Looks like the Cathouse is loved and loathed by 'weegies in equal share!…read more I used to go here for the Under 18s night when I was about 14-15, and it was a smashing time. As far as I can gather from the website, it's much the same as it was back then. Lots of heavy metal upstairs, punk, pop-punk, hardcore and ska downstairs. It's a great place for the alternative kids to hang out, pair off, and headbang the night away. For the over 18s, it's a little different. Lots of classic rock, metal, grunge, punk, all cranked up to 11. It has all been refurbished in the last 5 or so years, and is a lot less grimy than it used to be. It's also a much more pleasant atmosphere since the smoking ban came in. The set-up is great, with the pay point at the top of the stairs, the coat check around the corner, and then on up the spiral staircase to two levels. Downstairs is big, with a bar, big dance-floor, and stage, and more seating around the side. Upstairs is smaller and more intimate, with lower ceilings and plenty of seating space. Honestly, you'll know whether this is your cup of tea by the music alone.

It's been a few years since I've been to the Catty on a club night but I see gigs here a few times…read morea year. As a gig venue it's alright. Not my favourite venue but it's where the smaller rock/metal gigs are, and you'll forgive its shortcomings when it's a kick-ass gig. Proceed up the stairs from street level and you'll reach the ticket desk, cloakroom and toilets. Up the next flight is the stage and smaller dancefloor and on the top floor is the main dancefloor. For me the best place at gigs is to grab a seat at one of the tables that run down the side of the room. The seating is raised on a long bench seat and you can get a decent view over the crowd if you stand when the band comes on.

Ivory Blacks more known for being a dive bar than a venue. I have actually never been there to…read moreexperience it as a club or for the recent bands that have ungraced it's stage. Most are metal/rock/industrial so don't see them being graceful. Anyhoo I remember back in the days of Strawberry Fields, where I performed when I was in a band called Freefall. Ah them were the days! Ahhh! Having a memory flashback. :) Well last Friday's performance certainly did grace the stage with plenty of talent at the Scarlett Fever Burlesque Christmas Hullaburloo Show. The stage was beautifully decorated to represent a cosy night in at Christmas with a handmade fireplace and drapes while being entertained by the burlesque dj Lord Holyrude. He had a cracking tartan outfit on by the way. It was a night of seduction and it turned the Ivory Blacks dive bar on it's head. Scarlett Fever had taken over to become a classy evening lounge. Tables were placed out for the audience to sit while been entertained through, dance, comedy, music, singing and with just a little hint of stripteasing. Baron Batholomew Black was a charming compère rounding up a great vibe within the audience. The staff were friendly and very helpful with no bad priced drinks. Although the decor is completely black and to be honest it's not state of the art interior design. It's through the transformation of a little TLC on homemade decor and clever lighting, a different crowd and type of performance the venue worked and became something a little more. A sleazy dive! Lol! Nah I'm only kidding! It just highlighted the better aspects of the venue.

Ivory Blacks is first and foremost, a gig venue. It's relatively small, dark and dingy (some may…read moreargue this is the way all venues should be - adds cahracter!). There's a decent sized bar to the back corner, which stocks all your favourites - ok some may be cheap imitations, but you pay for what you get. It doesnt play host to particularly huge bands, but you'll at least be able to catch a few decent names on the bill. I saw Kris Roe of the Ataris here earlier in the year and, for an acoustic gig, it was absolutely fantastic. Rammed, but fantastic.

Say wha? Aww here, it's another case of Yelpa vu here for me and this place. Surely to fudge i've…read morereviewed this joint before? Naw? Ok, fine then! So, I've been in here a number of times, usually partially guttered upon entry and entirely so whenever I pour out. The thing to point out about this place is not the drinks (the usual generic mince), not the music (cheesy poppy, nowt to write home about) or the decor (think student flat turned into a club), it's mostly that this places appears to have a partial cloaking device which hides it from a large percentage of the fannies who frequent clubs on a Saturday night. Ok so you're not going to be able to avoid all the numpties, but in comparison to them there clubs on the street of Sauchiehall, this place is relatively fanny free. I did however have to whip out my 'I'm a Dad, you will behave in a proper manner young man' to a dude who tricked his way past me in the queue to the bar. The poor chap felt bad and ended up buying me two cans of Red Stripe... after that I wasn't angry or just disappointed in him. Aye. Hidden. Still cool. Sticky.

