How to Write Pub Rock (United Kingdom) Songs

Want a song that sounds like a sweaty Friday night with sticky floors and a crowd chanting your chorus? Pub rock is the brawny cousin of roots music. It is small rooms, big attitude, and tunes that do not need a university degree in theory to smash a crowd in the face. This guide gives you the full kit. Riffs, chords, lyrics, demo tips, and stage moves. We explain every acronym and leave no step fuzzy. Read this and you will be ready to write a song you could record in a single session and then play on a gig that pays in pints and applause.

Everything here is written for artists who want to get loud and clear fast. No overproduced nonsense. No art-school posturing. Just songs that hit hard and get remembered. You will learn where pub rock comes from, what makes it sound like itself, and exactly how to write and finish songs that work in pubs across the UK.

What Is Pub Rock UK

Pub rock is a back to basics movement that started in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It was a reaction to bloated progressive rock and slick studio pop. Bands wanted real songs played in real rooms for real people. Think short songs, tight bands, and a referee free zone for showmanship.

Key traits

• Energy over perfection. A live feel is often better than a perfect take.
• Roots influence. R and B, rock and roll, country and blues are all cousins in this sound. R and B means rhythm and blues.
• Three chord approach. Simple progressions that let the melody and groove do the talking.
• Singalong choruses and call and response. Songs built for a crowd to join in.

Famous names you might have heard of: Dr Feelgood, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Ducks Deluxe, Brinsley Schwarz. These acts did not invent rock. They stripped it down and put it back in the pub where it belonged.

Core Pub Rock Songwriting Principles

Pub rock songs succeed when they are obvious, tactile, and immediate. You want the crowd to understand the main idea by the second chorus. Here are the writing pillars to follow.

• A single clear idea stated plainly. The chorus is the thesis of your song.
• A stomping groove that locks the band together and gives people a place to clap or sing.
• Riffs that double as hooks. A riff can be melodic or rhythmic. Either way it should be repeatable.
• Direct lyrical voice that uses everyday language and concrete images.
• Short runtime ideally between two and three and a half minutes. Pubs like it tight and punchy.

Song Structures That Work in Pubs

Keep it simple. Pub crowds do not need labyrinthine forms. They need the chorus fast and the groove consistent.

Common structures

• Verse chorus verse chorus solo chorus
• Intro riff verse chorus verse chorus outro
• Intro hook verse chorus bridge chorus

Make the intro short. If your first chorus arrives by 45 seconds you are doing fine. A bridge is optional. Use a bridge to change perspective or to give the band a mini break before the final push.

Harmony and Chord Choices

Pub rock harmony is piano friendly. It is guitar friendly. It likes chords that sound like a door being kicked open. Use simple progressions because they let other elements shine.

Three chord magic

A lot of pub rock lives on I IV V. In the key of A that is A D E. Play those three and your song already has momentum. If you want a slightly darker feel add vi. In A that is F#m. It gives a short melancholy that resolves nicely to the chorus.

How to vary without being clever for the sake of cleverness

• Use inversions so the bass moves smoothly. That makes transitions sound natural.
• Add a suspended chord for one bar to create a small tension that wants releasing.
• Borrow a chord from the parallel minor for one bar if you want an old school soul lift. That is taking a chord that normally lives in the minor key and placing it in the major key for spice.

Riffs, Hooks, and Guitar Parts

Riffs are the handshake between the band and the room. Build riffs that are playable while slightly slurred and sung over a few pints into the first chorus.

Riff writing checklist

• Make it rhythmic. Use short notes that lock with the snare and kick.
• Keep a repeatable motif of three to six notes.
• Allow room for vocals. Do not make the riff sing louder than the singer unless the point is to start the song with an instrumental hook.
• Employ open strings for drone and grit.

Power chords are fine. They give weight and fit small PA systems. Try Rickenbacker style jangly chords for a brighter pub rock feel. Or use a Telecaster bridge pickup for bite. The gear matters but not as much as the attitude. A cheap guitar played with conviction often beats a pristine tone played by someone boring.

Rhythm Section: Drums and Bass

The rhythm section is the engine room. Pub rock relies on a solid pocket and predictable grooves that let the crowd move and the singer lean into the mic.

Drums

Tempo ranges tend to sit between 120 and 160 BPM. BPM means beats per minute. Pick a tempo that matches the mood. Faster for party anthems. Lower for swaggering barroom confessions. Use clear backbeat on two and four. Keep fills short and purposeful. The drummer is there to power the chorus and to provide obvious cues for changes.

