Best Club Nights Out for Warwick University Students

It’s fair to say that Warwick is not famed for its nightlife. We’re definitely no Bristol, Leeds or even Durham (hmm, maybe the last one is a bit too far – at least we’re not all Oxbridge rejects…) However, this doesn’t mean that Warwick students don’t know how have a good time (damn right!) Between campus, Leamington, Coventry and yes, (very) occasionally Birmingham, there are more than a few interesting options for any Warwick students wishing to have a good night out. Here’s the definitive list of the top ten clubs for Warwick students.

 

10. Assembly Saturday (Leamington Spa)

I’ve only been to Assembly on a Saturday once, but it had that much of an impact. While on a Wednesday, the former concert-hall is actually an alright place to circle before Pop!, on a Saturday, you’d sooner see me in the library than on Assembly’s cold and lifeless dancefloor. Drink prices are astronomical, inside is always freezing, and the only clear memory I have from the one time I did go were people being pushed off these weird platforms that were placed randomly in the middle of the main room. Plus, I committed flatcest. I left the club, alone, after five minutes. Avoid!

 

9. Birmingham Night Bus Fridays (Warwick Campus – Birmingham)

 I do believe that the Birmingham Night Bus (to Pryzm or Rosie’s) is a rite of passage for any fresher – everyone should go to Birmingham on a night out once. But once is enough! I’ve been twice myself (though the second time drama in my flat meant I missed the bus and had to take the train) and that was one time too many. Expensive, far away and with no easy way to get home, the Birmingham night bus is like that time you got with your group project partner when you were black-out drunk. Acceptable once, but never again!

 

8. T-Bar Friday (Campus)

Ok, so T-Bar Friday isn’t actually bad. For first years its actually really convenient and drink prices are reasonable. And the DJ takes song requests – I like that. But it’s really a ‘Oh, I’ve got nowhere else to go, so I may as well try it out’ kind of night. Too inconvenient for anyone living off Campus, T-Bar is full of freshers who haven’t discovered the joys of Leamington or have something to do on Saturday morning. Mid!

 

7. Moo Saturday (Leamington Spa)

The first proper Leamington club on the list (Assembly is an abomination), Moo is perhaps unfairly maligned. I’ve only been to Moo once, and I actually had a really good time there. A bit different from the normal Warwick crowd, Moo was full of Leamington locals which was a nice change of pace from the normal smoking area chat of: ‘you took Econ History, by choice? Are you mad…?’ Like the alternative girl who just messaged you in Bumble, why don’t you send a reply and see how it goes. You never know, you may like it!

 

6. Kelsey’s Friday (Leamington Spa)

Kelsey’s divides opinion like nothing else. ‘The music is terrible,’ ‘it only takes cash,’ and ‘eliminator…eww’ are all valid complaints, but on a Friday night, if faced with a boring weekend ahead, you can do a lot worse than a night playing pool at Kelsey’s. Personally, I like the fact that the music isn’t too loud meaning that you can actually talk to people, and that the bar/club usually has a lively atmosphere as many society bar crawls finish there. A more grown-up version of T-Bar Friday, solid!

 

5. Smack Tuesday (Leamington Spa)

We are now reaching the best the midlands have to offer. Before I came to Warwick last year, I was told that the best night outs were Smack, Neon and Kasbah, and these clubs take up three positions in my top five. And though Smack may be my least favourite of the ‘Big Three,’ it’s not bad at all. Positives are the music, the location and the photo opportunity to look taller than you actually are – every basic Warwick student has the photo of them and their mates in front of Smack’s wonky-lined wall saved on their ‘Y1 uni’ Instagram highlights. Negatives include the unbelievably stuffy dancefloor: you are literally breathing in other people’s sweat at peak hours, long queues (which I have been kicked out of twice) and the occasional over-zealous bouncer. Overall, a good night out!

 

4. Neon (Leamington Spa)

Truthfully, there isn’t much to separate Neon from Smack. I’ve only put Neon slightly ahead because it’s on a Friday (so I go more) and because all my first-year drama seemed to occur there. During a year of Neon Fridays, I’ve witnessed to tears, fights, shockingly ‘loose’ behaviour, and I may have once confessed my love to a block mate in the middle of the main room dancefloor. The feeling was not reciprocated. But its ok now. I’ve moved on. Umm… (this is awkward), the smoking area is cool!

 

3. School Dayz (Campus)

‘Feral’ was how School Dayz was described to me when I missed it last term. Like Pop! but jacked up on five more pints of purple, a couple more VKs and a few extra shots of vodka, walk into the Copper Rooms on a Saturday of week two or eight and all you will see is 400 indistinguishable students, all wearing purple-stained white shirts, necking off with each other. Something about dressing up in school uniform raises the general level of horniness to eleven. I don’t really know what that says about Warwick students – probably that we were all sexually frustrated losers at secondary school. Who cares? Unmissable night!

 

2. Kasbah Monday (Coventry)

Now, if I were a first-year, Kasbah Monday would be pushing for the number one spot. Kasbah is the most affordable club with a great choice of music (there are three equally good rooms) and an unbelievable smoking area where you can use queuing up for cheap jäger bombs as an excuse to talk to your love interest(s) for the night. Plus, each week there is a different theme meaning dressing up is fun and interesting, while photographers are always at hand to snap a flattering photo of you and your mates. I can safely say that I’ve never had a bad night at Kasbah. The only problem is that it’s a bit too far away to go regularly as a second-year student living in Leamington. As the only upside to living in Coventry, its highly recommended!

 

1. Pop! Wednesday (Campus)

There could only be one winner. Was it ever really in doubt? Pop! is Warwick university. It’s the talking point of every week – I have friends who won’t step a foot on Campus apart from 7pm on a Wednesday evening. As someone who has been to Pop! around 30 times in less than two years, I think I’m well-placed to describe what makes it so special. First, there’s Disco Dave – the same music every week, but, man, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix. Then, there’s circling beforehand – a Warwick tradition: a very (very) weird one (especially if you’re in Rugby) but a tradition, nonetheless. Also, there’s the fact that you normally go to Pop! with your societies rather than your mates, so it’s a nice way to meet new people outside your normal crowd. Most importantly though, everyone you’ve met at uni will be there, in the Copper Rooms on a Wednesday night, at some-point. ‘Are you going to Pop! this week?’ is the easiest way to reconnect with old mates, rekindle dimming romances, finally make your move on the girl you fancy in your politics seminar, or just enjoy a reliably brilliant night-out with all your friends around you. The undisputed winner, are you going to Pop! this week?’