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| | It's Monday evening (the traditional student night in Stoke-on-Trent) and the students from Staffordshire University hurry home from the day's lectures.
Hanley is the obvious choice for a night of cheap drink and discounted entry prices, but where does one such student go?With so many bars, pubs and clubs to choose from how can the average student possibly fit them all into one night? Well I'm sure it's been attempted, but hopefully a definitive guide on how to get the best out of a Monday night will follow
Screamadelica
A good start to the evening would be to start off in a local student establishment before 8pm if you're showered and dressed by then.
Perhaps the union bar will serve the purposes of cheap drinks, pool tables and a lively atmosphere, and a bar like The Roebuck 'Scream Yellow Card' pub give students discounts on selected spirits and bottled drinks. After everyone has sunk a few beverages, bus it into Hanley. Or if there is a group of you, most taxis will charge around a pound a head.
Blue Lagoon at the 'Spoon
Once in town the first stop should be Wetherspoons. 'Spoons offer a selection of cocktails that come in student sized jugs; I recommend Lust or Blue Lagoon for the nicest tasting of the bunch.
Of course you may have noticed the amount of 50+ men propping up the bar, so after taking advantage of the cocktails and deciding that you're too trendy for that crowd, take a walk through town down to a bar like Fluid or Tube. Now, where 'Spoons lacked music for the benefits of cheap drink, trendy bars like The Tube will give the punters popular tunes and drinks around-a-pound to boot.
Mark Pearson believes these to be "good places to go for a drink, but they quieten as people disperse to the clubs". By now time is getting on, but you may not be quite ready for the nightclubs yet
Cheese to please
Flares is the only place to go before you hit the clubs; an hour of boogying/listening to classic cheese will set you up for a whole night of dancing.
Cheryl Phillips says Flares is "good for a dance" and there is "no charge to get in".
Cheesy tunes are always great fun, and by this point the typical student will appreciate anything, and there's bound to be a crazy old guy with his shirt tucked in, reliving his youth assured to set you off with the giggles.
Or you could even dance with such a man if you're already a little tipsy! Liquid assets
To continue the night Liquid is the best club by far; the only big rival is Creation, the so-called student club of Hanley.
Ruth Fletcher prefers Liquid as it "has three floors for different music tastes, so there's something for everyone", and Helen Green says that this "means you don't get bored" and "it's a friendly place".
Liquid offers dance music and party anthems in the main room, with lighting effects, lasers and podium dancers, mainstream Indie and classic Rock on the small but perfectly formed upper floor, and R&B in the basement, otherwise known as Jumpin' Jaks.
Top tips
Most clubs have a cheaper entrance fee if you go early, and with NUS it costs £3.50 to get into Liquid before 10.30pm, but always keep your eyes peeled for vouchers allowing cheaper entry and/or a free drink.
Liquid say 'Be early to avoid the Q' - good advice as the later you go the longer you have to wait in the cold, in new shoes and needed the loo!
One more thing, Liquid has a free tap water policy for when you're all hot from dancing (or don't have any money except for your taxi fund left).
Creation Heaven
If one feels the need to go to Creation (pictured left) instead, there is free admission before 11pm, which is a plus.
The latest promotion is 'Fivers from Heaven' fired into the crowd at midnight, which I warn you is not quite what the label says as the "fivers" are drinks vouchers.
Five quid's worth of bar vouchers aren't bad, but when you were going to grab the fivers and run off to Liquid you feel a bit let down. Just goes to show you should always read the small print on offers such like these.
Urban vibes and jibes
The Main Room, like Liquid, offers Dance & Party with DJ Tony, but the DJ in Liquid is preferable. In the smaller room you can have the pleasure of Andy Brown and his Urban Vibes.
Most drinks are 99p before 11pm, which you will need when you see the girls in thigh-highs and sports jackets (no mirrors in their houses). Also on view are lasers, dancers, special effects and the heavenly angels.
Jen McDonough doesn't like Creation because "it lacks variety and the people there don't create such a good atmosphere".
On the other hand it offers drinks at student friendly prices, and Jo Broughton says that Creation "has a good location" and Wes Ryan likes the "cheap drinks".
There's no place like home
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Transportation back to your digs should be by way of a taxi, which will be about five pounds to a university campus.
Alternatively Staffordshire Uni has a free bus from Creation to the Leek Road Venue - how nice that they realise we have no money left and don't want us wandering the streets, trying to find the way home through blurry eyes.On arriving home you may find the party doesn't stop and drinking games continue way into the night. Or you get in and find the people who didn't go out have wallpapered the place in the Argos catalogue, or filled the kitchen with picnic benches and road signs.
But if the dreaded 9am lecture looms then tear yourself away and sleep!
Well
missing one won't hurt, right?
Sarah Thorley
For more, visit our music and clubbing site
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