CLUBBING UK

Best towns for clubbing

Birmingham
There is no lack of places to go in Birmingham with a wide range of clubbing paradises to choose from:

Medicine Bar – the night-time hotspot within the Custard Factory, this is where the hip and the curious drink till late to the sounds of the region’s up-and-coming DJs.

Ipanema – in an airy space reminiscent of a tremendously chic lighting store, this restaurant/dance club doles out tapas, a mellow vibe, guest DJs and the chance to brush up on your salsa skills.

Nightingale Club – Birmingham’s oldest and largest gay club, the Nightingale rocks on three levels (including a restaurant); it’s an always-hopping, see-and-be-seen kind of venue.

Sanctuary – with the closure of the legendary Que club, this large electronica venue has absorbed a fair share of the techno-loving crowd, with drum ‘n’ bass a speciality.

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Newcastle’s nightlife doesn’t mess about. There’s nightlife beyond the club scene – you’ll just have to wade through a sea of staggering, glassy-eyed clubbers to get to it:

Baja Beach Club – the cheesiest of all cheesy nightclubs, ‘Badgers’ (as it’s known) has palm trees, surfing stuff, barmaids in bikinis and Top-40 slamming tunes for an over-enthusiastic crowd of hormonal, drunken revellers.

Foundation – warehouse-style club with a massive sound system, a fantastic lighting rig and regular guest slots for heavyweight DJs from all over. If you want a night of hardcore clubbing, this is the place for you.

Tuxedo Royale – a rite of passage for all the Geordies, ‘the Boat’ is like dancing on the cross-Channel ferry. It’s cheesy, sloppy and full of drunken teenagers spinning on the revolving dance floor.

World Headquarters – dedicated to the genius of black music in all its guises (funk, rare groove, dance-floor jazz, northern soul, genuine R&B, lush disco, proper house and reggae) this fabulous club is strictly for true believers.

Liverpool
Most of the city’s clubs are in Ropewalks, where they compete for customers with late-night bars; most clubs open at 11pm and close at 3am:

Heebie Jeebies – practically every musical style is on offer at this excellent nightclub, from ‘50s rock and roll to skull-crushing techno.

Nation – formerly the home of Cream, one of England’s most famous club nights, Nation still draws in the crowds – 3000 a night – from anywhere and everywhere.

Masque – this converted theatre is never disappoints. The fortnightly Saturday Chibuku Shake Shake is on of the best club nights in all of England, led by a mix of superb DJs including Yousef (formerly of Cream) and superstars like Dmitri from Paris and Gilles Peterson. The music ranges from hip-hop to deep house.

London
From low-key DJ bars to warehouses and ‘superclubs’, the city has a simply astonishing range of venues offering everything from sexy R&B to thumping garage to, well, you name it. Some venues have several different rooms, while others change the tempo according to the night. Admission prices vary from $3 to $10 Sunday to Thursday, but on Friday and Saturday can be as much as $20:

Astoria – This dark, sweaty and atmospheric club has a G-A-Y night Saturday, a cheap Pink Pounder Monday and a disco-orientated Camp Attach Friday. There are good views of the stage and a huge dance floor.

Bar Rumba – along a Soho back-street, it’s a small club with a big reputation. There’s a different style each night – from Latin and jazz to deep house and garage.

Cargo – A hugely popular club with local and international DJs and a courtyard where you can simultaneously enjoy big sounds and the great outdoors. The music policy is partially innovative, but you can usually rely on Latin house, Nu jazz and rare grooves.

End – has industrial décor and a big sound. It’s the best venue around the West End for serious clubbers who like their music hard.

Fabric – boasts three dance floors in a converted meat cold-store. Residences have included Sasha and Groove Armada.

Heaven – one of the world’s best-known gay clubs. It has three rooms; some nights are mixed but it positively fizzes with party boys on Saturday nights, while there are cheap drinks and no pretension at Monday’s Popcorn.

Ministry of Sound – where the global brand started. It’s London’s most famous club, and with a major refurbishment in late 2003, it continues to pack in a diverse crew with big local and international names.