2 years ago we had a great nightlife in Sheffield. We had something for everyone.

For House you had republic, bed, fez club, Unit, capitol & Niche (a little dodgy but good music). For cheese you had hot pants at the city hall, the round house had bus stop which was ok, kingdom & club wow (not really my scene but added to choice). The leadmill had decent nights such as the the beat club & wednesday night's (can't remember the name now) was excellent. Rockers could go to the corp or the wap.

Now we are so far behind, no dis-respect to Barnsley but even they have 2 o'clock licences, all the decenet club nights have gone, gatecrasher is now monthly, bed has gone, leadmill hasn't changed that much but lacks the same quality of night that it used to offer. Even Kingdom had no queue the other Friday at 11:30 p.m. Fex Club and element have been closed because of safety fears. I think Charles St has now closed but not 100% sure. Ny Sushi has gone as well.

Anyone have any thoughts as to why we seem to be losing our reputation for a good night out? You would have thought that because it is so hard for bars to get late licences the clubs would be thriving?!!!

Attendances have been dropping at clubs in general for the last 12 months......many many reasons, mainly that the nights are so totally crap its a waste of time going out, and other reasons like worsening bus services, higher taxi fares, cost of living, inflation, beer prices, etc. The recent troubles with guns and stabbings have not helped the reputation of the club world in this City. A few friens of mine refuse to go near town at the weekend any more and its set to get far worse by all accounts.

on top of that, the clubbing 'peak' of the late 90s and early 21st C seems to have died down everywhere, even london has seen clubs closing recently and in fairly significant numbers too.

I think if you talk to any club in Sheffield their numbers will be down on a week for week comparison with the same time a year ago....culture is changing once again and the 'night-club' is in its present incarnation and customer peceived form is set to undergo vast changes if it is to survive for much longer. if you think of what a 'nightclub' offered 30 years ago and compare it to now, it is totally a different concept altogether. The current offerings are stale, worn-out, and quite frankly boring and nothing new and exciting has happened in a long time. The clubbing world seems intent on providing mind numbing "chav" nights (extension of Kingdom is a good example) and has lost any sense of originality or independance. Sad but true, and it is my belief we will lose a further significant number of clubs and nights over the next 12 months. I predict at least 2 more clubs (whole premises not just one night) will close by December 2005, and many more one off nights and regular promotions. Its time for a drastic change in direction.....

I think the futue is in quality late bars rather than your traditional night clubs.

I have to agree Sheffield is slow to adopt this but the bars that do open late seem to do well.

I went down west street a couple of weeeks ago and the harley and a few other bars that were open were very busy although it was a friday night.

Another example is Napoleons on ecclesall road which although it is a members casino, has a good sized bar upstairs which gets very busy on a friday saturday night I am convinced that this is partly down to the fact that there is very lttle competition for a slightly older crowd who want to stay out later but don't want to go to a club.

Try going to urban gorrilla or headcharge. Still 2 of the best clubs in the country.

I think if you talk to any club in Sheffield their numbers will be down on a week for week comparison with the same time a year ago....

this is true for the tired but not those pushing things forward, scuba this year has been consistantly the best run of attendance over the last 3 years; sell out every weekend bar about 10 saturdays which were about 50 people down (until the weekend before last of course!). i would say the main reason for this is that we diversified when a lot of clubs have rested on their laurels or tried to sell old rope... also look at the innovation of nights such as lights down low, urban gorilla, sub rosa, razor stiletto... all have enjoyed success in the wake of other clubs falling on their lazy arse.

people constantly need new things, as long as club nights recognise this basic rule of thumb then they will have longevity... but house nights circa 99 or whatever no longer wash with the ever more complex psychology of what makes people tick. the whole dj superstar culture has passed, but live shows will always impress, or interesting concepts will also impress... but sticking on a big dj in any any old club is a bit insulting to most self respecting people these days.

Not enough drugs. Two years ago you couldnt move for a bit of nosebag but now its becoming harder and harder. I find it so difficult nowadays:(

Originally posted by Ronsize
2 Even Kingdom had no queue the other Friday at 11:30 p.m.


Suspect lack of students, to much to hope that maybe people have developed some taste and dignity.

You should have been at the shin dig at Workstation last night. Very new, very exciting very good.

Also look out for the next Stufft Olives at Sheffield Uni, only a year old but got a huge following. Next one is 22nd Oct.

