Live music is an integral part of life, and Colchester has its fair share of great venues. However, one rises above the rest, Coda is a refreshing, relatively new bar that hosts free-entry Jam Sessions every Thursday and Sunday. In an interview with Tristan, one of the two owners, he reveals more about the bar’s origins and what it’s all about.

 

Coda was established in December 2018, following Tristan’s return from York university. He found that “Colchester’s night-life was a bit boring” and that “York City had a fantastic music and bar scene.” On his return, he began “realising Colchester was missing so much”. Now motivated, Tristan and Ollie sought to single-handedly improve the live music and bar scene of Colchester. Although, humbly, Tristan believes “All the venues [in Colchester] play their part in making Colchester the best scene in East Anglia.”

 

Coda plays many genres of music and is a host to all sorts of “local and original bands that can be defined as rock, or that are rock influenced.” with them rightfully claiming that “From the place that gave the world Blur, we’re culturally obliged.”

 

Following the rock scene, the bar’s name is a reference to “the ninth and last studio album by Led Zeppelin”, while also doubling as a “homage to Tristan’s late father”, as it was his favourite album. The actual definintion is also a “Music term for the cadence or outdo of a song.”

 

Before the pandemic, Coda had plans to repurpose the old Odeon cinema, that had burnt down, into a live music venue. They “had a really good chance before the pandemic, but sadly the investment dried up thanks to that instability [of the pandemic]”. There is still hope for these plans but they are “probably not likely to happen soon”.

 

“It would be a horrible sight to see it turned into flats. However, I don’t think it’s going to be turned into something anytime soon, so there’s still time!” Hopefully, this is something we will see in Colchester’s future!

 

As with many businesses during the pandemic, Coda  had a difficult time, they “just about got through Covid.”

 

Luckily, “After [the pandemic], we had a brilliant year. It’s no thanks to inflation that I personally believe will be just as big of a test. We see prices of our products rising by at least 15% annually. We cannot raise our prices 15% or we will be priced out the market, so this is a real worry. So please if you would like live music to survive, go out and support your local venues.”

 

CODA can be found at 63 Colchester High Street.