A student week without The Gallery?

Taking the 'g' out of 'nightlife'

But it isn't just that, I'm a little annoyed and bewildered just on principle.

Now, apart from Saturday and Friday nights (which everyone agrees are never cheap nights to go out as a student), York clubs now have a student night every day of the week. It's a far cry from the three nights hosted by Tru, Ziggys and The Gallery that were on offer just last year. As someone who doesn't really go out clubbing that much, the new line-up is slightly intimidating – although I'm sure that hardened party-goers won't object to even more chances to go out and have fun.

Except...

...there's no Gallery in this new student week.

Monday will see students flock to Tokyo-owned Fibbers, while Salvation has firmly entrenched itself into YUSU planning and kept a hold on the official student Tuesday. Ziggy's will hopefully remain the haven of sports clubs on Wednesday nights, and Thursday nights have officially been moved from The Gallery to the new Tokyo club that is to replace Tru. And then, it seems from Dan Walker's blog, that Sunday Night Gallery is no longer the hoped-for student event to end or begin the week (depending on your perspective). Instead, a Sunday night at Vodka Revolution is set to find its way into the student week.

So, no Gallery.

Now, I'm going to be honest: I was never much a fan of Gallery. I could count the times I went there on the fingers of one hand. And while they were never bad nights out, that was more to do with the people than the club.

But it was the first club I went to in York: D-owntown in Freshers' Week led me to end up in The Gallery, and I guess I do feel a tad sentimental when I think that it has been dropped from the student line-up. And while I was never overly enthused, I know people who certainly were. I know people who had Gallery as their favourite club in York – well, after Ziggy's anyway.

And then there's Tru, or Tokyo now that it has finally been taken over. Now maybe Tru did need a makeover – one of my friends was in there once when the ceiling started to pour water over her – but I was always kind of proud that York had clubs that no where else did. The Gallery and Ziggy's are unique to York (I think) and to me that always made them that more appealing. Now Tokyo is just one in a chain of clubs, and it will take time for Vodka Revolution to become as loved as SNG among the student population.

I can see the advantages of having a big club such as Tokyo in York (the students from big cities may stop complaining about how rubbish the clubbing scene is in York), but I can't help but feel nostalgic.

With regards to Freshers' Week, I'm quite glad I'm not a STYC this year. I don't know where half the new venues are; I wouldn't be able to recommend any of the best drinks and I wouldn't be able to reassure those first-time clubbers that nothing is going to be too crazy, because I honestly wouldn't know.

And this got me wondering. What would happen if Ziggy's went down and had to be taken over. I think there'd be riots, wouldn't there?

Maybe I just hope there would be.

Add Comment

You must log in to submit a comment.