I know this one has been bandied about before, but a planning application has recently been put in to convert the old Sally Army Citadel into a nightclub!

Where is the salvation army place?

On the corner opp Peace Gardens - where cars turn to go to John Lewis car park.

thought that was going to be living room bar but they couldnt get a late liecence so did york instead?

but i know they are trying to find new venues

Originally posted by Andy C
I know this one has been bandied about before, but a planning application has recently been put in to convert the old Sally Army Citadel into a nightclub!

i looked into this about a year ago, somebody had already tried applying for a late license and had been declined because of the accomodation nearby... the estate agent made it quite clear so i pursued it no further.

it is a shame tho because it would make an awesome venue (a little on the large side maybe), the main auditorium upstairs in incredible!

something is going on with it tho, builders are in there at the moment, i would suspect it will be a bar or something.

I definately agree and have been thinking the same for some time. I also remember pulse and vogue down attercliffe, very cheesy but way better than kingdom and it was a cheaper taxi fair back to chap. miss the capitol also so much, had some brilliant nights in there :(

You guys have failed to mention all the competition which has been offered from other cities around us- Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham....

All these cities tend to have a ''buzzin'' atmosphere in the city centre whereas....sheffield has only clocked onto this recently - dats y we're building the gateway to the city centre which may bring new life into the city centre- especially between the trainstation and city centre....


i fink nxt yr tings will start to get better!!Touch wood!!

What the gateway to the city ?

1 Reason only- Sheffield City council!!!!!!

They refuse late licenses, stop clubs from opening and are trying to stop the problems of drink/drugs by making everyone stay in, its absolutly mad.

Nottingham on a saturday night is amazing- the city centre is alive with people going out and enjoying themselves round all the bars instead of everyone trying to cram themselves into the 6 or 7 decent bars in town and throwing as much alcohol down there neck before 11pm as possible.

have to say i totally agree with snottyandy:hihi: notts ace. and the shops are cool too. lots prettier than to walk around

Originally posted by NatalieSheff
have to say i totally agree with snottyandy:hihi: notts ace. and the shops are cool too. lots prettier than to walk around

Oi you!!! I have requested a name change so don't u take the mickey :P

Originally posted by Scottandandy
Oi you!!! I have requested a name change so don't u take the mickey :P
international man of mystery?? what you doing over christmas, what nitelife you after?????:hihi:

the problem is that sheffield city council has no game plan. they let the money do the talking, which means that massive chain bars and property developers get all the attention simply because their money is welcome.

they fail to see the importance of a vibrant and diverse nightlife for the welfare of the city, this should rank alongside art gallerys, theatres and so on as part of the city's culture... rather than the occasional mention of gatecrasher as being iconic of sheffield having a thriving nightlife... they simply dont have a clue.

the council doesnt support the club scene, they only see it as being a bunch of gangsters littering the city centre with flyposters and bringing in people with guns.

help us out! give us some flyposter sites, be flexible with licenses and do your job and sort out the gangsters rather than blaming it on the clubs!!!

:help:

we have good nights still UG, RS, Headcharge but even these seem to be the new "cool" and lots of little chavs appear to have picked up on it.

Prices are one thing. Pying £12 to get into UG is fine (as lets be honest not many will be drinking lots of alcohol)

However, unless you are a student club nights seem to be getting more and more pricy.

My dancy mates either go to UG or disappear to Manchester, Leeds, Notts.

I hate GC but it brought lots of people into the city. So did the Music Factory.

Sheffield council and businessmen seem to lack any imagination. The result is that we tend to follow other cities a year down the line and so its old hat.

Bars are full of idiots. So are most clubs.

Leadmill (once the best club in the country. Now a bit of a joke imo- poor music, no atmosphere, unfriendly drunks, bad nights, terrible bouncers.

Kingdon :gag: but has gained a lot of ground on Leadmill

Corp-Dive

Clubs have closed and no replacement. Late bars are full of fights and idiots. A quiet relaxed late drinking place is hard to find.

Plus points:

more late licences = idiots more widely dispersed.

but truly woeful clubs. so so so so so so bad.

I don't even consider going unless its a very special event.

Screw the clubs, go underground :thumbsup:

Originally posted by aNTAcid
Screw the clubs, go underground :thumbsup:

Warehouses are a bit cold this time of year!!