After having to flip a coin (it was either Biff Club or Garage...) it landed on heads for Buff…read moreClub, so after finding some free passes in Nice n Sleazys, off we went to Bath Lane in two contingencies so we would get in. We entered The Buff Club and we were honestly a bit disappointed when we found the only people in there were a group of guys. It felt like social dancing back at school where no one actually got up to dance. It was the first time any of us had actually been to Buff Club. I discovered a staircase which I then found took us down to The Butterfly and Pig where there was a brilliant Jazz/soul/swing type outfit on and the place was bouncing! After they had finished up we went again to The Buff Club and the place was starting fill up and it was looking promising, we were busting a move, and then we discovered ANOTHER floor, and the tunes were brilliant. Stevie Wonder, Aretha Frankin and Tina Turner! Brilliant! The atmosphere was brilliant, everyone was so friendly and the place was just full of people who wanted to dance to some decent tunes. Drinks were quite expensive, but I suppose that's the price you pay for free entry and £1 drinks every other night of the week. I thoroughly enjoyed The Buff Club and I imagine I'll be there again in the very near future.

With a similar appeal of clientele to those whom enjoy a Viper night, ahem, Kushion is one of the…read morefew clubs along Bath street which can cater to everyone's needs. Sortof. In the past, I have either had an amazing night (including free drinks, and proper 'choons' from the DJ) or I've literally hated every minute (larger girls in rave wear choosing my toes to literally tread upon, or that one crazy dancer who managed to hit me in the face with his gangly arms. No sir, you are NOT Michael Jackson. In fact, you're just a massive.... anyway). On a good night: it's busy, but not unbearably so, the music's good, (in the main room anyway, I distance myself from the crowd of people in room 2 who believe that whilst dancing to hip hop and rap, etc, that they are in fact, of a different race. Alien, I believe), and the drinks are cheap. So generally "Juicy Tuesday", a student night that does exactly what it's supposed to - get you drunk and happy. However, on a bad night: it's far too busy - you can never get to the bar, it's filled with older pervy people (who is that random 40-odd year old man who just stands at the bar leering!?) and there are far too many overdressed, underagers who believe that less is most definitley more - cover yourselves up! Maybe I'm just getting older, *sob*, but maybe I just prefer places that if you turned up in a neon yellow vest/dress with matching heels, bad and accessories, you'd get laughed out. Who knows?!

Now, Kushion has recently been refurbished and I paid it a visit to see how it looks now. At first…read moreI was a bit disappointed, but it grew on me. The first room is almost the same as it was before, but the new larger seating areas near the door make for a nice cool place to sit away from the dancing and the mania at the bar. At the edge of the dancefloor, there are hammocky seats where drunken girls roll about giggling, and I can see these being used for nefarious purposes. The second room is down a slight slope, and was so busy, I couldnt get far past its entrance. The cost, as mantioned by Jamie, is crazy. I was skinned £7 to get in, and no student discount! Bah. The crowd is, if anything, more snooty - I actually had one girl look me up and down, then flick her hair ON TO me several times. I would have battered her if she wasn't a gigantic man-beast. Overall, the changes haven't been too extreme, but I think they're for the better, although my fellow clubbers are starting to irk me.

So Reflex eh? Well it was my friend's hen night and this was her choice of dancing venue after our…read moremeal, which made me a happy bunny. I do love them 80s tunes being an 80s child in all. When we walked through the pub Edward's via the Renfield Street entrance it was so cringy as the music was awful and the clientele was em.... Anyway, we headed up the stairs to Reflex and my ears loved me lots. The music is awesome and they have many teles dotted round the room playing them classic 80s music videos. It was brilliant but why you ask I only give it 3 stars. Well it was a Saturday night and it was mobbed. We were getting pushed about, people being rude to us and we ended up standing in the middle of the club trying to just find a wee spot we could huddle round and keep together. There was also other hen parties so it was pretty mental. It took ages to get served at the bar as they also sell crazy 80s accessories. Madonna boobs anyone?! We coudn't really dance much, there is a dance floor but you kinda wanted somewhere to put your stuff so felt we couldn't go up as were hanging onto our drinks and coats. I do really like this place and I would go back but maybe when it's not as mental. It's a good alternative compared to some of the dancing clubs you get in Glasgow. So get your Madonna boobs on and Vogue!

