BRIGHTON
JUKEBOX SHOW
2007

Date: 14th & 15th April 2007.
Location: Brighton Racecourse, Brighton, West Sussex, UK.

The annual Jukebox Show took place recently at the Brighton Racecourse on England's south coast.

The Racecourse has magnificent views across the South Downs and is a lovely setting for the show which this year was taking place on the same day as the UK's biggest horse race - the Grand National, some 270 miles away in Aintree near Liverpool.

The initial signs were good, with an improved display of vintage American cars in the parking lot in front of the main building.

Entrance cost £6 for the day for adults or £4 for kids which got you a wristband, but it soon became apparent, there was not much here for fans of the silver ball.

The Jukebox Show is not normally great for pinball but there is usually a good number of games in both the halls from established vendors and several one-off deals from sellers more accustomed to jukeboxes and memorabilia who found themselves with a pinball as part of a package deal. This year, though, one of the regular pinball sellers was absent and there were no single machine sellers at all.

The second hall is usually home to Steve Tribe and his Deco Pinball collection but he was not there and the hall looked almost empty as a consequence.

It may have been the clash with Grand National that kept many of the usual visitors away, but by midday the normal throngs were notable by their absence. The normally teaming corridors were easily traversed and stall holders were looking bored.

But it wasn't all bad for pinball fans, since Pinballs To Go and Pinball Palace had teamed up to bring along a mix of EM and solid state games. They are also the people who have taken over the remnants of the Pinball Owners Association and are now producing a regular magazine, Pinball Wizard. They had the first four editions at the show and visitors could sign up for a subscription.

The games they had brought on Saturday were:

  • Soccer Kick-Off
  • Flipper Cowboy
  • Phantom Of The Opera
  • Black Knight
  • Dr Dude
  • Party Zone
  • Popeye Saves The Earth
  • Fun Park
  • Sing Along
  • Bowl-O

Sean from Pinball Palace had a table selling a selection of commonly-needed pinball parts along with PinLED displays and boards. Unusually, it seemed it was the machines that were selling well rather than the parts.

Next door to them, Andrew Moroney had brought a selection of games:

  • Super Mario Mushroom World
  • Time Machine
  • The Addams Family Gold
  • Skill Race (flipperless)

The Super Mario soon sold and regrettably the Zaccaria Time Machine wouldn't start up when it arrived at the venue.

So all in all, it was a disappointing show for pinball enthusiasts and unless it improves next year, it can't be recommended for anyone except those living nearby who aren't looking to play the latest games.

 

Pinball News Four Minute Tour

You've read about the show but now you can see it for yourself with our exclusive Pinball News Four Minute Tour. Simply click on the play button below and take a walk around the show.

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© Pinball News 2007