Scotland's best student clubbing

First time clubbing in Caledonia? Fair warning for everyone who’s just arrived to our shores – expect an altogether more intense clubbing experience in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee

Feature by Claire Francis | 12 Sep 2016

It’s difficult to capture just what imbues Scotland’s scene with such a distinctive energy: the constant West Coast rain may have a lot to do with our fondness for congregating indoors. Countless DJs have suggested the 3am closing times prompt an urgency you don’t find elsewhere; others look further back, to the heady escapism of Scottish rave culture in a 1980s post-industrial landscape. In any case, if it’s a late one you’re after, don’t despair. If you’re still standing when the clock strikes three, you’ll no doubt catch wind of the many after-parties we can’t mention here.

So let’s jump in – here, we present to you the venues, events and parties you absolutely need to know about. You’re welcome.

Glasgow Clubbing

If ever there was a venue that epitomised Scotland’s passion for clubbing, it’s the Sub Club (or ‘Subby’ to those in the know). Going strong since 1987, the venue continues to attract the greatest names in house, techno and beyond, and is a regular fixture in Top Ten lists of clubs both in Europe and around the world. Sub Club is also home to one of Europe’s finest sound systems, employing a bodysonic dancefloor that literally roots the building’s foundations in sound. 

The venue took a temporary hiatus earlier this year, closing for some weeks for an interior spruce-up. Many feared that their beloved, slightly grimy venue would be drastically altered, but the low-ceiling basement returned as dark and dance-ready as ever – just a little more clean and spacious.

Sub Club is also the spiritual home of Optimo. Founded in 1997, DJs Twitch and Wilkes have since seen their club brand go global, with appearances on Boiler Room and RBMA, and shows in more countries than you’ll ever visit. The Jamaica Street club has also been home to residents Harri & Domenic's Subculture party since 1994, and was also an early home to Glasgow techno favourites Slam.

More recently, promoters such as Numbers and Sensu have become staples at the venue. Sub Club’s guests are many and varied, but always top quality – acts this year have included The Black Madonna, Agoria, Bicep, and the inimitable Derrick Carter, as well as a Boiler Room set showcasing local talents Jackmaster and Denis Sulta.

Downstairs at Max’s Bar on Queen Street you’ll find La Cheetah Club, one of the city’s best small-room outfits. Boasting a powerful Funktion-One system, a striking, slightly raised square DJ box, and recently updated fit-out, the teeny-tiny space packs a mean punch when it comes to electronic music. It’s here that Code stage their dark, driving techno events, and the WE SHOULD HANG OUT MORE crew bring 100% positive vibes with their unhinged disco-funk selections. Upstairs in Max’s Bar, you can always count on some excellent tunes from the venue’s resident DJs. La Cheetah guests this year have included Helena Hauff, Rebecca Vasmant and Joy Orbinson.

A devastating fire that destroyed part of the iconic Glasgow School of Art made headlines in 2014, but it’s The Art School, home to the Glasgow School of Art Students' Association, that always features prominently in Glasgow’s clubbing highlights. The venue has always been a particular favourite for those in need of a midterm blowout and perhaps has a bolder approach to clubbing than the more commercial spots around town.

The venue’s appeal comes from its ability to attract a variety of local and international acts, while making sure it maintains a strong focus on new and experimental sounds too. The Art School re-opened in fine style following a refurbishment process in 2014, and local outfits (and Art School regulars) Animal Farm, Dense & Pika and Huxley have featured this year.

The Berkeley Suite is Glasgow’s best venue for all things funk and disco (alongside some excellent house and techno acts, to boot). An intimate venue in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it location at Charing Cross, it plays host to some of the finest DJs from around the globe as well as some cutting-edge club events. The cult disco night Supermax with DJ Billy Woods sees queues stretching around the block on a monthly basis, and the venue also hosts reggae heavyweights Mungo’s Hi-Fi with their ‘Walk N Skank’ Thursdays. Nightmares On Wax, OOFT! and Ivan Smagghe have all drawn big crowds this year. Be warned – this downstairs venue gets crowded, sweaty and HOT.

Venturing further into the West End, SWG3 (Studio Warehouse Glasgow) runs an annual programme of exhibitions, gigs, clubs and events as well as being home to a community of over 120 artists and designers. Located in an archway by the motorway in Glasgow's West End, SWG3 hosts a programme of live music which straddles all manner of genres, from local musicians and touring artists alike. Pressure’s parties here are HUGE, and this year Guy Gerber, Len Faki, Bonobo, Adam Beyer and Nicole Moudaber have all spun up a storm across the multi-room space.

Student clubbing in Edinburgh

Over in the capital, the holy trinity of Cabaret Voltaire, The Liquid Room and La Belle Angele are where you’ll find those who take their house and techno seriously.

Cabaret Voltaire is a city centre nightclub situated in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town. The club itself is part of the cavernous network of the Edinburgh Vaults built deep underneath the city in the 18th century. Club curators FLY CLUB host their weekly underground house & techno party here, with residents Denis Sulta and Theo Kottis. Meanwhile, La Belle Angele and The Liquid Room have both risen from the flames, rather literally. The former made a triumphant return from the ashes, after being destroyed by a fire in 2002, and reopened in 2014 with a slightly bigger venue capacity of around 550; guests this year have included Jonas Kopp, Carl Craig and Hot Chip.

Meanwhile, Old Town club The Liquid Room reopened in 2010 after a fire in 2008 prompted a major upgrade. They host roving Edinburgh party NIGHTVISION, and Tweak’s monthly parties – now fortnightly, due to their increasing popularity – have brought the likes of Tale Of Us and Hot Since 82 to the capital.

In Edinburgh, you can also throw down at Sneaky Pete’s. The Cowgate club is a very literal one-room affair – walk through the door and you’re right in the thick of things. The programming is geared towards students, with guest DJs playing on school nights as well as at the weekends. It may be small capacity, but the venue has already hosted the high calibre acts Jacques Greene, Gerd Janson and David Barbarossa.

Rounding out Edinburgh’s top club spots, the Mash House is a multi-room venue built into a former church. A relatively recent arrival, the gig and club venue has already made an impact with the sheer diversity of its programming. Andy Weatherall’s A Love From Outer Space, Perc, and Prosumer have all played here in recent months.

Clubs in Dundee (and further afield)

Those living in Dundee had best familiarise themselves with The Reading Rooms. Housed in a former public library, the club has been running since 2002, and consistently offers up some of the best club nights to be found north of Edinburgh. Making sure it goes off on the regular is Headway, the city’s longest running house and techno night. Previous guests have included Green Velvet, Daniel Avery and Dave Clarke.

Meanwhile, if you ever find yourself in the tiny town of Paisley, an education in clubbing history can be found in the form of The Club. The Club, formerly known as Club 69 (and before that, Rocksy’s Basement), draws in top class talent – luminaries such as Ivan Kutz and Marc Houle have taken over the decks this year – and the venue has been championing a raw, underground club aesthetic since the 90s, in spite of suffering its share of licensing problems over the years.

Finally, we venture all the way north to Aberdeen, where Tunnels has established itself as one of Scotland’s best out-of-the-way music venues. Refurbished in 2014 with new sound systems, Tunnels is now home for some of the UK's best underground club nights, with events this year from John Talabot, Rødhåd and Alan Fitzpatrick.

But that’s enough erudition for now – get out there and live the music!

http://theskinny.co.uk/clubs