The fashion of the 80s is usually one I like to forget - neon colours, leggings, shoulder pads and…read moreshell suits urgh - but on special occasions it is fun fun fun to unleash that hideous past (which sadly seems to be returning) and this is what I chose to do on one of my birthdays. Booted out in some 80s gear we headed to Reflex and were immediately entranced by the tracks of the 80s. The videos of the songs are played on screens around the venue providing a giggle at some of those hairdos! With the drinks menu mainly consisting of cocktails we made our way through some interesting looking jugs (sadly they were not at 80s' prices - but about average really). We all got into the swing of it buying much of the novelty merchandise (I still have my "Frankie says Reflex" t-shirt). The crowd was mixed with a lot of older people who loked like they did belong in the 80s but they only added to the authenticity. We moved on after a while (seeking our noughties-comforts) but it was fun while it lasted - just like the 80s!

Next door to The Social, Common is a proper club with different nights on 7 days…read more Wednesday is a good contender for a good Wednesday night out, at £1 a drink, targeted towards students. Polo is a friendlier more spacious Wednesday £1 a drink night in my book though. The interior in Common is quite dark which can be good and bad, depending on how you look at it. If you can get a seat you can feel like a quasi-VIP and tuck yourself away in a corner with cool funky seats and actually have a conversation. Otherwise, it can get cramped. A proper sweatfest. I remember the first time I went I asked for 3 vodka lemonade and limes. I got 3 vodka lemonades and 3 glasses of lime. On topic, you can wait so long when it's busy that underagers become legal drinking age before you get your glass of gin and glass of tonic or whatever drink they mix wrong. It is one of those clubs though, especially when there are drinks promos, that serves as the perfect backdrop to a great night out (especially midweek) if you are in a good crowd. Definitely worth a look.

Common is a basic basement club. It's got a dancefloor, a massive square bar, and bits around the…read morebar for seating - and a very, very low ceiling (not one for the claustrophobics amongst us). In the cubby holes around the bar where you can sit, you might even find a throne or two, which, always makes for some good photos - the thrones match the black/white checkered walls and floors (think, opitcal illusion). As Liz said, if it wasn't quite so dark, I can imagine that the place would be a bit grubby, and possibly slimy...eeew. The music is decent - a nice mix of electro, indie, classics, and chart throughout most of the week, I believe - and the drinks come fast and cheap. Score! The must see? The female toilet cubicles. Always good for a laugh, the stories on them walls... ahh... they have to be seen to be believed, trust me.

I always feel like I'm a trend behind when it comes to Optimo at the Sub Club. I'm wearing neon,…read moreeveryone else in in gingham- I stock up on the 'country gal' style and all of a sudden it's sequins....I'm never cool enough! The sub-club is a favourite haunt of the Glasgow art school set so expect this uber trendy vibe. Unless you are the pulse here, you will never be on it! Still, an awesome night out!

Been here a zillion times, though as with clubbing in general it's not really on my radar as much…read morethese days. If you're into banging, yet credible dance music, then Sub Club is probably still your best bet in Scotland. It's won various awards over the years, none of which I can remember. To be honest, I just don't get the exceptionally repetitive thudding of Saturday nights, and as good as Optimo was, once the style of music they played inadvertently became trendy, it lost much of what made it good in the first place. I've been to a couple of Drum n Bass nights which have been pretty good, but possibly not worth the headaches and the ringing in your ears afterwards. I did once get a shot at DJing in here on a Subcity night, and despite it being practically empty, the fact that I got everyone dancing to my favourite TLC tune, summed up the club for me. The punters are pretty open to anything, and don't give a toss as long as it sounds good. You can't ask for much more than that in a club.

I am from USA, the land of guns crime and drugs, and I have never in my life been searched as…read moreintensely as I have at this place. They check every nook and cranny of you - and I do genuinely mean that in a bad way. You probably think I'm joking, but show up and your jaw will drop at how insane this bar is, TSA is nothing compared to this and I am not exaggerating. Then when you pass their borderline STRIP search, you have to pay cover before you're even allowed to look if there's anyone in the bar, what a freakin joke, could not recommend less!

You will meet nice people inside but sadly you will have to be with a group of people upon arrival…read more The bouncers are extremely unfriendly and without any purpose they have a chip on their shoulders. It is sad to see such a cool enviroment be damned by gitty workers to shew you out. Less staff maybe best for here as customers should be considered. Music is as if.