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 Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 4:06 am Post subject: NIGHTLIFE IN UK (SCOTLAND) |
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NIGHTLIFE IN UK (SCOTLAND)
EDINBURGH
The days when Edinburgh’s nightlife was a bit tame and local punters went through to Glasgow for a decent night out are long gone. Edinburgh is booming and its nightlife is following suit with well-heeled locals fuelling a scene that is bolstered by a steady stream of tourists throughout the year. There is no one set area for nightlife with George Street in the New Town, the High Street area of the Old Town, the university sector and the Grassmarket all popular haunts. Broughton Street tends to attract a ‘mixed’ clientele, while the seaside quarter of Leith is popular with the trendy set. The city’s pubs range from traditional taverns with hundreds of years of history behind them, to slinky modern style-bars. After pub closing time, Edinburgh’s club scene offers everything from easy listening to the latest progressive trance, via 1970s and 1980s revival evenings. Live music can be heard everywhere from intimate pubs to the huge Murrayfield Stadium.
Some clubs may require smart dress and alcohol can normally be purchased until 2300. Certain pubs and bars may stay open until 0100, café-bars and restaurants until 0300 and clubs until 0300 (until 0500 during the festival). The legal drinking age is 18. Drink prices vary enormously, depending on the venue – beer varies between £2 to £3 per pint.
Nightlife listings are provided in The List magazine (website: www.list.co.uk), available in newsagents.
Bars: Some good traditional pubs are Bow Bar, 80 West Bow, and Café Royal Circle Bar, 17 West Register Street (which also features great seafood). There are plenty of pubs lining Rose Street (a pedestrianized road behind Princes Street) but the Victorian grandeur is often blighted by hen and stag parties. Also worth trying is The Canny Man’s, 239 Morningside Road, with its highly unusual bric-a-brac décor – beware as cameras are banned. More stylish places to hang out include the Malmaison Hotel Bar, 1 Tower Place, Leith, Ricks, Frederick Street, the Opal Lounge and the Candy Bar, both on George Street, and Indigo Yard, Charlotte Lane. Depending on your favorite tipple, go to the Malt Shovel, Cockburn Street, or The Bow Bar, The West Bow, Victoria Street, to sample whisky; the Cask and Barrel, 115 Broughton Street, for real ale, or Bar Kohl, 54 George IV Bridge, to work your way through the many vodkas on offer. A popular new meeting place is the Villager, 49-50 George IV Bridge. Leith offers everything from raffish old pubs like the Port o’ Leith, 58 Constitution Street, that are not for the faint hearted through to bright style bars like Bar Sirius, Dock Place.
Casinos: The Berkeley Casino (tel: (0131) 228 4446; website: www.casinocity.com/uk/edinburgh/stanedin/), next to the Caledonian hotel, at the west end of Princes Street, and Gala Casino (tel: (0131) 338 4444; website: www.galacasinos.co.uk), Maybury junction, 10 minutes from Edinburgh airport, both require membership, which takes 24 hours to clear. A passport or a driver’s license is required for proof of age (over 18 years only). Dress code for both casinos is smart-casual – Gala does not allow blue jeans, sportswear or trainers.
Clubs: Edinburgh’s club scene is lively and clubs quickly fall in and out of fashion. The Honeycomb, Niddry Street, and Cabaret Voltaire, 36-38 Blair Street, are fairly hip. The Cavendish, 3 West Tollcross, caters for an older crowd and specializes in roots and reggae with dedicated African and Latin nights. Opal Lounge on George Street (website: www.opallounge.co.uk) and Peppermint Lounge, Chambers Street, are also popular. During the festivals in August a number of impromptu events spring up – check with The List magazine at all times of year for the latest listings or check out the local record shops for flyers.
Live Music: The Royal Oak, 1 Infirmary Street, is an unpretentious folk bar, while Sandy Bell’s, 25 Forest Road, also has informal folk sessions. Eighty Queen St, 80 Queen Street and Henry’s Jazz Cellar, 8 Morrison Street, both feature live jazz while Bannerman’s, 212 Cowgate, regularly features new bands. Whistlebinkies, 4-6 South Bridge, is a well established live music bar, with bands playing every night. Check The List magazine for fortnightly (weekly during the August festivals) listings.
