to not give a monkey's about "the death of the nightclub"?

[FithColumnist]

Apparently, more than half of the country’s nightclubs have closed in the past 10 years. Reasons cited so far (sensibly) include extended opening hours in pubs, more rigorous application of noise pollution laws, the smoking ban and differing financial circumstances.

Back in the 90's and early 00's, a nightclub was the only place you could get a drink after 11, so like the rest of them I dutifully went out in suit trousers, "casual" shirt and work shoes every Friday night on the off-chance that my friends and I might fancy another beer after last orders and didn't want to be turned away by skinhead Neanderthals after queueing for an hour because of "no jeans" or "no runners". AIBU to thank the gods that those days are long gone, and I can now sit with my mates in our favourite pub, paying reasonable prices for drinks, not sweating and not having to shout over shit house music until 1 am if we so choose?

I went clubbing every weekend for a good 8 or 9 years. In Preston during my teen years at Tokyo Jo's on a Friday and Squires' student night on a Monday. Then latterly in Leeds at the T&C, Utopia, Heaven and Hell, Evolution, Planet Earth, The Cockpit, Majestyk....

If we were feeling particularly adventurous we'd head over to Cream or Gatecrasher or Moneypenny's on some random coach trip with people we'd never met before.

Such awesome days. Do kids even dance now?

And how could I forget Peppermint Place in Blackburn? Wasn't it in, like. the bus station or something

Still, great night out.

I used to work in Snobs in the 80's - I probably served a few of you Brum clubbers.

I remember Divine playing there and have a signed single (as well as an obscure 80's duo called Tic Toc)

I was a regular in Eddies, Powerhouse and Snobs. Loved the Gallows. I got barred from Sam Wellers and kaleidoscope

Eddies and Snobs are still around but in different places.

They never have live music anymore. They are the only types I ever used to go to. I miss the live music.

crispandfruity I was beginning to wonder why no one mentioned The Hummingbird!!!

"Underground, overground, wombling free"

Also attended Snobs (once the Hummingbird closed) Wednesday and Saturday nights after the Pot/Black Horse.

Occasionally Edwards no 8 and excels too. Plus other places I can't recall the name off right now.

When I went out with my 'other' friends it would be the Dome (II probably at that stage but we just called it the Dome still)

It's a shame that sort of night is disappearing. I haven't been out like that for yonks decades mind but I don't recall it costing heaps, nor do I remember drinking in the clubs, just dancing. Though it doesn't mean I didn't!!

*teaspoons and girliefriend

Old Southampton clubber here too! Never Lennons but the Nexus and the Rhino with DJ Hammy. Loved it!

And the odd trip up to London for Where it's at (Le Scandale) and Trash at the Annexe! Indie clubbing was the best...a world away from the meat market mainstream clubs I sometimes had to go to at university :/

I think I've only been to two. The first one was near here where I grew up, and it was an awful, crappy place and no fun at all.

The other time was in Torquay and some geezer kept looking at me and smiling, I had a very short skirt on, and being an idiotic 17yo with no common sense or experience of anything, I went with him to his holiday flat where he proceeded to try and put his fingers in places I never thought he would know about.

I realised at that point what he was expecting to happen, declined to have sex, asked for my tights back and one of his mocking mates lobbed them at me from another room whereupon I left the building and stood outside at 1am till the police drove past and kindly took me back to the caravan my friends were waiting at, very annoyed with me and rightly so.

I didn't know that was what holiday flats/nightclubs were for.

It's no loss imo - but people will always miss the places where they had a good time with their friends.

Club Barcelona (Near Showcase cinemas, Just outside Leeds) Closed now.

Foxys in Cleckheaton. (town near Bradford) Now a Wetherspoons. It was an absolute dive in the 90's but we flocked to it nevertheless.

Outbacks in Cleckheaton had a dancefloor only marginally bigger than an average car-parking-space and was very very rough indeed.

Frontier in Batley, still open!

I last went to a club a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't expensive (£5 entry, £2 water bottle, £1 cloakroom). This was in London. I think it's sad that I should still be enjoying the dancing when my teenage son may not get as many chances. The club was clean, the loos clean, the crowd friendly, the smoking terrace sweet. I'm well, well over the pulling age, so no pressure for me to show off etc.

You know how they have nostalgic dinner dances on Sunday afternoons in community centres for the old folk? Do you reckon in 40 years we'll all be down there listening to Higher State of Consciousness and waving our glosticks?

at Hobbes You book the venue and I'll buy a ticket!

Late 70's and early 80's Leeds clubs were a mixed bag. I remember Foxys in Cleckheaton too silence.

Mostly we went to Time & Place in Foster Square in Bradford or to the one up the stairs above the antique furniture shop in Ilkley... Il Travatore I think it was called.

thenightsky. Il Travataore in Ilkley closed a good while ago. I believe it's being turned into a boutique cinema, whatever one of those is.

I used to bloody love it - we went to Club UK in Wandsworth for Final Frontier every Friday night from when I was 16. So much fun and I still love the music (dirty acid techno). Would love to have a time machine to go back to those days. Also went to Return to the Source at the Fridge on a regular basis, the 333 Club on Old Street and gawd knows what others.

Sheffield in the mid-90s was good for clubs too - mainly the Arches for No Logic and the DIY boys from Notts. We'd also go to the Marcus Garvey in Notts for techno/trance nights.

Sigh. Happy days indeed. I loved it, but these days I don't know if I've got the stamina.

Oh and the 414 on Coldharbour Lane. Blimey.

Oh- and Fabric and the pool bar in old street. Those were the days (off to find my walking stick and dentures).

Kernowgal - 414 is still running :)

Crappy meat markets won't be missed- that action has moved to apps.

But clubs for music/dancing or which were safe spaces for people judged to be other (due to colour or sexuality or class or nationality), yes, it's a shame those are declining.

How many styles of music have started due to a local scene with regular crowds and a roster of bands that develop musically in tandem with one another? What political impact did early gay clubs have by building a shared identity in a common meeting space?

Tiger Bahama Mamas closed a couple of years ago. It's still a bar but more upscale. DH and I had a gala dinner and got back to town at 1:30am, deciding to go for a dance there. I started dancing in my ball gown and literally there was a circle of guys just staring at me. DH was shaking his head and so embarrassed until the guys realized I was his gf and they were all telling him I was so much more fun than any american girl! I never went back because it was a tacky meat market at the end.

It's sad that the bars here in hoboken are in such decline. The kids I work with NEVER come into work with a hangover. They take everything so much more seriously and I don't think they are better off for it. I'm seeing creativity stiffness and close to zero lateral thinking.

I could never cope with mainstream nightclubs but I love alternative and metal clubs. Sadly those have suffered badly and of the three clubs and five bars I used to go to in my city, only one club and two bars are left. I have only lived here for seven years.

The basement of the old Town and Country in Leeds was called, rather unimaginatively, The Underground. About twenty years ago on Saturday nights it was a jazz club. I loved it. Not expensive to get in, no silly dress code, no riff-raff, great live music and pub - priced proper cask beer. Happy days. I don't know what's there now.

The Phono in Leeds was pretty good 20+ years ago. Definitely a night to be seen, obv whilst pretending you had no idea (at least on Goth nights, anyway).

Oh yes, The Phono! I remember that one!