Happy Birthday to The Boat - 21 this month

A WEEK IS A LONG time in politics, so they say, but I never notice a lot of change to be honest. However, a few weeks in the jungle that is clubland can contain such a variety of change and reshuffle as to leave the non-regular clubber a little befuddled.

Within a matter of months new nights bloom like fragile ickle flowers, some go on to full potential, some die off, and some hang on like pestilent weeds (happy 21st birthday to The Boat, by the way).

The club scene in our fair city is at last shaking off the accusation of being an exception to this rule, as the love 'em or hate 'em stalwarts of Promise, Shindig, Nice and the local Unis' various nights are finally joined by some brand spanking new sources for your hard earned.
The aforementioned clubs seem to be climbing higher up the scale in terms of big-name DJs and flashy interiors - if that's your bag - and the underground scene is now emerging blinking into the bright lights.

Variety is the spice of life, so they tell us, and it's certainly good news for club editors with writers' block and brain-fade.

In a spot of venue musical-chairs, The Powerhouse have packed up their flamboyant suitcases, and are moving to new premises within the Centre for Life. In their place can now be found the latest Toon club, Satellite.

Providing a welcome filler for the gap left by Scotland Yard and The Mayfair (RIP), this venture gains distinction in the fact that it's a chance for undergound-esque nights to do their thing in a relatively nice new club.

Meanwhile, at the once supremely sticky-carpeted Planet Earth - now new spiritual home of Nice aka The Playrooms - Friday nights have a new face, and the old vodka bar (aah, unhappy days) is now the hard house capital of Newcastle.

Fractured has begun with the noble aim of allowing local talent to showcase their stuff, accompanied by various notable names of the genre. Some nights have been better attended than others, but the attempt to bring a little diversity to the hard trance/house scene beyond freebie pre-parties is laudable. Good wishes to all concerned, say I.

So how does this bode for the future of clubland? A quick peer into the magic glow-stick: hmmm… the bigger Newcastle clubs press on towards attaining super-club status, and the market’s now open for the smaller nights to start making a name for themselves.

Much has been touted and spouted about the death of clubbing over the summer, but I'm thinking it's more a natural progression of big nites getting fat and complacent, dying off, and smaller, more clubber-orientated events taking the crowds.

So what do you think, the democracy of the dancefloor? Do we have the next Crasher/Cream in our midst? Is an elective club as opposed to just various nights feasible?
And calling loyal clubbers - is there anyone in Newcastle so devoted to one night as to have a logo tattooed on their bod? (Photos, please.)

Enter the debate, or air any other points of related discussion by emailing me at editorial@newcastlestuff But don’t expect a quick reply - I’m off to the Nuffield to have the After Dark logo lasered off my bootie.
Ahh, wayward youth!