GLASGOW
Unlike England and Wales, licensing laws in Scotland allow for much variation – bars may stay open all day, until 2400 or only between 1230-1430 and 1830-2300, while clubs are often open as late as 0300, although last entry is usually at 0100. There are over 700 pubs and bars in the city (evidence that Glaswegians like a tipple now and again) as well as numerous nightclubs catering for all musical tastes. A number of the venues listed below blur the boundaries, morphing from bar to club and often serving very decent meals as well.
The nightlife scene varies from the student hangouts of the West End to style bars in the Merchant City. The minimum drinking age is 18 and there are generally no dress codes, although smarter clubs may not permit jeans or trainers.
Tickets for most events can be purchased at Virgin Megastore, Buchanan Street (tel: 0141) 353 2993) or through the Ticket Center (tel: (0870) 040 4000; website: www.secctickets.com). The main guide to going out is The List (website: www.list.co.uk).
Bars: The Horseshoe, 17 Drury Street, has the longest continuous bar in the city, although it is still difficult to get a place there at the weekend. Bargo, 80 Albion Street, is a popular pre-clubbing venue with a stylish industrial interior in the Merchant City. Bar 10, 10 Mitchell Lane, just off Buchanan Street in the heart of the city, is a popular and stylish bar, serving food. Spy Bar, 153 Bath Street, is a happening pre-club hangout, with DJs at the weekend. The revamped Centre for Contemporary Arts, 350 Sauchiehall Street (website: www.cca-glasgow.com), attracts an arty crowd – and has club nights as well.
Casinos: The main gambling venues include the Stanley Berkeley Casino, 506-516 Sauchiehall Street, the Gala Casino Merchant City, 18 Glassford St and the Gala Riverboat Casino, 61 Broomielaw. Dress code is smart and only those over 18 years are allowed entrance. As with all casinos in the UK, membership (which must be applied for with appropriate ID, at least 24 hours in advance) is required.
Clubs: As in many cities, the club scene in Glasgow is ever evolving and the music and atmosphere of a venue can change from night to night. Check out The List or get some local advice if you do not like surprises. The Tunnel, 84 Mitchell Street, is a large club with top DJs spinning different styles of house. China White, 158 Bath Street, offers R&B sounds to the smart set, while Archaos, 25-37 Queen Street, offers everything from R&B, dance and house. The Arches (website: www.thearches.co.uk), located in a cavernous brick-vaulted space at 253 Argyle Street, has club nights in addition to live bands and theater. The Corinthian, 191 Ingram Street, and nearby Artà, 13 Walls Street, are both happening spots in the Merchant City, serving food as well as tunes. The Polo Lounge, 84 Wilson Street, is a popular gay club.
Live Music: Large-scale pop and rock concerts take place at the Clyde Auditorium in the SECC, off junction 19 of the M8, with its own dedicated railway station (trains depart from Glasgow Central station), as well as at the Barrowland, 244 Gallowgate, near the Barras market and Carling Academy (website: www.glasgow-academy.co.uk) on Bridge Street. Up-and-coming bands play at the venerable King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, 272A St Vincent Street (website: www.kingtuts.co.uk), where the Mancunian band, Oasis, was discovered. The Bar Fly Club, 260 Clyde Street, is another good spot, with a range of styles. Jazz acts perform occasionally at Brel, 39-43 Ashton Lane.
The best bet for folk music is the annual Celtic Connections festival (see Special Events). Throughout the year, The Riverside Club, 33 Fox Street, hosts ceilidh dances at the weekend, drawing an energetic crowd. Molly Malone’s, 224 Hope Street, has live Irish music nightly, ranging from traditional folk to Celtic rock, while Park Bar, 1202 Argyle Street, is a good spot for Highland sounds at the weekend. Scotia Bar and Clutha Vaults, both on Stockwell Street, are great pubs with authentic folk music thrown in for good measure. |
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