How popular are nightclubs these days?

cainer · 14 Jun 2019 at 14:58

i always found town centre clubs a bit tacky,
early 90's warehouse/hippy site raves was more my kinda thing

Hagar · 14 Jun 2019 at 14:59

Castaway's in Hindley was a popular venue for us (living in Leigh) and the whole Northern Soul club scene around in the mid 1970's. Angeliques in Knutsford for the posher totty too.

Like the OP, I am a bit long in the tooth now.

krooton · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:03

V F said:
When other people show you their Facebook pages with nights out many times during the week and weekends, you wouldn't think it.

I read an article on a study that youngsters actually get wrecked less than we did due to the risk of pictures ending up on social media, which I totally believe as many of them have their lives ruled by social media

If digital cameras existed in the late 90s I would have been in looooot of a trouble with my parents methinks.

Hagar · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:09

krooton said:
I read an article on a study that youngsters actually get wrecked less than we did due to the risk of pictures ending up on social media, which I totally believe as many of them have their lives ruled by social media

If digital cameras existed in the late 90s I would have been in looooot of a trouble with my parents methinks.

Or mobile phones, I could disappear for days and blame no nearby working telephone kiosks

glenimp617 · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:09

Times are changing

I used to love going to the clubs in the late 90s early 00s.........I think many of the youngsters never had that period of great dance music, the ibiza thing, drinks for £1

Just different times

It's all hipsters, crap wannabe ales, take coke and stay at home texting

StriderX · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:13

TheOracle said:
Times are changing

I used to love going to the clubs in the late 90s early 00s.........I think many of the youngsters never had that period of great dance music, the ibiza thing, drinks for £1

Just different times

It's all hipsters, crap wannabe ales, take coke and stay at home texting

I mean... no. Those aren't clubs, those're bars. Clubs are still exclusively ****** alcohol for not as cheap prices, the music is the same it's always been.

If you want to pay £1 for a drink you'll be drinking quite literally ethanol and coke so water'd down you may aswell not bother.

malachi · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:15

Same up Birmingham went I had my final night up there a few weeks back.

The weekend everyone gets paid and the clubs which are still open wasn't as packed compared to 15 years ago. Some clubs had drop the entrance fees or reduced them. Sign times are hard for them.

But yeah, expensive drinks, the rise of internet dating so no reason to go out on the pull anymore, on demand TV such as Netflix has all added to it.

glenimp617 · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:25

StriderX said:
I mean... no. Those aren't clubs, those're bars. Clubs are still exclusively ****** alcohol for not as cheap prices, the music is the same it's always been.

If you want to pay £1 for a drink you'll be drinking quite literally ethanol and coke so water'd down you may aswell not bother.

That's what I mean....so we are agreeing. The £1 drinks back in the 90s were ok....now they are about £15

Semple · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:29

krooton said:
I read an article on a study that youngsters actually get wrecked less than we did due to the risk of pictures ending up on social media, which I totally believe as many of them have their lives ruled by social media

If digital cameras existed in the late 90s I would have been in looooot of a trouble with my parents methinks.

Haven't read much about the reasons, but i did read a lot of surveys from youngsters have suggested that the new generation appear to be typically drinking a lot less than previous generations.

I think drink prices have more than likely killed it / killing it off. Drinks these days have gotta be in the region of £4 (something bottled) upto probably £7 for double spirit + mixers. It really wouldn't take long at all before £50 has vanished. I assume clubs are still charging to also get in these days.

Just for example i've just got back from a stag in Magaluf. Although it's still an absolute cesspit, the bars over there are putting on really good drink deals. Typically 5 euros was getting you 2 bottled beers, a shot of some stuff, and then a cocktail. Then a lot of the clubs offer 8-10 euros for unlimited drinks for X number of hours.

krooton · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:30

TheOracle said:
That's what I mean....so we are agreeing. The £1 drinks back in the 90s were ok....now they are about £15

£15 for a double vodka redbull at Fabric, I wanted to cry.

glenimp617 · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:31

krooton said:
£15 for a double vodka redbull at Fabric, I wanted to cry.

Yep, had the same. In fact, I think that was the last nightout I had.

Hades · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:31

Less money in peoples pockets.
Drinks outrageously expensive.
Clubs have to compete with other forms of entertainment (Netflix, gaming, Tinder, etc).

dowie · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:36

JonnyT said:
I think the whole late licencing thing brought in in ~2007 really did for the nightclubs; I remember from my peak 'going out years' that prior to it coming in, half the pub I drank in with friends would decamp to the local 'alternative' (indie) club at about 10:30 in order to get in the queue, which would be around the block if you weren't careful. A few months later, you could rock up at the same club at gone 11pm and still get in no problem.

I think that's certainly a factor, thing is it is sort of a good thing, you should really be going to a club because you want to go clubbing, want to see/hear a particular DJ or like a particular night they put on etc.. etc.. not just because you want to have another couple of beers with your mates. Much better that pubs /bars can stay open a bit later now. If a club was only able to survive because they previously had a monopoly on serving drinks late at night then they deserve to go bust.

Admiral Huddy · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:48

It’s been a few years since I was last in a club but from what I’ve seen when I go out and from the experience of my older kids (in their mid-twenties) younger people seem opt for restaurants and more elaborate bars than the seedy clubs that we all know. I’m not sure if they are just stretching their money out, have more available expenditure to spend in restaurants, or actually are just a lot more mature that they can go out and hold a reasonable conversation with their friends.

All the clubs that I once went to are all but gone. I used to find them very intimating and trashy.

Bigpops · 14 Jun 2019 at 15:51

Not been in one for years. My niece works in one that only opens 3 days a week, and Saturday is apparently never busy.

I have a cousin who's 17 and into terrible music, and he's in them all the time (yes, with a fake ID), so people do still go.

Xire · 14 Jun 2019 at 16:21

TheOracle said:
Times are changing

I used to love going to the clubs in the late 90s early 00s.........I think many of the youngsters never had that period of great dance music, the ibiza thing, drinks for £1

Just different times

It's all hipsters, crap wannabe ales, take coke and stay at home texting

Its the pricing that has really destroyed the night club scene imo, especially in London.

GGizmo · 14 Jun 2019 at 16:48

I remember the last half pint of cola I bought, probably around the 2005 was £6.

I think it must have been around 2007 the last time I went for a night out. Bars were slowly taking over. I used to go to the Chicago Rock Cafe in Oldham for a meal before the night started. I'm not sure if that was a pro move to give future alcohol something to soak in to, or I was already too old for clubbing

Devrij · 14 Jun 2019 at 17:17

Don't think I've been out to a club since I was a student (unless it happened to be where a gig was being held). Never liked them anyway, so not sad about that.

vanpeebles · 14 Jun 2019 at 17:48

Spontaneous bare knuckle boxing is the entertainment of choice down Durham on a Friday night.

Delvis · 14 Jun 2019 at 17:52

StriderX said:
I mean... no. Those aren't clubs, those're bars. Clubs are still exclusively ****** alcohol for not as cheap prices, the music is the same it's always been.

If you want to pay £1 for a drink you'll be drinking quite literally ethanol and coke so water'd down you may aswell not bother.

I go to the Netherlands / Germany now for parties, much nicer