Once again The Tab has waded into another student interest issue with its dog muck encrusted boot, this time condemning the night time entertainment in Preston.
After taking fire at the monotony and routine of going out in PR1, the city which has provided some of my best memories so far needs a champion to step out of the shadows and defend it. Since it’s right to assume famous Prestonians such as Nick Park and Andrew Flintoff are otherwise pre-occupied from taking up the battle, I’ll step forward as an adopted son of Lancashire’s administrative centre.
Yes – agreed, repeatedly going to the main handful of clubs can get a little stale, but the shots that've been fired seem a little unfounded. When you say you’ve done Preston to death, you should assess whether you have literally tried EVERYWHERE, or whether you’ve just allow yourself to fall into the same routine.
With Evoque, Cameo, Warehouse, Macs, Rift and Popworld in particular, you’re always expecting to hear the same music albeit in a different order. But if you don’t smash going to them ridiculously, or at least alternate between them – there’s enough to keep you going for a fair while.
After taking fire at the monotony and routine of going out in PR1, the city which has provided some of my best memories so far needs a champion to step out of the shadows and defend it. Since it’s right to assume famous Prestonians such as Nick Park and Andrew Flintoff are otherwise pre-occupied from taking up the battle, I’ll step forward as an adopted son of Lancashire’s administrative centre.
Yes – agreed, repeatedly going to the main handful of clubs can get a little stale, but the shots that've been fired seem a little unfounded. When you say you’ve done Preston to death, you should assess whether you have literally tried EVERYWHERE, or whether you’ve just allow yourself to fall into the same routine.
With Evoque, Cameo, Warehouse, Macs, Rift and Popworld in particular, you’re always expecting to hear the same music albeit in a different order. But if you don’t smash going to them ridiculously, or at least alternate between them – there’s enough to keep you going for a fair while.
But then there’s the clubs that weren’t mentioned; why not hit up some R ‘n’ B in Baluga, or go to see one of the many house DJs dropping beats in Glovers. Even J.D Wetherspoons boldest creation, Twelve Tellers almost transforms into a nightclub in the evening – so that’s worth checking out.
Failing that, why not spice it up with a night of cocktails in good company? Sure it’s not where the majority of sheep will flock to, but if you’re tired of the norm then swank it up a bit and check out Stratos or Kuckoo.
If those don’t tickle your pickle, then there’s always the almost unthinkable option of just sticking to a night out round the pubs. Last time I checked, Adelphi is still as cheap as David Dickinson brand fake tan and although Source seems to dwindle by the year, the prices in there should allow you to drink through that problem.
Sticking with the pub theme, why not check out a live band at The Ferret? Or have a warm can of lager in Ships n Giggles. Perhaps play some pool in Roper Hall, enjoy a Guinness on O’Neills terrace or take a more sophisticated trip to Hartley’s wine bar.
You could even combine many of the above and have a night revelling in my recommended pub crawl (Source – Ferret – Ships – Adelphi – Lamb & Packet – O’Neills – Roper Hall – Grey Friar – Assembly – Twelve Tellers – Chunder in the toilet). Reduce the mundane factor even more by dressing up as something, other than as golfers, such as Pigs and Butchers or Cops and Robbers.
Failing that, why not spice it up with a night of cocktails in good company? Sure it’s not where the majority of sheep will flock to, but if you’re tired of the norm then swank it up a bit and check out Stratos or Kuckoo.
If those don’t tickle your pickle, then there’s always the almost unthinkable option of just sticking to a night out round the pubs. Last time I checked, Adelphi is still as cheap as David Dickinson brand fake tan and although Source seems to dwindle by the year, the prices in there should allow you to drink through that problem.
Sticking with the pub theme, why not check out a live band at The Ferret? Or have a warm can of lager in Ships n Giggles. Perhaps play some pool in Roper Hall, enjoy a Guinness on O’Neills terrace or take a more sophisticated trip to Hartley’s wine bar.
You could even combine many of the above and have a night revelling in my recommended pub crawl (Source – Ferret – Ships – Adelphi – Lamb & Packet – O’Neills – Roper Hall – Grey Friar – Assembly – Twelve Tellers – Chunder in the toilet). Reduce the mundane factor even more by dressing up as something, other than as golfers, such as Pigs and Butchers or Cops and Robbers.
Moving on to the second point, of course Preston can never compete with the likes of London, Manchester and Leeds etc. Have you seen the difference in population sizes? Sure, UCLan brings with it one of the largest student populations, but the city itself doesn’t add the same excess numbers that the other cities do, to sustain any more clubs or more niche options.
From experience at attempting to start our own night in Preston (see Trapt – which was mildly successful), it’s difficult to break people’s routines and provide variant nightlife. There is a vicious circle of people going to the same places time and time again (not the fault of the scene itself), illustrated perfectly with Mokai’s failed attempt to grab a foothold. To open any more clubs can be pretty suicidal – because once the students disappear in May, it gets pretty tough for these places to keep the money flowing in.
What Preston does have however, is far cheaper living costs than those places – so there’s no reason you can’t save the excess and take a trip somewhere. Manchester and Liverpool aren’t infeasibly far to travel for a night out, and Lancaster is also just a cheap train ride away. Stay in one night a week and you can afford to venture somewhere different.
So before you allow The Tab to besmirch your opinion of Preston and wipe its faecal matter over your future choices, think a little outside the box, grab your friends and make the best out of it.
From experience at attempting to start our own night in Preston (see Trapt – which was mildly successful), it’s difficult to break people’s routines and provide variant nightlife. There is a vicious circle of people going to the same places time and time again (not the fault of the scene itself), illustrated perfectly with Mokai’s failed attempt to grab a foothold. To open any more clubs can be pretty suicidal – because once the students disappear in May, it gets pretty tough for these places to keep the money flowing in.
What Preston does have however, is far cheaper living costs than those places – so there’s no reason you can’t save the excess and take a trip somewhere. Manchester and Liverpool aren’t infeasibly far to travel for a night out, and Lancaster is also just a cheap train ride away. Stay in one night a week and you can afford to venture somewhere different.
So before you allow The Tab to besmirch your opinion of Preston and wipe its faecal matter over your future choices, think a little outside the box, grab your friends and make the best out of it.