Licklist guide to…Peterborough
In another instalment of the Licklist roadshow, we’re heading to the city of Peterborough to showcase the city’s nightlife and give you a few pointers for those newcomers to the Cambridgeshire region.
This delightful city is jam packed with the classic and well established weekend destinations for clubbers across the nation, plus some local independent clubs thrown in for good measure and all those off the beaten track worth discovering. Added to all this is the bonus of later licenses that most of the bigger venue seem to hold, meaning that you may well see the sun come up by the time you’re finished partying….
One example is Halo. Combining contemporary chart and dance-floor crossover fillers with the rawer sounds of Uk Funky and Bashment in their second room Ghost, this luxuriously decorated venue offers up packages, cocktails, regular celebrity appearances and top notch events. After hosting a night conducted by the Godfather of Music, Trevor Nelson, the venues prestige has grown to new heights. Similarly and having opened more recently, Attica Vip looks to provide a clubbing experience specifically tailored to the young professionals. With stunning displays and plush furniture, this Cocktail Bar/ Nightclub has a relaxed VIP lounge feel. You can either relax with friends in a private booth or strut your stuff on the dance-floor at one of their regular events.
If you’re feeling the economic squeeze that we’ve all come to know but still feel like a night out, then Peterborough has the answer. Established venues such as Liquid and Fever, often cropping up across the nation, can cater for all your weekend needs. With their recognisable blend of chart and RnB, plus the outrageously cheap 90p drinks every Saturday, Liquid is always a reliable choice. If its some classic disco cuts, light-up dance floors and some very dubious wigs you’re after,head over to Flares.
A strong and supportive presence for live music is a feature of the Peterborough scene. Mixology, a promotions team behind a new house music movement in Cambridgeshire have been hosting some stellar bookings over the last couple of years including big names such as Amine Edge & Dance and Miguel Campbell. Taking place at the Red Room within the same building as Edwards and Flares, the four hundred person capacity space is an intimate setting. For live music of the guitar variety, venues such as The Solstice and the atmospheric Met Lounge regularly put on nights for up-and-coming bands to present their music.
With a host of traditional pubs and bars serving up real ales, many options are available. The Brewery Tap mixes live music with their own home-grown range of ales. Reputedly the largest converted barge in Great Britain, Charters Bar is unique in that it’s a 176-foot-long barge moored on the River Nene, the perfect location for a couple of drinks with some mates.
By Jack Evans