ABSTRACT
“If you are asked why you favour a particular public house, it would seem natural to put the beer first, but the thing that most appeals to me about the Moon Under Water is what people call its ‘atmosphere’ ”. George Orwell’s description of his ideal pub sits surprisingly close to contemporary social science use of the concept ‘atmosphere’. Blending my own participant observation work in the North-East of England with Orwell’s insights, I explore how the atmosphere of pubs is shaped both the materially and immaterially. This helps me explore how atmosphere is used to shape alcohol consumption practices, in the context of the (neo)liberalisation of the alcohol and leisure industry in the UK.
