Venue…. Corporation, Sheffield
If you know Sheffield, you know Corporation and all the urban myths, legends and goings on that have taken place at one of Sheffield’s most popular venues. Having moved into its current residence at the gigantic location on Milton Street, Corporation has gained a sterling reputation not only amongst the combined student population of the universities of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam but also amongst the Rock and Metal scene across the country. Voted in the top three rock clubs in the country by industry leaders Kerrang!, last year saw just under one hundred and forty live acts pass through their doors and is considered a landmark destination in any up and coming bands flourishing career. The venue is known for it’s grimy and cavernous feel which may be a turn off for some, but Corporation simply would not be the same without it. The sounds, sights and smells of the club gives the feel of a truly big night out with a hugely varied crowd all descending upon Corporation for the same reason, to have a good time.
Sprawled across three floors, Corporation features five bars in total and four rooms each with their own theme, music and style. Entering the largest of the four, capacity of one thousand!, you will be greeted by a mix of early 2000’s American rock, think Blink 182, System of Down and Punk. For the brave, there is normally always some form of mosh pit located just underneath the elevated DJ booth patrolled by numerous, yet friendly bouncers. The smallest of the many rooms of Corp features a slight stranger mix of electro bangers, Justice, Daft Punk, sliding into 90’s style indie toward the end of the night. The middle floor provides some middle ground for those slightly unsure about the unique musical stylings of Corporation with DJs playing the best in mainstream chart with the odd dubstep and nod to Notorious B.I.G and Tupac thrown in for good measure. Not surprisingly, this room normally the busiest across the student nights hosted at Corp with streams of girls battling to get to one of the much desired podiums to show off their moves. The owners most recent opening, the fourth room named The Local Authority, has been hugely successful and encapsulates the spirit of Corp. No designated theme, white washed walls, leather sofas and tall mirrors that adorn the walls a different music style can be heard each night with responsibilities being placed firmly in the DJ’s hands. This is typical of the Corp style of doing things their way, regardless of what the considered ‘safe’ standard is and fair play to them.
By far the most student night has to be the School Disco, taking place every Wednesday. With entry and just £1 before 10:30 in fancy dress, essentially just a shirt and tie, and £2 before midnight, the entry fee never rises higher than a fiver. Not only that, but the frankly insane drinks prices, leading to the legendary ‘Corp Hangover’, never fail to attract a queue leading round the corner and further. Home of the infamous ‘Quad-Vod’ - four shots of vodka in Irn-Bru for the tidy sum of only £2.80, £2 pints and who can forget the mystery blue pints, whose contents remain a secret to many that pass through their doors, a Wednesday night out at Corp is certainly not for the faint hearted. Other nights held at Corporation include Oddball on Monday nights playing a tinge more variety, i.e no mainstream, dance floor fillers and mosh pit thrillers. Other rooms feature Hiphop and RnB classics and of course Deep House. Friday night sees Drop enter the fray. Primarily an alternative night that sees Indie, Pop and Soul coming together mixed in with Disco and 80’s elsewhere across the giant club.
If its your first time going to Corp, we must lay down some advice which the experience clubbers will be too well aware of. First off, never, and that means NEVER, wear white shoes, they will get ruined, mainly by the so called ‘Corp Juice’ a delightful blend of sweat and booze that oozes from the ceiling and will destroy your shoes across the dancefloor. To all the Corp virgins, beware the stairs, they must be respected at all times and by the end of the night the amount of booze covering them make them lethal. So unless you have the stability of a mountain goat, use the hand rail. Despite all these things, Corporation continues to delight and enthrall clubbers from across the Steel City and in fact it is these very things that make Corp the legendary venue that it is, it would simply not be the same any other way.
By Jack Evans