HIGHLIGHT: When Cherry met Tinchy Stryder at the Onyx Rooms.
LET’S all put our shot glasses down and bow our heads for a moment of silence.
For it is with great sadness that I announce I am leaving the Advertiser.
I am leaving the clubbers of this town to debate the issues of the partying world without me as I am heading to the Smoke, aka London, to show those southern fairies how it is done.
Never fear my party animals, I will be representing the North with my half Mancunian and half Yorkshire accent which has led many Londoners to stop me in a street to ask the same question: “Where you from?”
“I live in Yorkshire, not Outer Mongolia,” I have often replied.
And while Rotherham may only be known for being the arch enemy of Jamie Oliver’s healthy eating regime, I will inform all those Southerners that life in the borough involves excessive partying that could put them all to shame.
During my time as clubbing columnist, I have come to respect the party animals of the town who turn out in force every week to support their local night clubs.
Every Monday morning when I’ve sat at my desk, I have been greeted with an array of photographs which have been taken on the Rotherham clubbing scene and were guaranteed to have me chuckling into my cup of tea.
It could only be in Rotherham that you were going to see the lead singer of Pendulum jumping into the crowd and surfing along the party crew who had turned out in force to see the legendary drum and bass act.
And Rotherham clubbers have shown that they are ready to show some love to the UK urban scene by packing out the nightclubs to see the likes of N-Dubz, DJ Ironik and Tinchy Stryder who have performed intimate gigs in the town.
It is only with the support of clubbers, who are willing to give such acts a fighting chance, that they have become a dominant force on the UK music world—topping the charts with their catchy tunes.
What I have particularly found to be positive about the Rotherham clubbing scene is that it will not cost you an arm and a leg to have a good night out.
The nightclubs tend to keep the entry prices fairly low and there are some great drinks offers floating about around the town which has meant that hard-pressed clubbers have not been forced to give up their partying in the credit crunch.
Only Rotherham has been able to offer clubbers, both young and old, the chance to see the winners of Britain’s Got Talent, Diversity, performance live for less than a tenner.
Tickets to watch the BGT live tour would have set you back at least 30 quid.
Now I’ve been forced to defend Rotherham to many clubbers who turn their nose up at its party scene and migrate over the Parkway or down the M1 to nightclubs in Sheffield and Leeds.
And I will admit that I have found that several of the nights offered by the Rotherham clubs tend to blend into one—with a mix of commercial dance and R n B tunes to satisfy the masses.
But my latest experience on the Sheffield party scene found that its main nightclub was no better and with a £6 entry fee and a dance floor that was pretty empty I wondered why I had bothered.
The Rotherham clubbing scene doesn’t pretend to be anything that it isn’t.
What you see is what you get which is a fun night out with a bit of booze and some party tunes.
So I encourage all of the Rotherham clubbers to continue on with their party ways and build up a bank of fabulous memories which you will be able to look back on in fondness.
For there may come a time when the party vibe will no longer be flowing in your life so it’s a case of skanking out while you can.
Party hard people.
