Podiums. Poles. Posers. Pop. Everything you expect from a gay night out, it's pretty standard…read morereally. What to say? Well, there is a cloakroom, thank the Heavens, because it's super useful to have somewhere to dump your outerwear when it's minus five degrees outside and you've been lugging your thickest coat around with you all night. So yes...dump the coat and it's time to dance. And dance you will, with the DJ busting out some real floor-fillers from the cheesiest chart hits to red hot recent releases. One good thing is that there are places you can actually TALK when you're not dancing. There are a couple of seated areas, and spaces where the music is just a wee bit quieter, but enough that you can hear people, well, if they shout loud enough. This is nice, I find it really limiting when clubs don't have anywhere where you can do anything other than dance. A girl needs a break, you know? The bar is rather well-stocked and the staff are efficient: never had to queue too long to get served which can be such a relief. I can't remember the exact pricing, but I think it was pretty similar to other places in the area. The toilets unfortunately let the place down a little bit. There are only two toilets in the ladies, which is a bad start anyway, but even worse when one of them is out of order. Cue: queue. They're also pretty miserable...decorated in black from ceiling to the floor with poor lighting so that you can barely see yourself in the mirror. In addition, it's freezing in there. Pretty sure I could see my breath. Oh and there was no toilet roll, boooo. Aside from that though, I did actually have a really fun night. When I go back to Bristol I'd quite like to try somewhere else, but I could easily be persuaded to come back to omg.

If you're in Bristol then you MUST go to omg!!…read more I have had the best nights of my life going to this place! and haven't spent an arm and a leg either!! Drinks are so cheap its unreal! Wednesdays are a good night out as its their student night! Its free entry and £1.50 drinks! Fridays and Saturdays are always busy! their bar is so big you barley ever Queue for drinks. Their sound systems is just amazing! If you love base then Omg is the right place for you! They have unisex toilets that have about 8 cubicles and also a separate men and woman's toilets! So again, You barley have to Queue! Omg also has so many funky booths around the club to sit in with Friends, which is always good. 10/10 club! would deffo recommend you to go!

This brand new club (opened February 2009) should be scoring a perfect 5 out of 5 as a club and it…read moreis surprising what lets it down... Let's start where it is great : 1. The owners are really passionate about music and clubbing. 2. It is in the town centre but tucked away near the Hatchett and opposite the Queenshilling so the out-of-towner crawls can't find it. 3. It has friendly door staff. 4. It is small and like a cave. This is a very good thing - superclubs are tedious. There are two rooms plus a bar with plenty of seats, and the main room has a separate bar as well. 5. The bar staff in the main room dance. This means they like working there. 6. The crowd is friendly and sometimes this is used as a late night drinking spot by the gay crowd at the Queenshilling which makes it friendlier still. 7. They get a wide range of music and some of the hottest talent. This sometimes includes techno - proper techno. Not 'we'll say it's techno but it's actually hard trance' techno. Techno. So what's the problem? It's the sound system. It's fantastic, crisp and clear and loud. Too loud. There are moments near the end of the night as the volume is pushed a little where your teeth rattle and you can feel your brain pushing against the side of your head. Everyone leaves the dance floor and stand in the corridor waiting for it to change tune to something with less bass and goes back on again yet the owners/sound system guys just don't get the hint. So a small thing which hopefully can change. Check it out but be prepared for the bass!

This club has a certain 'laissez faire' quality to it. Small, dark and cavernous it's the sort of…read moreplace where anything goes once you're in. I've been to a few different nights here, and they've all been pretty good. If you're into house and electro, I'd recommend you sample Duvez Vous, a regular night hosted by the club, which tends to attract a good crowd of party people. And if you're a bit of a dirty stop-out, you'll be pleased to know that Basement 45 is blessed with a late license, meaning that parties such as Duvez Vous go on until 8am. My only criticism of this club is that the sound system tends to be a little bit on the quiet side (you can just about hold a conversation on the dance floor without having to raise your voice - that ain't right!) But if you're looking for a place to go and let your hair down, without fear of judgement or compulsory dress codes, Basement 45 is definitely worth a trip.

This club pretty much sums up Bristol: slightly grubby with a big underground scene, rough around…read morethe edges and occasionally full of posh kids (or Chuffnuts as they are known here). Classically you have to end your night in Dojo's. They usually open at around 5 am, just as you're getting thrown out of the club you've been in all night, and stay open until the sun is up and you have to walk home with that look of guilt and shame on your face. It's pretty great to have a club like this in Bristol, they are everywhere in London; day raves etc. But here you are usually lucky if you can spank the planks past about 5 or 6 am, if that is your sort of thing. The best thing about Dojo's is the garden/terrace; you can sit there chatting nonsense to the strangest bunch of people you are ever likely to meet until the sun comes up. You get such an odd mix of characters, from Bristol's 'underground' scene to posh students and young professionals. But this has never been a problem and you can always guarantee to make a strange new best friend at some point in the night. I have had some strange nights in terms of music in this club. I never want to get stuck listening to 'minimal' trance ever again! One noise every 30 seconds is not music! It's just slow torture.

