The List. club guita-
Welcome to The list’s Club Guide 1999/2000 — a unique pull-out supplement that puts every one of Glasgow and Edinburgh’s club venues under the microscope. We also name the 50 best club nights in both cities, guaranteeing a brilliant night out whether you’re into house or trance, hip hop or indie. Scotland’s club scene has won itself an international reputation since evolving from the days of Rezerection and Slam; over the next fourteen pages we look at how it’s shaping up at a grass-roots level. And remember, for unrivalled comprehensive coverage of what’s on in the
cities’ clubs every night of the week, check out The list's club section every fortnight.
Research: Jack llottram, Mark Robertson, Simone Baird Photographs: Steve lleid
lEl’S TAKE A l00K Ili 0UHSELVES. BEFOBE lilE INDULGE
in what will probably be the biggest blowout ever experienced, we should analyse just what we’re taking with us into the new Millennium. Should Scotland be proud of where it’s at in clubland or has it painted itself into a corner of commerciality? Are there still pioneers ready to take clubbing onwards or have we all suddenly realised that none of it really matters and we're taking up knitting instead?
The biggest problem in Edinburgh at the moment is the state of the venues. With the tear-inducing sale of The Honeycomb in September, the closure of Cafe Graffiti come December and the all-too-imminent termination of The Bongo Club, three of the city’s more groundbreaking and unique venues are being ripped away from us. This leaves a gaping hole in the life of the city, and few other places are ready or able to fill it. In The Li'st’s end-of-year poll, these same three venues held the top spots and, while individual club nights reel from the blast and regroup to other places, there’s a certain frantic search through the listings for a decent night out. Suddenly we’re considering old venues that, until recently, we had been ignoring like an elderly grandparent who smells a bit and constantly mumbles about how things were so much better in their day.
On a positive note, however, La Belle Angele is getting itself together and making itself prettier. Nights like Manga kept the credibility quotient up through the wilderness years, and old friends like Gareth Somerville and Colin Cook,
who ran the legendary Yip Yap night, are returning under the guise of Ultragroove. The Vaults is getting back on track (despite the temporary setback over its license), and more than a few club promoters have been knocking on the door of Gaia for a piece of the action.
The best nights in Edinburgh now are at Wilkie House and The Venue, but anyone who has come home and spent hours trying to get the mysterious gunk off the bottom of their trousers would know that both places could do with a bit of tidying up. Potterrow’s multi- million pound refit has paid off and it is now home to superclub nights like Gatecrasher, Cream and Colours — which isn’t too bad for a student union.
Edinburgh beats Glasgow hands down when comes to drum & bass, hip hop, reggae and the like, which could be down to the city's greater mix of cultures. There’s also the curious element of Edinburgh clubbing that likes to get
togged up in fancy dress and generally send mo?-