Is London the Only Home of Nightclubs in the UK?
There’s a short answer to that: no, of course it isn’t. London is one home of nightclubs in the UK, and it’s often been hailed as the city that all the others try to copy – but then you remember that Cream, one of the world’s all-time most famous clubs, originated in Liverpool: and Manchester’s legendary Hacienda pretty much set the standard for underground clubbing for the next 20 years.
That said, you can’t deny that for sheer variety and scope, London is home to some of the coolest nightclubs in the UK. And as ever, if you want to get involved with the real deal you need to head away from the superclubs and find some back alley basement club in one of the boroughs – Brixton is still as good as it ever was and Shoreditch hasn’t lost its touch in the last few years. Clapham’s name often pops up in the reckoning too.
Things haven’t quite been the same for nightclubs in the UK since the Social turned into a brand and the End closed its doors after more than 10 years of hard happy partying – but now a new rash of underground locations is spreading across the scene and things are starting to look better again. Finally we’re seeing a reaction to all that mass produced garage and r and b we have to put up with when we end up on the Tube next to a child. Real music’s come back out of the woodwork – and it’s probably already tearing up a basement bar near you somewhere, you’re just walking past without knowing!
See that’s the thing about nightclubs in the UK. With very notable exceptions (the Hacienda, which is dead now, and Cream which isn’t), if you’ve heard of it it probably isn’t as much fun as you want it to be. The only real exception to that rule I ever found outside of Hacienda and Cream was Gatecrasher, and I’m not even sure that exists anymore.
In London and everywhere else, nightclubs in the UK can pretty much be split into two categories – the ones that don’t care who you are as long as you’re nice, and the ones that are all front and no trousers. A basic rule – if it’s got a dress code, it isn’t worth going in. Who cares what you’re wearing when the lights are off and the bassline is pumping? So if you’re looking for the right night out, don’t despair. Turn away from the glitz, the glam and the stupid door charges, and follow the bassline, down underground…
About the Author
Vineet Verma is a passionate club kid, DJ and music producer. He’s currently co-running the Now Then Records label, DJ agency and party venue. When he isn’t playing or producing he’sdoing the rounds of nightclubs in the UK, doing A and R for new artists and sniffing out hot new venues for all nighters.
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