Leamington nightlife in crisis
Students at Warwick have expressed their dismay with the local nightlife and explained why they feel disillusioned with the local clubs.
After previous complaints about overcrowding, Evolve nightclub in Leamington closed its doors due to poor turnout on Monday 22 April.
Students reported that Evolve closed after they purchased tickets, on the door, leaving them out-of-pocket and with nowhere to go.
Becky Long, a second-year student, told the Boar how she went to Evolve at 11.15pm with 10 friends and paid for tickets despite the fact that there were no other customers.
She said: “We decided to drink elsewhere for a bit and come back but the bouncers told us we had to pay straight away.
When we returned at about midnight, they were closing the club because it was so quiet.
“They told us we couldn’t have a refund as they had taken the till away, and that we should speak to our rep. We didn’t have a rep because we bought tickets on the night.”
Biomed student Poppy Graham added: “The new night ‘Mission Monday’ was a complete failure.”
Evolve nightclub were unavailable for comment at the time the Boar went to print.
There were also problems for the popular student-run night ‘Nana’s Palace’ which had moved from Moo Bar to a new venue called LAMP following controversy over the allegedly sexist wall paper.
The night on Wednesday 24 April was cut short at midnight as Leamington council revoked the venue’s temporary licence.
Nana’s Palace issued a statement and offered students free entry.
They told the Boar: “The licence was withdrawn simply because someone at the council was too slow in finishing their paper work.
“LAMP applied well in advance for a mid-week late licence, and have had all their previous ones approved no problem.
“For some reason it didn’t go through, and sometimes these things just happen.
“What should be made clear is that LAMP did everything right, and they applied very early for the licence.”
New club Rehab-Warehouse in Coventry is also experiencing trouble, having issued a statement last month revealing that their licence was under threat.
The club has not revealed why they may get their licence revoked.
Second-year Maths student Luke Cohen preferred clubs in Coventry to the entertainment in Leamington:
“Leamington can only be enjoyed under the influence of several litres of vodka.
“Coventry on the other hand has a lot more to offer, with Kasbah and Jumping Jacks providing entertainment to the sober and drunk alike.”
Comments (1)
Leamington nightlife has been in crisis for some time but not for the reasons you name. It’s also not fair to single out Nana’s Palace as part of the problem which has actually been one of the few nights left in Leamington with any identity to speak of. How about you mention EVE, probably one of Leamington’s most forward-thinking, unique nights which brought renowned electronic musicians to the Midlands getting ended because of low turnouts? And how about you mention the fact that none of these new club nights, Twisted, Fly, Mission etc. have any identity or personality whatsoever. Leamington nightlife now has to conform to uniform standards at the risk of alienating people and that’s as much the fault of the clientele as it is the venues.