Bass

Play with the drummer. Root and fifth movement works wonders. Use walking bass for bluesier numbers. Lock with the kick drum so the groove feels like a single organism. If the bucket of the PA is weak you will still be felt if the bass and kick are in sync.

Vocals and Delivery

Pub rock vocals are direct. They do not need studio shine. They need character. Think of a person telling a story across a table and demanding the pint back. That is the tone.

• Sing conversationally. If it sounds like you are reading a press release rewrite it until it sounds like real talk.
• Leave room for grit. Small vocal imperfections give personality.
• Use backing shouts for the chorus. Call and response is a pub favorite.
• Double the chorus for the record. On stage you might play it raw. On the record you can add harmony for punch.

Lyrics That Hit the Mark

Pub rock lyrics are not poetry class homework. They are snapshots, small scenes, and bar-side monologues. Write lines that people can shout. Use props and specific images. Your listener should be able to picture the scene in a single line.

The camera and the line

Replace abstract lines with camera images. If you wrote I feel lonely, make it I watch my pint gather fingerprints at midnight. Now the listener sees the scene. Put a time and a place into the verse. Small details make the chorus land harder.

Common lyrical themes

• Working life. The daily grind. A late shift and a cheaper meal.
• Pubs, characters, and banter. Real people speaking real nonsense.
• Escapism and small victories. The night that felt like a new life.
• Frustration with authority. Bosses, landlords, or the man who took your queue spot.

Before and after lyric edits

Before: I am tired of this town.

After: The town clock keeps snoring and I push my empty tray under the table.

Before: She left and I miss her.

After: She left with last Tuesday on her lipstick and the rent card in her pocket.

Arrangements That Work Live

Think live first. Make the song easy to learn for the band and easy to join for the crowd.

• Keep intros short and iconic. A single riff or a drum fill can be enough.
• Let the chorus hit with open space. Reduce instruments for the verse then open everything for the chorus.
• Place a solo where the crowd can keep singing. A guitar solo over the chorus chords keeps energy high.
• Use a tag at the end of the final chorus. Repeating the last line creates a chant that people take home.

Production and Demo Tips

Pub rock recordings should sound alive. That does not mean sloppy. It means capturing the energy of a live band with minimal fuss.

Key recording choices explained

• Live takes are your friend. Record the band playing together to capture interaction.
• DI stands for direct input. Plugging a bass into a DI box records a clean signal. Reamp later if you want grit.
• Mic the room. A pair of room mics gives ambience that makes the recording breathe.
• Keep overdubs minimal. Use doubles for vocal choruses but do not bath the song in layers unless the style asks for it.
• Compression is useful. It levels the performance and makes late night vocals sound present. Move fast and do not over compress.

If you have access to a small analog console or a cheap tape emulator plug in, use it to add warmth. The goal is to sound like a band in a room, not a catalogue of plugins trying to flex.

Gigging and Performance Strategy

A pub is not a festival. You have less time and less patience from listeners who came for football as much as music. You still can win them over in three songs.

Set building tips

• Start with an attention grabber. An opening riff or chant brings the room to the gig.
• Keep songs short. Two and a half minutes is often enough.
• Switch tempos to keep interest. Two mid tempo songs and then a faster stomp can change the room mood.
• Talk like a human. Brief banter gives context and a reason for a crowd to clap.
• End on a singalong. If people remember one chorus it should be the last one.

Merch and tips matter. Bring badges, cheap stickers, and a group of smiling friends to help sell. Many small gigs pay in bar tab plus a cut of the door. Learn to enjoy the mess and turn it into a relationship with the local promoter and regulars.

Rights, Royalties, and Acronyms Explained

Understand how to get paid when your songs get played. In the UK you will hear three main acronyms.

• PRS. Performing Rights Society. They collect money when your song is performed publicly or broadcast. Register songs so you can earn when pubs play you or radio spins you.
• PPL. Phonographic Performance Limited. They collect money for the people who own the recording such as labels and session musicians in some cases when the recording is played in public.
• MCPS. Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society. They collect money when songs are reproduced such as CDs or streams. Often combined with PRS for modern services.

Registering your songs with PRS is not glamorous but it is crucial. If a pub plays your record and it goes into the system you want to get paid. If your band is unsigned and you earn small amounts over time those amounts add up.

Exercises to Write a Pub Rock Song Today

Riff first drill

1. Set a metronome to 140 BPM.
2. Loop two chords for four bars. Keep it simple, like E to A.
3. Hum a repeating three note figure for one minute. Record it.
4. Turn the figure into a riff. Play it with a dirty guitar tone and test it with one rhythm guitar and drums.
5. Write a chorus line that repeats the title twice. Keep the language direct.

