festdirectory Top ten after hours Cabaret Voltaire
36 BLAIR STREET, EH1 1QR 0131 220 6176 THECABARETVOLTAIRE.COM
Perhaps Edinburgh’s best known club, Cabaret Voltaire has earned its reputation. With three dancefloors and two bars across two levels, “Cab Vol” combines intimacy and originality within the vaults of the Old Town. Second only to The Bongo Club in terms of music, it is dedicated to playing a wide variety of artists and providing a venue for cuttingedge DJs, bands and electronic musicians. You can squeeze your way to the front speakers on the main dancefloor, or find some muchneeded space at the upstairs bar. Be prepared for queues that snake down the Cowgate, as well as stifling heat on the basement level during festival season. But rest assured, it’s worth it. [PB]
The Jazz Bar
1A CHAMBERS STREET, EH1 1HR 0131 220 4298 THEJAZZBAR.CO.UK
The Jazz Bar is a club with style. For a modest entry fee you will be treated to a dimly lit, ultra-urbane ambience, lifted straight out of 1950s Chicago. Live funk, blues, world music and, of course, of jazz can all be found in the sultry recesses of this most atmospheric of venues. You might want to do your drinking elsewhere as the Jazz Bar is far from cheap, but you won’t need a drop to appreciate this venue: simply lean back and enjoy some of the finest late-night live music in Edinburgh. [PB]
The Store
THE STORE, 37 GUTHRIE ST, EH1 1JG 0131 220 2987
Formerly The GRV, this little-known club is hidden down a narrow close, wedged between the bustling activity of Chamber St and the revelry of the Cowgate. Friendly staff, a two-bar set-up and a wide variety of clientèle make this one of the most inviting and interesting alternative clubs in Edinburgh. Music spans a variety of genres including funk, soul, indie and techno. Boasting a total of four rooms and two bars, it is easy to get served and find your niche for the night. [PB]
ST
FE ITE FAVOUR
Bongo Club 37 HOLYROOD ROAD, EH8 8BA 0131 558 8844, THEBONGOCLUB.CO.UK
Sneaky Pete’s
73 COWGATE, EDINBURGH, EH1 1JW SNEAKYPETES.CO.UK
Jungle, funk, electro, soul... ceilidh? Bongo’s got it all, offering the widest variety of music of any night-time destination in Edinburgh. Add into the equation a generous portion of free events, a large dancefloor and an impressive soundsystem and you’ve got a proper nightclub designed around proper music lovers. The Bongo Club is the perfect location for mingling with music enthusiasts, from vintage 90s ravers to manic first-year students and nascent young DJs cutting their teeth on the local scene. The walls may be bare, the paint chipped, and by the end of a night, the floor may be slick with the collective sweat from hundreds of flailing, colliding bodies, but if you like your bass heavy and your music raw, a night at Bongo is an exhilarating must. [PB]
Small in size but big on charm, Sneaky Pete’s is a clubbing gem tucked in amongst the larger outfits on the Cowgate. More of a stopping place on a night out to bigger venues than a destination FRIGHT in itself, it NIGHT nevethless Mark Olver has a range after a gig? The Liquid of cheap What do you do I bber or drinker, so drinks deals Room “I’m not really a clu to and go home 9C VICTORIA STREET, and a wide usually finish a gig ep. In Edinburgh EH1 2HE variety of a good book, or sle r.” tte na 0131 225 2564 I’ll find a corner & live musiLIQUIDROOM.COM RTRAIT OF MARK OLVER: PO cians that A SERIAL KILLER ES CAV E @ TH pass through While it is first-andits doors. This foremost a large-capacity year has seen indie gig venue, The Liquid Room newcomers Yuck and punk also puts on a decent selection of club oddballs Gay For Johnny Depp take nights, such as the house and electroup an evening residence at the themed Bump Thursdays, or the nosclub, while the ace, up-and-coming talgia-tinged Madchester nights. The electronic duo Mount Kimbie made dancefloor is ideal for throwing down their second appearance there in some moves, with plenty of room late 2010. [PB/DH] to stretch out and thrash around.
Meanwhile, a full-size stage provides a great performance platform for a variety of bands and DJs. If dancing isn’t your thing and you’d rather just chill, listen and watch, grab a drink and observe the mayhem below from the balcony. [PB]
GHQ
4 PICARDY PLACE, EH1 3JT 0845 166 6024 SOCIALANIMAL.CO.UK/EDINBURGH/ GHQ
GHQ is the diamond in the very rough rough that is Edinburgh’s unfortunately rather shabby, limited gay scene. If you
Bashir Lazhar ‘Passionate...... Chilling’ (VUE magazine)
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