GlosRoots

Inferno Firepit

For a few years, Tewkesbury had one of the best music venues in the county.

Sadly, the Inferno Firepit closed down in March 2026.

In the early 2020s, The White Bear pub on Bredon Road, after years of struggling with local flooding, closed down and was converted into offices. One of the outbuildings, an old skittle alley at the top of perilous iron staircase, was converted into a tap room by Tewkesbury brewer Chris Bowley. As well as selling his beer there, he put in a stage and a sound system, and somehow persuaded some of the most talented bands and musicians in the area to come and play there for him and his customers, for free. He also organised a free festival in the field next to the venue every summer that I personally think was much better that the bigger well-known ones.

Even though I live in Tewkesbury and love live music, I didn’t hear about the Inferno straight away, and when did it still took me a while to summon up the courage to venture inside – those stairs were quite intimidating. As soon as I did though, I was hooked. I became a regular, attending every live event I could, dragging family and friends along with me.

The Inferno Firepit had so many great things going for it: fantastic music, friendly atmosphere, and it was near my house! The amazing beer was also a key part. Did I mention that Chris is a brewer? He made his beer on the premises, in a room underneath those metal stairs. Well, I don’t know if it was the party atmosphere, or the fact that the beer was served so fresh, or if Chris is the most talented brewer in the world, but I have never had a more enjoyable drink than a pint of Prometheus in the Inferno Firepit. So good!

The music was what really made it special though. Black Bear Kiss, Rebel & the Banned, Super Blue Moon, Chug, The Leon Daye Band … The venue, and the bands that played there, made me feel like a teenager again when I was a regular at a venue called The Riverside in Newcastle (sadly, also now gone). I made a Spotify playlist of all the bands I saw at The Inferno. Go on, give it a listen. The first few tracks on this playlist are some of my favourite songs of all time, but they are all by bands who are not exactly household names.

I could tell that the venue was struggling at the end of 2025; sometimes it was busy, but more often than not there would just be a handful of regulars there. I thought maybe people didn’t know about the venue, so I decided to offer to help out with publicity. I had a few ideas, including creating a website like this one. Before I could speak to Chris about the ideas though, he announced that the Firepit was closing down. Apparently the increase in business rates that was coming into effect in April 2026 was the last straw. I very much doubt that my ideas would have made much difference, but I left it too late, so I will never know for sure.

As you can see, I decided to make the website anyway. After all, I need to find another venue to become a regular at, and since I am doing the research anyway I might as well share it with you. If anyone ever decides to bring back The Inferno though (preferably with Chris’s beer, he still makes it!) do let me know.

https://www.facebook.com/Infernofirepit/