From 1970s disco to 90s rave, nightclubs in Tayside and Fife have had it all.
As recently as a decade ago nightclubs across Tayside and Fife were enjoying an unprecedented boom.
Tahir Ramzan operated one of three 2,000-plus capacity venues in Dundee that were full almost every weekend as the dance music culture of the late 90s and early to mid noughties created a vibe people wanted to be part of.
Picture gallery: Tayside nightclubs of years gone by
Over that period the DJ and promoter built up the legendary Glam party nights which played at venues across Courier Country, including The Waterfront in Arbroath, Flicks in Brechin, Caesar’s in Kirkcaldy, and Fat Sams and London Nightclub in Dundee.
Tahir said the floundering fortunes of local nightclubs in today’s market could be traced to changing clientele attitudes and increased competition, but most of all the absence of a collective scene.
“Dundee has gone from being one of the best cities in Scotland for a night out to being one of the worst,” said the businessman, who now runs the city’s Boudoir bar.
“Back then people wanted to travel to go to places; they didn’t care about the venue, just about going to the event.
“It was part of a scene and something you looked forward to where you could be part of something and make lots of new friends.
“There was a big following for the dance nights like the Glam and the Rhumba and that in turn had a knock-on effect for the cheesy commercial clubs.”
Such was the success of the local nightclub boom in the early 2000s that London Nightclub consistently attracted crowds of more than 2,000 for Bank Holiday Sunday events.
Tahir said an influx of working class Irish students had helped boost club numbers in Dundee over that period.
He claimed the binge drinking culture that began in the 1990s still remains but he now sees many revellers opt to come out later.
“The students have also changed and most now seem to come from wealthier backgrounds, preferring to hang out in their own smaller groups of friends,” Tahir explained.
“But some people are binge drinking before they come out because it’s so much cheaper the majority of them without putting any effort into their outfits.
“They would rather go to a club that is convenient than make the effort they would if they went to a city like Glasgow where strict dress codes are enforced and venues are not located right next to each other.
“In Glasgow you have good bars and clubs at opposite ends of the city, but people still go because it’s worth it.”
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