I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours (clubs, that is)!
TANGLED and Devotion don't have a lot in common - apart from success. In the interests of modern science, this week's nightlife takes the form of an experiment, a quest to uncover the secret formula of "Saturday Night Out".
A difficult task indeed, and one that requires not only human guinea-pigs but also complex apparatus involving strobe-lights, dry ice and amplified music (with alcohol used as a catalyst).
The methodology reads as follows: find two sets of promoters from opposite ends of the clubbing spectrum, take them on a tour of each others' clubs, keep them sober, and then invite them to dissect their individual experiences.
Phil Morse and Terry Pointon were chosen to represent Tangled at the Phoenix (£6/£5 admission, T-shirts & trainers, hot & hectic), while Joe Acker and Kenny Goodman were selected as ambassadors of Devotion at Holy City Zoo (£10 admission, catwalk clientele, chic & sexy). In the words of Cilla Black, let's see how they got on...
"It was all very nice," says Terry. "Devotion is a very good club at what it does. I'm impressed. I would describe it as a classic night done properly, whereas Tangled is the sort of night which wouldn't have been possible before acid house."
"Well I was very impressed by the music at Tangled," continues Joe. "I would say that Tangled is a more serious night that revolves largely around the music and the crowd were obviously enjoying it. They were all really involved and there was no-one just hanging around on the side of the dancefloor.
"Devotion is probably more of a dress-up, glamour night where people go for a number of different reasons, not music alone."
"They go to look good," adds Kenny. "It's a posers paradise, totally different."
Hoping to make the most of their fresh perspectives, I ask Phil and Joe whether they have any constructive criticism to offer each other?"
I am very keen on production in clubs," begins Joe. "At Devotion we like to hire performers and put a lot of effort into the decor. We charge more on the door than Tangled so we're probably able to spend more money on the club itself. If I swapped roles with Phil then that would be my only alteration - more visuals."
"I suppose we're both guilty of excluding certain people, Tangled because of the music and Devotion because of the dress code," says Phil. "In a way that's not really a criticism because people come to us for those very different, but very specific, reasons. To get people through the door paying money you have to offer something unique and something they can't get anywhere else. That's why both clubs are still packed every weekend, despite the influence of the bars."
Aside from the common ground of drinking, dancing and flirtation, is there any cross-over between Tangled and Devotion?
"Well, we enjoyed crossing over into each other's nights," says Phil. "People don't want to do the same thing every weekend anymore and that's a good thing for everyone."
"On the surface we've got little in common but I could imagine some of our clientele having a good time at Tangled," continues Joe. "Everyone likes variety in their social life."
So will Phil, Terry, Joe and Kenny be seeing more of each other in the future?
"Yeah, Devotion is just up the road and I'm sure Joe will let us in for free," laughs Phil.
"I'm definitely going back to Tangled," enthuses Kenny. "I've been before and I love progressive music."
"I won't be going religiously because I've got my own club to run, but I'll certainly drop in from time to time," says Joe. "A change is as good as a rest, or so they say."
So, the conclusion of this experiment is simple: there is no secret formula to "Saturday Night Out". Every successful club has its own unique selling point and my advice is to visit them all and make the best of what's on offer. Just don't try to do it all in a single weekend.
PAUL MAHONEY