with Carlisle locals nine years on. 

She said: "There was the fear from the very beginning of whether it was going work. There wasn’t a 60s, 70s, 80s bar here. In other places, you had Reflex and Flares. But we didn’t have anything like that here and I’d always wanted to have a bar like this.

"When this came up, I jumped on it. I thought ‘how do we do this’, but we did it. And we’ve been here for nine years now. We were given six months, and then most people thought 18 months, but nine years on and we’re still here."

Clubs, bars and music venues were some of the hardest-hit businesses during Covid as they were forced to close, but the support of local people has meant that Deja Vu has now bounced back to pre-pandemic levels of success.

Deja Vu will officially celebrate their ninth birthday on Saturday, August 12 and will provide special offers on a number of drinks to mark the occasion. 

Julie said: "You can go to other venues and they will play other types of music. But we stick to the 60s, 70s and 80s.

"If you play Gold in there, everyone is up singing. Livin' on a Prayer, everyone is up. Proud Mary is another one. In here, you know what you’re getting. It is what it says on the tin.

"It’s safe. We have very good door staff. We’re cheap and cheerful. We’re not overpriced. We have a good range of music. What more do you want?"

When asked how the bar had changed over the nine years, Julie suggested that new photos had been put up, but very little had been adjusted otherwise.

She added: "If it isn't broken, don't fix it."