The Ibiza bar was my favourite bar in Stockton town centre when it first opened a few years back. It looked really smart, with a long bar and a large seating area at the back with big settees. What really made the place back then though in my opinion was the music they used to play; it really stood out in the town as the place to go if you were into your dance music (as I am), playing all of the latest tunes as well as some retro classics. The crowd in there was young and there was always a good atmosphere. Then they must have got a new DJ in who was playing some much more progressive house music which I think put a lot of people off as they didn't know the tunes! So it became very quiet (as have most of the bars in Stockton, especially with the smoking ban).
I visited the bar a couple of weeks back with my friends and it had been taken over by new management, who must have been keen for our custom as they kept giving us free shots! Unfortunately their new DJ was playing some really random and quite tragic music, obviously keen to appeal to a different market! I think the place would be much better if they got the original DJ back in as he was brilliant! read more