October 2003
A student guide to Clubland | |
|  | | Guide to Clubland |
| | Whether you're an indie loving bohemian, ultra funky or just damn cool - we'll find the perfect club for you!
University of Nottingham,
Impact Magazine article |
| | | 1. Cookie Club
The Cookie Clubs student nights on Wednesdays are ultra funky good indie/alternative music, no posing, no dresscode, nice toilets, and tequila slammers £1. Entry £2 including a groovy lolly and a badge, a cheese room downstairs, and bar snacks available are all bonuses too. I wouldnt wear your best shoes, watch out for mad moshers, see if you can be the second Nottingham girl to get a date with the cute barman, and if the moods right, it could be the night of the term.
2. The Social
The Social varies good solid fun with a lot of class. Gigs upstairs at the Social positively bounce with energy, not only because of the limited space (hence some serious sweaty swingin), but also because of top choices, ranging from hiphop (DJ Cashmoney) to indie (The Thrills, before they were famous). The downstairs bar is fee, the drinks are posh and the happy hour (6-9) entices those too thrifty to be seen in a classy joint. Other than checking out the gigs, its worth a trip at weekends as the vibe continues long into the night. Check out the massive door.
3. The Rig
No indie loving bohemian would cut the mustard without several trips a term to the Rig. Tuesday nights at this grotty dive is Nottinghams longest running indie night. Comparable to the Cookie Club (from the outside at least), with cheaper drinks, much more space to dance, and a wider range of free-spirited alternative junkies. Entry ranges from £1-£3 depending on the night, and youre bound to run into some genuine music lovers, rather than aggressive beer swillers looking for a fight. An offshoot of Rock City, you might want to check out 80s night on Mondays, or debauched student night on Thursdays. Prepare for a barnstorming night.
4. The Edge
The Edges addictive powers are fabled across the land. Why? This club consistently offers a solid slice of underground music in Nottingham, with its hardhouse/ funky house/ trance Friday nights, and its funked-up Saturday night blend of drum and bass, old skool and hiphop. Prices at weekends are £5 with NUS, a relatively cheap fix for raver kids between big name dance events. The Edge boasts two floors, a scary bouncer, space enough for even the most flamboyant groover, and a new student night, Frisky, on Thursdays.
5. Lizard Lounge
QUESTION (confused student): Where can I hear bad boy rapper Nelly talk his talk over the old skool classic theme tune for Grange Hill?
ANSWER (street savvy Notts clubber): The one and only Lizard lounge, yesseri, this Lace Market located little gem of a venue has probably the most diverse and random melodies youll ever hear, thanks to their crazy wacked out DJ. Anyway enough about the tunes, once inside youll notice the beautiful spiral staircase separating the stylish downstairs lounging room from the personal, if slightly claustrophobic, dance floor and second bar. Basically you can bop your heads and boogie or recline, relax and rest your booty.
This is definitely a club where some hot shit designer has made his presence known, yet thankfully its size prevents hoards of unruly students dominating the scene. Doubles are cheap, the beats are eclectic and when a good song is dropped the walls start pulsing at 150bpm.
6. Dogma
Dogma is a damn cool bar that's so laid back its almost horizontal. Every Wednesday night the thumping bass and unmistakable vibe invades your ears and distorts your mind, the source of which hails from the basements tuneful jazz band pumping through the building and drifting gently up the stairs. Down there you are plunged into darkness and it is always packed after about 11.30pm, not surprising considering it boasts cheap drinks, a cozy little arena and friendly bordering on intimate surroundings. An industrial decor and low profile lighting add to the already relaxed feel to the ground floor bar, complemented by the huge enveloping sofas scattered nonchalantly left right and centre.
Spacious airy sectors, a bulging dance floor and a tasty little restaurant perched on top all add to the feel good factor this place pumps out in vast quantities. A bit like a kinder surprise, possibly.
7. The Bomb
Boasting arguably the best all round student night in the glamorous city of Nottingham, aficionados of the underground dance scene will quickly gravitate to this place. An intricate network of ice white igloos, infinite neons illuminating endless passageways in the never-ending discotheque. Old skool, clandestine and commercial hip hop, drum and bass and breakbeat make up the regular tunes, with occasional cameo garage appearances, and this place is always packed with wild, carved up ravers.
Inside the atmosphere is cool and vibrant, helped enormously by the bulk of fans submerged within a few of the cave-like walls. The Bomb is that cool even the Chemical Brothers have played here; also Nottinghams scratch DJ champion has been a resident for quite some time. Its a definite must for any discerning clubber worth his salt.
8. The Market Bar
For all da hip hop homies wiv style and grace, get your bootys shakkin down to dis funky place. Never has a bar been so pretentious and gotten away with it week after week, be it Tuesday or Thursday, this is possibly the most affluent student night around. Also, the entrance fee certainly wont harm your bank balance, but when youre inside theres just something about the place that screams $$$!
One thing you can be sure of in The Market Bar, god damn awesome hip hop beats and practically nowhere to dance. Ive heard practically every rapper alive through this clubs speakers, and the rhythmic DJ ensures that it all sounds like one big neverending tune. Its easy to see why this place is so popular, boasting breaktastic sounds and swarms of beautiful bunnies, just be sure to arrive before 11.30 or youll be smelling dirty kebabs for an hour before you get in. Check out Wednesdays live jazz night, for some kick-ass horns.
| Keep an eye out for: | Jazz nights at Dogma, Sundays, and with the Fat Cats at Bluu Bar, Wednesdays
Detonation, deservedly legendary drum and bass all nighters at The Ballroom
Hotly anticipated AU night at Mode Wednesdays. |
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