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| Bradford
nightlife: Not much better than the fashion... |
Bradford
Nightlife is not much better than its fashion sense
Queens
Hall is the main nightclub and is cheesy, hot and sweaty. Granted
there's a lot of bars and pubs up what we like to call the west
end near the Bradford Alhambra (which has the occasional decent
show), but they are full of: A. Middle aged fake blondes out on
the pull, on their way to singles nights at Penningtons and the
Chicago Rock café.
B. Fifteen year olds in pedal pushers and chunky market high heels
(or if male, Ben Sherman shirts
mmm nice).
But to know of Bradford nightlife as it applies to me then I have
to refer you to the Bradford Rio which I hope will give
you an idea of my own wondrous experiences of nights out in the
lovely city of Bradford.
Another
Friday night in Bradford, and I'm getting ready to go out. Well,
I say "getting ready to go out"...but in reality I am
pulling on a pair of jeans and shoving my hair up into a ponytail-in
fact I am dressing-down from my usual rather girly attire into something
decidedly more casual. Rio's (or as it is affectionately termed
by its fans-and staff-"the premier Rock venue of the North")
is one of the few night spots in the world that you actually scruff
yourself up a bit to attend.
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| Livin'
it large? |
It
is a commonly known fact by Rio's regulars such as myself that you
DO NOT wear anything new to Rio's, as if you do you will find it
ruined in some way or another by the next morning. Just like I ruined
my pink dolly shoes. And clothing stinks the next day too, a distinctive
unmistakable Rio's smell...you get used to it after a while.
My
friends and I meet at the same place and at the same time week in
week out, (the town hall...where the electoral registers are kept,
and can in fact be checked if you desire to know who is eligible
to vote) and start the long walk up to the vicinity of Rio's. Unfortunately
(or perhaps very fortunately) it is not located right in the city
centre, but is situated in a wonderfully prostitute ridden area
of Bradford up near the University campus ,just off Great Horton
road. We pass a grotty looking pub called the Lord Clyde and joke
that we are going to go inside for "a swift half". Of
course, we never actually go in.
We
arrive at a pub called the Peel, where a lookalike of Birds of a
feather star Linda Robson serves us drinks. We get very drunk. This
takes me about ten minutes.
We
then wander up to the Polish ex-servicemen's club. None of us are
Polish, nor are we ex-servicemen. Yet we are members of this club.
We meet more of our friends in here, and buy very cheap drinks indeed.
We become even more drunk. I am sometimes a bit sick.
We
put off going to Rio's for as long as possible, usually until the
Polish club kicks us out.
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| Bradford
University: Rio's is just up the road! |
Finally,
we wander up to Rio's, usually singing Tiffany ("I think we're
alone now...there doesn't seem to be anyone around"), pay our
£3.50s at the door (there is never a queue except for the
first week of the new uni term when the students try Rio's for their
1st, and usually last time) and wander in shouting loudly about
how much we hate the place.
Once
inside, we rarely drink. This is for two reasons:
1) We are already more than drunk enough.
2) The drinks in Rios are quite expensive (excepting Wednesday night
when it is a pound a pint, and even classy ladies like myself cannot
resist such an offer...
In
the main part of Rio's the music is loud, and quite abrasive, definate
rock and punk and music of the "metal" variety...I am
not really au fait with the terms (once again excepting the frankly
brilliant Wednesday night when pop of the 80s variety presides...
Chesney Hawkes one and only is a top fave). The "Goth Room"
is quieter with a different selection of music, less harsh and deafening.
We
dance for several hours, and the boys (ok, the girls as well) get
very sweaty and horrid, and we all get our feet stamped on.
Occasionally
we go for a sit down on the few tables and chairs dotted about the
place. And sometimes we go for a sit down on the floor. Or a lie
down on the floor. Or a lie down on the floor of the toilets. (which
are, by the by, horrendous).
The
disgusting toilets are, however, the quietest place in Rios, and
therfore the prime spot for drunken heart to hearts, and the best
place to make new friends. (Odd friends, granted, but new nevertheless).
When
Rios shuts, we all file out, ranting about what a terrible time
we have had and how much we hate it. We say we are never going back
again.
The
next week, the whole routine begins again.
Anyway,
back to the city!
There's plenty of places to eat out, with loads of good curry places,
most famously the Mumtaz Paan house, which is commendable. There's
the odd Chinese restaurant in both local areas and the city centre,
Mamma Mias and Guiseppes back yard offer Italian and then there's
good old Pizza Hut, McDonalds and Burger King.
And despite all this, I love Bradford. Why? Well… my friends and
family all live here, my history is here, and despite everything…
I’ve had some good times here. It’s the company, not the place that
matters, and the company ties you to a place. My links with Bradford
will always exist, even when I’ve escaped, and that’s just the way
I want it - I can think of the place even more fondly when I’m no
longer here!
Alice
Carroll
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