Lyric camera drill

1. Write a list of five objects you can see in a pub.
2. Write four lines where each line includes one object and an action.
3. Choose the line that reads like a photograph. Make that your verse opener.

Call and response drill

1. Write a short chorus line that the crowd can shout back.
2. Practice alternating lead line and crowd shout for eight bars.
3. Record a demo with a group of friends shouting the response to test the energy.

Song Breakdown Example

Here is a mock breakdown of a pub rock style song called The Last Round. You can steal the idea or rewrite it to make it yours.

Intro: Two bar riff on A with snare on two and four and a tambourine on the off beats.

Verse 1

A simple camera line. The landlord counts his spoons at half past nine. Your line shows time and place and a small action.

Chorus

Title: The last round. Repeat that phrase. Make the final line turn into a shoutable tag like Everybody buys the last round tonight.

Verse 2

Add a detail. The busker outside sings with a cigarette tucked behind his ear. Give a new angle but keep the theme the same.

Solo

Guitar plays the riff with a small melodic twist for one 8 bar chorus worth while the band carries the chorus chords.

Final Chorus

All hands in, crowd shouts the tag twice, finish on a cut to silence for one bar then a single chord tag to get the room to laugh or clap.

Common Mistakes and Simple Fixes

• Overwriting. Too many metaphors kill the chant. Fix by cutting to the one scene that matters.
• Tempo mismatch. A slow verse and a barely faster chorus can feel like nothing happened. Fix by raising the chorus by a small amount and using open vowels.
• Riff overkill. A riff that never stops gets annoying. Fix by dropping it for one verse and letting the melody breathe.
• Lyrics that are too obscure. Pub audiences do not want puzzles. Fix by using a clear hook and letting a single odd image be the puzzle piece.

Action Plan: Write A Pub Rock Song This Weekend

1. Pick a tempo between 120 and 150 BPM and set a click.
2. Play two chords for two minutes and hum a riff. Record the best take.
3. Write one chorus line that states your song title and repeat it twice. Keep language simple.
4. Draft verse one using the camera drill. Add time and place.
5. Arrange the song: intro riff, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, chorus tag.
6. Record a live demo with drums, bass, guitar, and vocal. Use room mics if you can.
7. Play the song at an open mic or a local pub and swap the lyric that did not land.
8. Register the song with PRS to protect and collect if it gets played often.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tempo works best for pub rock

Most pub rock songs land between 120 and 160 BPM. Choose a tempo that supports the energy of the lyric. Use faster tempos for rowdy, march the floor type numbers and slightly lower tempos for swagger and grit. Test the tempo with a band. If people can clap in time the tempo is probably right.

Do I need to be a virtuoso guitarist to write pub rock

No. Pub rock rewards feel and ideas. Simple riffs played well are more effective than complicated runs that lack groove. Focus on rhythm and dynamics. Play what you can do consistently live. The room prefers conviction to complexity.

How long should my pub rock song be

Keep it tight. Two minutes and thirty seconds to three and a half minutes is ideal. If you can make the chorus memorable and the song leave them wanting more you will win. Long solos are polite at festivals but not necessary in a pub set.

What lyrical topics are allowed in pub rock

Anything that reads like a pub conversation. Work, love, local characters, petty rebellions, and small joys. Specific details beat generic emotion. If you mention a place or an object people recognise the song will feel personal.

Should I record live or track instruments separately for a demo

Record live if you can. The interaction between players is what gives pub rock its charm. You can fix small errors later. If you lack a drummer or a room you can track separately with a click but try to keep the takes organic and leave space for breathing and bleed to mimic a live room.

How do I write a chorus that a pub crowd will sing back

Make the chorus short, repetitive, and literal. Use strong vowels and a title that is easy to shout. Give the crowd a single command or image. If the phrase is easy to remember and easy to shout the room will learn it quickly.

How do I handle soundchecks in small venues

Bring a short set of 2 or 3 songs for soundcheck and tell the engineer which element is the priority for each song. In small rooms the vocals must be upfront. If the PA is thin ask for a little more low mid for the guitar and a touch less reverb. The sound engineer is your ally not the enemy.

How do I register my pub rock songs for royalties

Join PRS for Music in the UK and register each song you write. If you record the track make sure the recording owners and performers are clear so PPL can pay the right people. Keep split sheets that list who wrote and who played on the recording. That paperwork saves arguments later.

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