Goth in Edinburgh

Being a Goth in Edinburgh has chaged a lot since I moved to the city in 1992. At first the Goth and Rock scene in the University was centered around two of the student Unions, Potterow and Chambers street. Chambers street was by far the best IMHO. Every Thurday night there would be a club and Helen (another Astrophsyicist) and myself would go.

The Union was on Chambers street the same street as the National Museum of Scotland! It had many levels with a basement , pool and games rooms, commette rooms and on the top ( about 3 floors up, not fun in high heels :-) ) was a large bar and dance floor. Nights would start at about 9ish and finish at 3am.The pints where union prices, so about 1 - 1.50 UKP. They also had a a kitchen in hte basment where you could purchase pizzas, hotdogs or hambergers for 1UKP.

At about the same time the Rocking Hourse pub, next to India buildings (where I got married), Victoria Street hosted the "Mission" probably the most talked of goth club in Edinburgh untill it's closure in 1999. It was a warren of small enclosed caverns spread oever three floors underneath the pub itself.

Edinburgh is like this. You can walk into a pub on the ground floor , go down four flights of stairs and leave still on the ground floor!! We even have entire streets that have been bricked off at either end and every one inside ( about 200 people) have starved to death in. If you don't belive me then go on the infamous "Mary Kings close tour".

The "Mission" would run from Thurday to Saturday , 11pm - 3am (5am during the feastivals in the summer, which ment you went in when it was before dusk and it would be passed dawn when you left). As clubs go it was great, only 3UKP to get in, a unopened bottle of "dog" or "Newcastle Brown Ale" was 1UKp. You could if you wanted go clubbing all SAturday night in one of Edinburghs biggest clubs, only carrying a ten poung note and get rat-arse and stil have enought left for a bag of chps on the way home :-). The top floor ran a Goth/Industrial club, the next floor down was Rock/Metal and the lowest Indie/Pop. Genrerally the managment were really relaxed and let us use the mirrors in the ladies to do our make-up , the gents was always digusting and small with no mirrors.