Joy

If you've spent any time at all on Edinburgh's gay scene, chances are you've been to Joy. The venue is on two floors: upstairs is essentially a dance floor, largely populated by guys, almost all of them dancing to the mix of trance and house. Downstairs is more chilled, the music upbeat but refreshingly absent of cheese, with a higher female population (who get to deal with toilets that are unpleasant even by club standards: damp and paperless by midnight). Joy attracts an older crowd (roughly 25-35) than the weeknight clubs, and the associated lack of costumes and student drama makes it notably less camp. The bar staff are friendly; in fact, everybody is friendly. Varied music, a diverse crowd, and they sell earplugs behind the bar (a welcome defence against the decibels): Joy's classic status is well-deserved. [Cate Simpson]