Owner of brand new bar in busy Northampton town centre street reveals opening date and inspiration behind venue

A new independent venue called Replay is opening at the former Playhouse in Bridge Street at 8pm on Saturday, November 30.

Playhouse, previously Revolution, sadly closed its doors for good in August after its parent company announced plans to reduce its debt by closing unprofitable sites.

The property has now been taken over by 41-year-old events expert Femi Bajomo, from Brackley, who plans to bring "nightlife back to Northampton."

Femi said: “We’re excited. We’ve had really positive feedback so far. People are interested in us reopening. We’ve named it Replay as a play on what it was before (Playhouse).

"Our tagline is connect, play, and unwind. It’s a place where you can come, have a drink, grab some food, shoot some pool, watch sports, connect with people, play games, and just unwind.”

Explaining his professional background, Femi said: “I’ve been in events promotions for quite a while now. I started off in Coventry, moved to London, and then moved my family to Brackley. I’ve always wanted somewhere to go to have a good time, so me and my team wanted to put something together locally.

“It’s been said that thing’s have gone a bit quiet in Northampton, especially after Covid. While I was hunting for venues, I came across Playhouse. It’s been a massive task to take on. I did some research about Playhouse and how it was formerly Revs. One of the common factors why it wasn’t working was that it was a bit of a confused venue. Some people wanted to have a good time, but there were games everywhere.”

He continued: “What we’ve decided to do is keep a similar theme to Playhouse but we’ve split the building into an arcade room and a function room, which we hope will be the key to our success. There’s no connection with Playhouse or Revs; we just liked the concept.

“We’ll have arcade games, but they’ll be in a separate room upstairs. We’ve brought in our own games, and the arcade room will be family-friendly. Kids will need to be accompanied by an adult and leave the premises after 7:30 pm.

“The main floor will be the bar area, with three movable pool tables that can open up the dancefloor. We’re reintroducing the dancefloor people have asked for.

“On weekends, we’ll have late-night ‘club’ vibes with a majority of genres of music, running until 3 am. We’ve retained some former Playhouse staff and have returning DJs

"We will be serving food eventually, but the kitchen isn’t ready yet. When it is, the menu will be grill-based, featuring BBQ chicken wings, lamb chops, burgers, fries—very tasty with a touch of spice. The bar area will run as a regular bar/pub.

“We’re catering to a vast audience and hoping it works. We’re trying to build a family set-up. We’re not a corporate entity.”

In a message to the town, Femi said: “We want to get everyone involved. Give us a shot. Come down on the 30th and let’s bring nightlife back to Northampton.”

Replay will also feature sporting events, student and NHS discounts, outdoor seating, bottomless brunches, a jukebox, and open mic nights.