The former landlord of a Buckinghamshire pub, who helped establish its name as an unorthodox international music venue, rubbed elbows with some of the biggest names of the early 2000s during his time at the helm.

Paul Bennett, 69, joined as a part-time barman at The White Horse on West Wycombe Road in High Wycombe in the 1990s before working his way up the ladder to co-landlord, alongside Ian Field, by the turn of the century.

Although Paul stepped back from the pub in the mid-2000s – a move precipitated in part by the shift to digital music and in part by the new smoking ban, which he felt had a considerable impact on the atmosphere of the boozer – he chose to reflect upon his time at The White Horse in light of its closure today (December 31). 

High Wycombe’s only hybrid pub and strip club isn’t just an oddity of today’s hospitality scene – the unconventional venue’s exotic dancers were a well-established attraction by the time Paul signed on and even helped draw in some of The White Horse’s most impressive performers.

Paul, who now lives in Wiltshire, said one of his most enduring memories of those now hazy years was Kings of Leon’s 2003 show, marking their first-ever gig in the UK.

“They were just like kids in a toy shop – they wouldn’t do a soundcheck downstairs until the girls had finished their dance!

“Then they all went up to my office to use the computer to say hello to their family back in the States. I remember saying, ‘Make sure to tell Mum and Dad that you’ve just been watching the strippers!”

Paul's wife Kay helped him run the pub throughout his tenure, and her cooking was so good that some big-name musicians returned for repeat performances just to get another taste.

Ska band The Slackers reportedly couldn't get enough of her carbonara and Chris Martin tried to wrangle food for his bandmates in Coldplay, free of charge – which Paul wasn’t having at all.

“Coldplay cost me £45 to book and then Chris Martin said, ‘Can we have food and drink as well?’ I said, ‘Not for £45!’”

At the height of the pub’s popularity, Paul said he was bringing in around 30 bands a week, with local bands filling opening slots for some of the bigger names.

Naturally, there were a few fumbles that have also stuck in the 69-year-old’s memory – “One of the first bands we had that was really big was Keane, and I spelt their name wrong on the sign outside.

“That upset them a bit, but I sorted it out with a bit of soap and water.”

“We also almost booked The Darkness, but they wanted £200 to perform and I said, ‘I’m not doing that, I haven’t even heard of them!’ That is one regret I have, but we all make mistakes.”

The White Horse will close at the end of this month on December 31, following the retirement of current licensee Alastair Watts. A final farewell party will be held on December 30.