Town is stale, with a few exceptions. The big club nights are not offering anything they weren't doing 2 years ago & the smaller club nights are struggling, despite their good line up's with club closures, etc.

One place that has seen a bit of an increase is Shef Uni. The numbers up there have gone from 150,000 a year two years a go to almost a quarter of a million last year. Many of the nights appeal to the mass student population, Juice, Frouk & Pop Tarts, but these nights pull in 4000 students per week. The Tuesday Club, Fuzz Club & Bleach, Stuff't Olives, Climax & the one off Diversion nights offer something a bit different in a highly competitive market. Fuzz Club attracts over a 1000 students & non students per week. You get 2/3 up & coming bands, cheap drinks, a safe & welcoming environment, all for £3.50 in advance.

Look what happened to Leeds, Liverpool & to a degree Manchester when late bar licences were given out on-mass. Clubs closed, bars went from strength to strength. Eventually clubs caught up & each city has some strong club nights that are the envy of Sheffield. Should be interesting when the licenising law changes come into effect in November 2005.

Is it just due to changing tastes as people get older?

I used to love going clubbing a few years ago, but now it's just horrible: dirty venues, drinks/sick all over the floor, too loud, poor value for money, aggressive people, not enough taxis, etc.

I think perhaps Sheffield nightlife NEEDS to go backwards. By about 35, 40 years...

I would really like a venue that is a true "nightclub", as in the "old days" when they had tables and food and a jazz singer. Something a bit classy, where you get what you pay for (and I personally would be prepared to pay quite a bit).

Does this kind of place exist in Sheffield? Surely I'm not the only one who would enjoy this? Granted, I know nothing about the commercial aspects of this kind of thing, so it may not be feasible anyway.

Originally posted by aNTAcid
Screw the clubs, go underground :thumbsup:

PM me with any news mate

Perhaps it's not the bars, pubs and clubs that are the problem, but you lot just getting bored of the same old routine?

I now make the effort to have a night out in a different city some weekends, and it makes the difference.

Two easy ones on a Friday night: Manchester - trains come back to Sheffield through the night, and Derby - last train back is 00:34.

Then of course if you get a decent crowd together it is affordable to book a minibus to take you to Leeds or Nottingham and back...

Or if you can afford it, travel to somewhere further afield and stay over in budget accommodation.

That way you are getting variety, and then on the weekends you do the home town you enjoy it more.

Just think if you are stuck in a rut - if you can name what bar you will be in at what time any weekend you probably are.

Originally posted by Scottandandy
1 Reason only- Sheffield City council!!!!!!

They refuse late licenses, stop clubs from opening and are trying to stop the problems of drink/drugs by making everyone stay in, its absolutly mad.

Nottingham on a saturday night is amazing- the city centre is alive with people going out and enjoying themselves round all the bars instead of everyone trying to cram themselves into the 6 or 7 decent bars in town and throwing as much alcohol down there neck before 11pm as possible.

Sheffield City Council is NOT to blame - they are not the ones responsible for granting licenses! It is the fuddy duddy old magistrates who probably don't even drink in town.

However in a few months time when the new laws apply then the council take over responsibility for licensing - then we might see some difference for the better?

You know what I'd like to see - some cool people taking over the disused industrial buildings and turning them into fun party & retail spaces.

Inspirations for this idea come from things like Luftkastellet in Copenhagen where a bunch of arty kids converted a huge disused warehouse into a space with a nightclub, sleeping quarters and a cafe. Apparently it was way cool.

Or just take a walk around Brick Lane in London. Some great old buildings are now selling second hand clothes or are bedouin-style cafe's or are clubs such as 93 feet East.

All of this stuff comes up from the ground - that's where the interesting stuff occurs and not from the corporates, whose bottom line is the all-mighty dollar.

Rant over.

p.s. I've even got a name for my disused-warehouse event idea. We could call it 'Der'lict' (if you've seen Zoolander you'll get my drift), and the first building we could hold a huge party in would be Forgemasters!

i hoped they were gonna do up that brewery on eccle rd near waitross, but it became more apartments

Originally posted by E-Man Groovin

Or just take a walk around Brick Lane in London. Some great old buildings are now selling second hand clothes or are bedouin-style cafe's or are clubs such as 93 feet East.

All of this stuff comes up from the ground - that's where the interesting stuff occurs and not from the corporates, whose bottom line is the all-mighty dollar.


