The battle of Pub vs Club continues to rage on in the heads of twenty to thirty year olds across the country. I only refrain from writing, “across the world”, as I presume the French would be disgusted at the thought of a quiet night in ‘Le Pub’. Here in Ireland however, there is a genuine conversation to be had about which drinking establishment can offer the most joy.
A night in the pub will almost certainly comprise of less cocaine, but it’s dependent on what type of person you are whether that goes down on the pros or cons list. The word pub arises images of elderly gentlemen with a pint of Guinness in their right hand, with their left hand balled into a fist and shaking vigorously at the black and white television set in the corner. While perhaps true in the nineteenth century, this is no longer the case. Pubs today can offer an atmosphere with live music, silent discos and this magical clear liquid called vodka. A DCU student recently revealed that, “You go to the pub when you want to have a good time and still have a conversation with your friends, but you go to the club when they’re talking shite”.
Handing your ID, whether real or fake, to the bouncer outside a dark and dingy nightclub is a right of passage for any college student. We are taught from a young age never to judge a book by it’s cover but unfortunately for the majority of clubs, the interior will be as grimy as the exterior suggests. However, if you can brave the weird smells and sticky floor then there is lots to enjoy about the club experience. Just imagine it, the DJ has turned the bass so high you can feel the music in your bones, you can dance without any fear of embarrassment because you can’t look any worse than the girl getting sick in the corner, you’ve moshed with the best of them and have lived to tell the tale and you finish your night with the dirtiest spice bag where even the onions will clog your arteries. Does that not sound like the perfect night?
The boring answer in the case of Pub vs Club is that it depends on the individual. Some would love nothing more than to lose themselves in a German techno basement where the only source of light is a single neon glowstick, while others would much rather sit down with friends, listen to some live music and be somewhat functioning for their 9am lecture. Although, the real answer is a much simpler one, why go to a pub or a club when you will have a much better time in a karaoke bar?