Speakeasy With Style

Cabaret Voltaire has been the beating heart of the Edinburgh clubbing map for the last two and a bit years. But some might argue they've had an easy ride on the popularity wagon, being one of only a handful of credible underground music venues in Edinburgh. However, things are taking a turn in the capital's nightlife landscape, with two new live music venues - Voodoo Rooms and GRV - opening in November and the Cab upping the stakes and making its clubbers a little more comfortable with the addition of its new room, the Speakeasy.

Sarah David of Cabaret Voltaire explains: "As you get older there are certain things that you require on a night out. It's not really because as you hit thirty you suddenly like Westlife, it's the fact you actually want to go to a gig or club, have a seat, talk to your mates, even order the occasional real martini and still enjoy good music." The Speakeasy accommodates those night-owls who have been put off by crowded venues with dripping walls and have begun to stay at home, so it takes something pretty special to coax them out. Sarah rightly points out: "You can't get these things in an underground venue anymore: there's been a horrible move in venues towards plastic interiors, LED lighting and run-of-the-mill club nights which are stifling the experience of going out. I think clubbers' expectations are constantly getting higher and it's important for an underground venue like the Cab to cater to their needs."

All fittings in the Speakeasy are hand-made, the floor is inlaid with copper, oak, and black glass, a sunken booth and table is a main feature of the room and the bar will be fully stocked with cocktail ingredients and tended by high-end professional barristas. On top of this, Speakeasy goers will enjoy free pre-club table bookings so you can guarantee a seat, table service and whole bottles of spirits available from the bar, plus complimentary mixers, and - wait for it - real glass glasses. The Speakeasy is a space that could easily fit 500 but the Cabaret Voltaire's capacity will be increasing only by 120. Gone are the days of sore feet and squashed, overheating clubbers; the Speakeasy will simply facilitate more space to party in - in style.

But where does the music figure in all of this? A soundsystem, hooked up to downstairs, will pipe tunes up but a full acoustic rig will give it a life of its own. With Roisin Murphy opening the room on 30 November, the Sugababes in for a full acoustic show in December, and special one-off nights, the Speakeasy is the right setting within Cabaret Voltaire for a more intimate gig. "This is all about making the building more multi-functional," says Sarah. "The Speakeasy has natural daylight so we are opening up the use of the room to all kinds of art exhibitions, book readings, and bringing the Cab back to life in the daytime too.

"The underground scene is so vibrant," Sarah continues. "It's really important that we take stock of what is happening around us, and the way people are clubbing and realise we aren't getting 'old'; there are scenes that haven't always been our thing." While it's obvious from the queues and the dancefloors that there are more than enough clubbers to go around in Edinburgh, it's also obvious that having a choice of where to go is no longer just defined by the DJ or the gig; the setting is becoming an increasingly large factor in a clubber's decision. Just as venues will offer indie nights, metal gigs and nu-rave/electro-clash/mash-up nights, owners are understanding that it won't do anymore to just jam us into a sweaty room and turn up the volume. The Edinburgh night-life industry may be small, but the next few months will undoubtedly prove that is not lacking in style.