Nice post. London has money and everthing is central in one way or another... I agree that there's not enough 'doers' in this world and too many talkers.

Well, having put on a few big parties on in warehouses, it aint that easy. The police are really not keen, and people have a habit of exploring the old buildings and putting themselves in danger by doing stupid things

Originally posted by E-Man Groovin
You know what I'd like to see - some cool people taking over the disused industrial buildings and turning them into fun party & retail spaces.

Inspirations for this idea come from things like Luftkastellet in Copenhagen where a bunch of arty kids converted a huge disused warehouse into a space with a nightclub, sleeping quarters and a cafe. Apparently it was way cool.

Or just take a walk around Brick Lane in London. Some great old buildings are now selling second hand clothes or are bedouin-style cafe's or are clubs such as 93 feet East.

All of this stuff comes up from the ground - that's where the interesting stuff occurs and not from the corporates, whose bottom line is the all-mighty dollar.

Rant over.

p.s. I've even got a name for my disused-warehouse event idea. We could call it 'Der'lict' (if you've seen Zoolander you'll get my drift), and the first building we could hold a huge party in would be Forgemasters!

it would be great but it all takes money. we don't have many rich adventurous or generous people around here. And regardless of the state of the property owners appear to want to demand silly money

I think it has definitely gone backlwards. There was a time a couple of years ago and you had tues club, phonetics, ny sushi, remedy, scuba and smaller nights like disoriental and all that. It seems that good nights create good nights if you know what i mean. they bounce off each other i think. a couple of them go and the whole things is weaker. i think urban gorilla is just another pills place. I appreciate what they are trying to do but 12 pounds !!!! For christ's sake.

i think sheffield people are to blame too, they don't support the nights enough

sort of see whzt u mean, im an old gc and bed girl and things just arent the same.

I remember being at Uni and people from Nottingham, Lincs, Derby etc going on about how good Music Factory was.

More recently I know people from all round the country who visited Sheffield specifically to go to Gatecrasher at its height.

Now we have nothing to attract people from outside (or inside) the city

true, thats why leeds gets my vote at present - just gets expensive with hotels and stuff

I know some of my friends go to Manchester or Leeds and one of them is the elected driver so no accommodation costs

Tis going through a period of flux but there's always stuff round the corner....think the main problem in Sheff is venues. Not ideas. That Golden girl is right: nights do feed off each other. Sometimes too much of similar stuff can make the scene a bit of a tourist route like Leeds...but too little makes it harder to push against the flow....

i just find leeds unbelievably friendly and more my age (24) sheffield full of kids and drunk boys at min, and no decent place to hang.
elected driver? thats usually me cos cant be bothered to drink as its so POO

Originally posted by NatalieSheff
i just find leeds unbelievably friendly and more my age (24) sheffield full of kids and drunk boys at min, and no decent place to hang.
elected driver? thats usually me cos cant be bothered to drink as its so POO

Sheffields Building up nicely and 2005 should be interesting. Plenty of parties on the horizon, with a little diversity, something for everyone. Had the misfortune to visit Leeds a few weeks back for the first time in years. What a load of Pishh!!! Had to follow my companions around and que to get into ram packed bars full of the 3 in 1 haircut mob, who seemed strangely intent on trouble and none of the friendlyness i experience in Sheffield. Ended up in Basics which was not up to much at all, it honestley seemed to me that al the weekend tourists and students either wanted a piece of u or something to chuck up there noses. The town is saturated with venues catering to these tourists and students and the drink prices and music policies were reflective. The fellows over there will be looking to us in Sheffield and wondering what we are doing right. Like I said 2005 is just a round the corner an I feel its going to be a belter!!!

Having worked in Nottingham for a couple of years, I noticed how competitive the place is to promote in. The place is full of late bars where you can have a hassle (d#ckhead) free drink.

The problem is that the place is saturated with bars and clubs now, to the point where Nottingham City council aren't issuing any more licenses. Think the police object cos a BBC Panorama doco 2 years ago!

Still, moved back to Sheffield a few months ago and have noticed that there seems to be less good nights around. Maybe we are seeing a change of culture in going out, which is being driven by the intent to reduce binge drinking etc.

Although I do not agree that closing the clubs is the answer. nor is putting drinks prices up cos people will just fill up on Tesco cheap booze before going out!

anyhow something is afoot!