Hetherington: Going Flat Out

As most students past or present will know, the studying can often play second fiddle to the partying, with so many clubs offering cheesy student nights for the masses. Some dens of debauchery designed for students and their friends have that little something extra to offer however, and that is definitely the case with the Hetherington Research Club - two flats converted into a venue for some of the best underground nights in Glasgow, and garnering a growing reputation. The venue is still used as a student union for postgraduates at Glasgow University but non-members can now access the array of nights by simply getting signed in. With regular nights such as the wondrous eclectic music fest that is Audio Ice Cream and the more indie-focused Feed the 5000, they are now joined by a raft of nights to whet the appetite.

Manager of the club, Fiona Dalrymple, explains to us just what makes the venue unique: "The building is a converted Victorian house, with many of the original period fixtures, so has a more house party feel than many venues nearby. It is a fairly small venue, which suits a more intimate style of gathering." The small, cosy club has also been used by big hitters such as Optimo recently, and is growing via word of mouth in Glasgow at the moment. This has been fuelled by SubCity radio getting in on the action with their own club nights.

One event to make its debut in December is the Huntley and Palmers Audio Club. The club is named after the 50s terminology used in regards to homosexuals and prostitutes, when committees discussed their decriminalisation. The December launch welcomed Pilooski and Traxx Jamie Thomson. Andy Thompson, promoter of Hunter and Palmers, tells the Skinny why the Research Club matches his night perfectly: "It's quality music in a unique and intimate venue. It's basically two tenement flats with bars on either floor." Andy originally visited the venue on a previous night and was impressed enough to start his own night there. "I first visited the venue when Optimo used it for one of their Black Rabbit Whorehouse nights earlier this year and have wanted to do something there since," he explains. "It [was] the perfect size for Pilooski's profile and sound just now," says Andy, referencing the recent appearance of the rising Parisian DJ, launched into fame through his recent remix of Frankie Valli's Begging - a definite one to watch in the next year.

The night was one of many unmissable events in the growing roster of regular and irregular nights at the Hetherington Research Club. Although the club is still listed as members only, most Saturdays look accessible to anyone with a distinguished and developed musical palate.

Dalrymple tells us that many of the regular nights are set to return in the New Year, plus plenty of other exciting new projects. Huntley and Palmers returns in February with good cause, as Andy Thompson tells us: "The feedback from our first event was excellent with the venue in particular being praised to the highest!" All the events have that special underground flavour that suit the venue so perfectly, and are hard to legally find elsewhere in the city, so keep checking the website for the latest in up and coming nights.