Dojo's nightclub is fast becoming more popular among those students who have had enough of…read moreSyndicate and Oceana, and who are looking for Bristol's famous underground clubs. I personally would say to those people steer clear of Dojos. I visited on a Friday night at it cost a whopping £6 to get in. Now to some, £6 might not be much to get into a club on a weekend night. However, I can't see how Dojo's can be called a club. It literally has the floor space of your living room. The only difference is that you can hardly see anything apart from a red glow from some cheap lighting and some very dodgy toilets. The clientele is also a bit, er different. If you are looking to spot some of the Skins cast then this is the place to go. No joke, I actually witnessed Effy snort some (coughs) white powder on the bar. The staff didn't blink an eyelid.

This is a great live music venue. If you're a fan of small, intimate gigs, then this place is it…read more No chairs, no snobbery- this is a place to get rocking. There is a back bar away from the stage in another area, where you can chat with mates and get a drink before entering the main hall bit, where there are two other bars! One at the back of the main hall, which is obvious upon entering; and the other quite well hidden under the stairs. There is one upper level that provides some standing space to see better the live acts. Most recently, i watched La Roux play here, which was awesome. The vibes here are great, and you really get quite a close up of the artist you're here to see, even if you're stuck at the back or upstairs, which is what I want when I go for a gig. Way better compared to those huge venues where you're so far away from the stage that you might as well be watching the gig on TV. Every Friday from 10pm-3pm, there is an indie night, which is usually overpopulated by the student crowd, but is a good alternative for a night out's music compared to the typical pop spinners. Great for a jive and some headbanging here and there. A really good live venue- catch a gig here if you haven't yet already!

Time for me to get nostalgic again. The Academy, with its sticky walls and ever BO tinged air, will…read morealways of going to my first few gigs (I think my very first was Hundred Reasons, for those that have heard of them). Not to much has changed since then. You'll still get a good natured crowd queuing up an hour or so before the doors open for a gig - keep this in mind if want to get a place on the bar at the front. There will still be a scrum at the bar with prices that have climbed enough over the years to remain horrendously overpriced. Ramshackle, a long-standing night on Fridays, is the appropriate way to experience the Academy. Here very excited goths and emos will drink too much vodka and jump around to whatever the latest indy hit is. You'll know you've had a good night if you've got some of that vodka spilt down your front and your ears are ringing to All American Rejects, or whatever it is that the kids are listening to these days (I secretly want to be an old man...).

Just hiding below Park Street are a few little clubs and pubs including The Academy, Basement 45…read moreand the Hatchet. You'll also find an odd looking building, which is home to possibly the most cheesy gay club in town. The drinks aren't too expensive, the music's fun, it's definitely a popular spot for the city's gay crowd. Look out for their themed nights!

Looks like an old pub on the outside but inside is a different story, very fun, vibrant atmosphere,…read moregreat dance floor to the rear and chill seating at the front. Reasonable drink prices, clean toilets and friendly staff. Would definitely go back next time I'm in Bristol.

THEY NEED TO UPDATE THEIR WEBSITE!! No food served as of APRIL 2019. I am giving them 2 stars…read morebecause having the wrong information on their website made our group of 4 massively HANGRY (you know, when you are Hungry + Angry?). I had stopped by the Hatchet Inn as part of our Blackbeard To Banksy -Ultimate Bristol Walking Tour, and beguiled by our Guide's story of it being the oldest pub in Bristol as well as the legend of Blackbeard and its original door being made of human skin, after a day of walking around Bristol, even tho' this pub was a good 15 mins away from our location, we walked back to it to get dinner..only to discover that they no longer served food! We'd gone to their website and it still listed a menu, and when I told the Bartendars that, they responded, yeah, that the website needed to be updated!!! Not a happy camper.... Yelp 159/ 2019

The 'atchet (or Hat Sh*t as it is also known, as of this weekend) is the only 'proper' music pub…read moreleft in Btown, since the Chavs came and bought all the decent pubs and turned them into Chinese Karaoke bars and R 'n' b style lounges. The horror. Basically this pub used to be the perfect before and after spot for anyone watching a gig at the Carling Academy (sorry, O2 Arena or Music Bowl...whatever the hell it is now), but really The Hatchet is so much more. I even saw Badly Drawn Boy do an acoustic set here after a show. Beautiful. Don't expect anyone to smile at you here; it's not that type of crowd. Just keep your head down, tell yourself you're cool enough to be in there, enjoy the music, get your pint of Guinness and sit at a table in the corner somewhere - oh and try not to make eye contact with the skinhead with the skeleton tattoo, you'll know who I mean. At least that's what I do. Seriously great pub though. Check out the DJ every weekend, if you really want to hear great music. Expect at least three Rage tunes a night, The Deftones, The Cure, The Cult...actually I'm going to stop listing bands. They just play the best music in town. Got it? Good.

