It’s our party, we can do what we want to

Megan Hills shows us where to drop it like it’s hot, bringing us the ultimate nightlife guide for 2013

If you’re at Warwick, you’re probably here to get a degree. You’re probably also here to take advantage of our state of the art research facilities and the breadth of culture in the Warwick Arts Centre. That said, you’re probably also here to get blind drunk and tear up nightclub dance floors far and wide. In which case, I salute you and offer you some golden nuggets of wisdom I wish I’d known as a fresher:

Warwick SU

It’s nice not to have to stagger too far after a vicious few hours of pre-drinking, especially if you’re in heels and/or dressed up as a turtle for some inevitable society initiation. Here’s what the university has to offer:

Pop!

• Entry fee: £3
• Every Wednesday
• Doors open at 7pm for circling, 10pm for everyone else

Pop! is easily the guiltiest of all partying pleasures at Warwick and is always the best fancy dress excuse to bring out that Teletubbies onesie. If you’re looking for a nostalgia kick, the DJ plays familiar 90s tunes such as S Club 7’s ‘Reach For the Stars’ and an inevitable collection of Spice Girls songs all night long. You’ll catch even your most cynical friends slapping tiger paint on and rapping along to the Fresh Prince, the energy at Pop! is always infectious. Get the most out of the night by joining a society and participating in a circle, complete with drinking games, punishments and pints upon pints of cheap purple.

Skool Dayz

• Entry fee: £5
• Selected Saturdays once a month

Easily the busiest SU event, Skool Dayz is such an experience that finalists and alumni students just keep on coming back for more. Pull out that old school uniform you put to rest in your closet after A’ Levels and punch out the lenses on some 3D glasses, everyone’s doing the same. Featuring favourite 90s ballads like the Pokemon theme tune and drunken renditions of the opening to the Lion King, Skool Dayz is sure to throw you into a golden haze of nostalgia.

Drop

• Entry fee: £4
• Selected Fridays
• Doors open at 10

One of the SU’s brand new nights, Drop promises to be a sanctuary for all of Warwick’s resident electro/house lovers. It’s not at all far from home, meaning you don’t have to shell out twenty quid for a cab to Leamington, and boasts cutting edge music straight out of the nightclub circuit. Keep an eye out for guest DJs such as rising star Hannah Wants and one of the hottest producers in the London nightclub circuit.

 

Bit bored of campus? Grab a cab with a few mates or organize a ticket from Uni Express (including a queue jump and round-trip bus tickets) and explore the world beyond the gatehouse:

Coventry

Kasbah

When it comes to size, nothing in the SU or Leamington rivals Kasbah’s three massive floors and beautiful smoking garden (complete with cocktail bar and, wait for it, a barbecue area). Some people may be apprehensive about sharing club space with Coventry University students, but they’re really just there to get as wasted as you are and have a good time. That said, be careful going about Coventry at night – try to get cabs to take you straight to the club door or invest in a Uni Express ticket.

Poptastic

• Entry: £5, £11 Uni Express return Every Monday
• Drinks deals: £1 Strongbow and Carlsberg, £2 Jagerbombs

Kinky

• Entry: £5, £11 Uni Express return
• Every Friday
• Drinks deals: £1.50 Jagerbombs/selection of beers/selection of house spirits
• Music: popular, live, alternative

 

Birmingham

Gatecrasher

Gatecrasher is a club that demands your classiest dress and best shirt, the enormous venue with a number of rooms is easily the classiest clubbing option available to students. While absolutely stunning, it’s a little more expensive and a little far from home- – make sure to pre-drink beforehand. With more than four rooms to lose yourself in, you’ll have a great time but remember to catch that last bus home.

Supersonic Vague

• Entry fee: £5, £14 Uni Express return (recommended)
• Every Friday
• Music: Chart, urban, drum and bass, dubstep, alternative

 

Royal Leamington Spa

Smack

Everyone has a secret soft spot for Smack, the cheap drinks and guaranteed crowds make Tuesdays there one of the more popular student nights. While it is a little smaller than some of the other nightclubs, the downstairs LED room will have you seeing stars all night as you dance on every available surface and throw your hands up against the neon lit ceiling. Try to get there early because it does fill up quickly, you don’t want to be disappointed when your friends’ Smack shenanigans are uploaded to Facebook.

I Love Smack on Tuesdays:

• Entry fee: £5, £11 Uni Express return
• Every Tuesday
• Drinks deals: £1.50 vodka red bull mixers
• Music: LED room – popular music
• Upstairs room – alternative, R&B

Neon

The biggest club in Leamington with three dance floors, Neon’s combination of feel-good music and great student deals make it a Leamington favourite. If you can, be sure to get a queue jump to avoid the massive queues that pile up – if you can’t, then please do be careful because the crowd can sometimes get claustrophobic and aggressive as the wait wears on.

Notorious Mondays:

• Entry: £5
• Every Monday, doors open 11-3
• Drinks deals: £1.50 vodka mixers
• Music: Commercial R&B, hip hop, dance

Jagermonster

• Entry: £5, £11 Uni Express return
• Every other Friday night (Week 1 onwards)
• Drinks deals: £1.50 Jagerbombs/vodka mixers all night
• Main room: commercial and dance, old school hip hop and R&B, dance

Saint Bar

If big venues aren’t your cup of tea, you may want to try Saints on a Thursday. It’s renowned for being a hit with the international students and there always seems to be a society booking out tables and popping champagne as they make their way to the dance floor. A little bit more of an expensive option, but the music’s always great. Try to track down the club photographer – his photos will ten times out of ten always be better than the ones you snapped drunkenly on your iPhone.

Moo Bar

Continuing with the trend of more intimate club settings, Moo Bar is tucked away behind the top of the parade and is for those who tend to shy away from the mainstream. Always jam-packed with arts students, Moo Bar’s quirky décor turns the dance floor into something straight out of Alice in Wonderland.

Nana’s Palace (Parkinsons UK Charity night)

• Entry fee: £3
• Every other Wednesday, doors open 9-2
• Drinks deals: £2 vodka mixers/shots/beers
• Music: Old school, 90s

Jacker’s Delight

• Entry fee: £3
• Every other Wednesday, doors open 10-2
• Drinks deals: £2 vodka mixers/shots/beer