Clubbing vs Purer Pursuits

The Joys of Clubbing

A booze-free night doesn’t have to mean a fun-free night

London redefined clubbing for me, nights and sounds caught a new beat, a new intensity when I moved from Somerset to the city.

Clubbing no longer meant a hormone-high 10-2am run through of the Top 40 (although if that’s your tempo, London can still provide): clubbing became darker, faster, sweatier.

Whether you’re walking sub-level through the bass-shaking industrial basements of Fabric or losing your breath in an East London dive – going out, dancing, drinking, whatever – London parties hard.

As Time Out Clubbing editor Kate Hutchinson explains, London’s club scene never sleeps: “Clubbing is at the heart of London’s nightlife: rarely these days do you go to a pub or bar that doesn’t have a superstar DJ-in-training behind the decks, and there are hundreds of parties every weekend in spaces from East London warehouses to organic farm shops – yes, really!

“Crucially, though, London is one of the most diverse cultural centres in the world and is thus a melting pot of international clubbing flavours: you could go to a kizomba club, a Croydon dubstep rave, a Latin bass basement, an Aussie after-party, and a Britpop, burlesque, be-bop or bachata bash in just one night.

“The opportunities are endless, especially as it’s also relatively easy to put on your own night, thanks to social networking sites and large number of small- to-mid-sized venues in the city.”

Not to be missed is Fabric’s Friday night, with its heavy Fabriclive line-ups.

This month alone Erol Alkan, Toddla T and Andrew Weatherall have taken on the 3-room club (student discount on the door is a big plus too).

For something much more intimate, across the weekend there’s always something/someone at Old Street’s XOYO – just opened last year this club has already made its imprint on London’s clubland.

Tickets can sell out fast if there’s a big-name on the roster, but I won’t preach about being money-savvy – my loan practically belongs to London’s club-doors.

Just get out and get down… the capital’s clubland is waiting.