Extremely unpleasant experience Had tickets for before…read more11.30, were in the queue 20 minutes before this and had asked the bouncers if this was fine when we joined the queue. We were assured that as we were in the queue it would be fine. Queue moved very slowly (I suspect partly intentionally on the part of the club). When we finally got inside the bouncer called my friend a "f*ck*ng weirdo" under his breath (Bouncer in question was short, balding ginger man, mentioning this as behaviour was entirely unneccesary, rude and unprofessional). We were then told we could not use our tickets as it was after 11.30 and would have to pay extra, despite what we had been told earlier. When we tried to bring this up we were shut down and all the staff were incredibly rude. In short: Do not go here if you want to have fun and not deal with unpleasant people.

From the owner: An optical trilogy in the epiphany of soundread more

Sitting half way up Park Street, this place is best know for hosting Klub Kute every Saturday, an…read moreindie night that's been running under various names since before the likes of the Arctic Monkeys were in short skinny jeans. It's largely populated by the growing number of scenesters, who are big on hair and ensuring their sunglasses and tracksuit tops match, but less keen on actually dancing or showing enthusiasm for anything other than themselves. This means it can be a slightly underwhelming experience, the sort of place you end up going if there's nothing better on. However, cosnsidering its central position, it's pretty trouble-free and they put on gigs in the week.

Whether you're a bit too cool for school music or just someone who likes their indie music, then…read moreThe Cooler might be fore you. Half way up Park Street, this is one of Bristol's trendier nights out. Whilst the rest of Park Street seems pretty much set on getting paraletic and stumbling around the clientèle of the cooler (whilst still drinking pretty heavily) like to concentrate on looking cool. They have an indie club night on the weekend and gigs during the week. The gigs are better in my opinion, people dance more here than on the club nights and some live music is usually the right antidote to the indifferent attitude cultivated by some people that come here. Drinks are pretty expensive and when you consider some of the drinks deals you can get on and around Park Street. Maybe head to somewhere like Green House or The Berkeley (if you can bear it) and have a few there before you go here. Pretty stylish with customers to match, The Cooler can be a cool night out and is certainly somewhere if you like the sort of stuff they play.

Oh the cheese! What a fun place. Light up dance floor, VW…read morevan as the DJ box, poles to dance on! One room completely decked out in leopard print, and another in zebra print. Music policy is true cheese, 70's, 80's and 90's, and they show the attached music videos on the screens. Drinks are just about standard Bristol prices. Maybe I'm getting old, but I always seem to complain about drinks prices! This place can get really packed, especially round the bar area, so be prepared to fight/wait for a drink! The toilets are OK, not brilliant... just up a really tight staircase. I've witnessed a couple of fights, but they do have a visible security presence throughout the club. Girls, do watch out for gentlemen who think you are public property. (but is that any different to any other nightspot in Bristol?) Best thing is (on the occasions I've been) Free Entry! Overall. Similar in concept to Reflex, but much nicer!

This weekly Friday night indie dance behemoth continues to pack in a curious mixture of students,…read morescenesters, beer boys, emos and a slightly confused looking minority who lack the imagaination/cash to source a better alternative. And money is certainly a motivator here as (somewhat shockingly for the Academy) the booze is puke-inducingly cheap; around £2 a pint with various shot promotions. The huge dancefloor positiviely heaves with a curious blend including a great many who can't actually be bothered to dance (?!) and others who are never happier than when punching someone in the face. It's an okay night if you're in a big group and there's nothing else on, though it only really comes into its own when they showcase up and coming bands (The Cribs, The Fratellis and Little Boots have all played live for free in the past).

Ramshackle is an alternative club night which takes place on a Friday at the o2, and it's…read moreespecially geared towards the younger audience around 18-24ish. I personally am not a fan of this night - I have been here once and felt a bit out of place. I got the feeling that you had to be of a certain look and style to fit in here - and not just anything goes. Everyone in the 'scene' dressed pretty indie and grungy (youths and student will get this term!), and the music wasn't really up my street. On a plus side, drinks prices were pretty good - think student prices - and if you have an NUS card then you get money off entry. If you really fancy trying somewhere different then by all means give it a go - but I won't be going back.