We all have one nightclub we wish we could dance the night away in just one more time.
For many people, nightclubs play a huge part at some point in their lives. Whether it's where you met your partner, or found your crowd and a love for a particular type of music, the best nightclub's are places where people feel free enough to express and enjoy themselves.
So no matter how much you love discovering new places, nowhere quite lives up to the favourites you had back in the day, right? A recent poll conducted by the ECHO asked: "What long lost nightclub in Merseyside would you revisit for old time's sake?" The response we got was incredible.
READ MORE: Liverpool's lost 'adult funhouse' that was like a 'second home' to clubbers
Nearly 1,000 entries were submitted by readers in a bid to find the most missed lost nightclub of all time. While many of the iconic club names, understandably, came up again-and-again - there was one that left even the mighty Cream in the dust.
There will always be changes in music, fashion, and of course hairstyles, but there's nothing like getting dressed in your best gear for a big night out which ends up on the dance floor. So get your glad rags on as below are the eight nightclubs you voted for that you miss the most in reverse order.
At the end of the list there will also be a few honourable mentions. Enjoy!
8. Garlands
With 20 votes, Garlands was a Liverpool nightclub that was "ahead of its time" and pushed boundaries on the city nightlife scene. The club quickly achieved legendary status in the city after it opened in 1993 on Eberle Street, becoming synonymous for taking risks with extreme entertainment and being the backbone of the city’s LGBT+ nightlife.
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The first after-hours gay club in Liverpool, it welcomed an army of visitors from Merseyside and across the country for over two decades, hosting a huge line-up of DJs, as well as a number of famous faces. But after being a firm feature on the club scene for around 25 years, it closed its doors for good in 2019.
One reader who voted said Garlands had "such a great atmosphere with everyone, had a ball at the all nighters. Didn't want the nights to end!" Another reader said: "The atmosphere was always so friendly! So many fab times!"
7. Coconut Grove
If you grew up in Liverpool in the 1980s, there's a good chance you spent at least one memorable night at the Coconut Grove. The nightclub, otherwise known as 'The Cokey', was the city's go-to place for a night out at the time.
It first opened its doors in 1982 on the corner of Green Lane and West Derby Road in Tuebrook, and later became The Venue in the early 90s. Many people will remember The Cokey's tropical theme, from Pina coladas, to Hawaiian garlands and plastic palm trees.
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Previously, the building had been home to the Carlton Cinema - one of the city's great picture palaces. In 1982 it became home to the Coconut Grove and later changed to the Venue, before closing its doors for good in 1997.
The building stood empty for a number of years and has since been demolished. However, with 23 votes in the ECHO poll, it's one people still remember fondly.
One Coconut Grove voter said: "Brilliant Sunday nights, great music and lots of laughs. While another commented: "The people. The laughter, the love and the fun."
6. Paradox
The former Ormskirk Road nightclub, which was demolished in 2013, was once a well-known landmark thanks to its distinctive art deco-style clock tower. However throughout the 90s, events that took place inside the nightclub put it on the map for people who loved a big night out across Merseyside and beyond.
It started out in the 1920s as the Vernon Pools building, but when they moved to new premises in 1991 it became the Paradox nightclub. Until it closed in 2001, the club regularly filled to capacity with up to 3,000 clubbers attending its weekly nights of DJ sets.
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With 25 votes, it's still a club highly regarded with ECHO readers. One reader said: "Just loved going there Thursdays and Saturdays; went into work on Friday many times still buzzing from the night before!"
5. 051
Many clubs and venues have left their mark on Liverpool over the years, but it’s the 051 that arguably remains the definitive Scouse nightclub. The building's peculiar yet distinctive facade at the foot of Brownlow Hill and Mount Pleasant has been through a range of iterations over the years - a cinema, paintball arena, bar - but it’s the weathered yellow sign still crowning the structure which offers a reminder of its former glory.
Do these awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
Many floors below the fading lettering of ‘0 five one’ was where the 051 established itself as one of the biggest clubs and brands in Liverpool through the 90s and early 2000s. With its rite-of-passage stairway decent to the basement expanse, inside a family-like raft of DJs would play to revellers looking for their weekend escape.
It closed as the 051 in 2005 and became other clubs, including Aura from September 2013, but was stripped out by 2016. However, just pipping Paradox with 26 votes, the 051 is still fondly remembered.
4. Quadrant Park
Before its influential heyday in the 1990, Quadrant Park opened in the late 80s and was primarily a mainstream nightclub playing chart music. But then it took off and the club started to establish itself as one of the UK's first "super clubs." By mid 1990 the club was drawing crowds of up to 2,500.
Also known as the Quad, or Quaddie, this Bootle nightclub on Derby Road at the time was said to be the UK's only legal all-night rave, because it didn’t sell alcohol. It closed on New Year’s Eve 1991, but 90s clubbers still love the venue attracting 28 votes in our poll.
Quadrant’s music policy remain fixed on a blend of acid house, Chicago house and Italo disco. Despite the club’s heyday being only two years, it remains arguably the most influential venue Liverpool has seen inspiring the super clubs that came after. The building has since been demolished.
Describing its incredible atmosphere, one former clubber said "It was like being in the Kop when a goal was scored and celebrating for five hours." Another simply said: "Best days of my life."
3. Cream at Nation
Despite being the super club with the biggest name outside of the city, Cream only came in third with 30 votes. Based in Wolstenholme Square at the now demolished Nation nightclub, Cream started out as a weekly club night which grew into a global superpower, with offshoot events and festivals around the world.
From humble beginnings grew a legendary movement that would see superstar DJs travelling from around the world to play sold-out sets. Due to the club's success in the 1990s and 2000s, Liverpool became the centre of the universe for dance music lovers, who would flock to the super club from all over the country just to experience its immersive nights with like-minded ravers.
A truly hedonistic and euphoric experience, those that went there will remember the crowds of sweaty bodies throwing shapes on the dance floor, glow-sticks, and the outrageous costumes that make most modern club nights look tame in comparison. Sadly, the iconic club closed its doors in 2007, and the venue was demolished in 2016 as part of the regeneration of Wolstenholme Square.
Despite not making the top spot, few clubs actually deserve the 'legendary' status but there's no doubt Cream ticked all the boxes to justify the label. And many of you felt the same as Cream scooped 30 votes.
2. The Grafton
The Grafton, on West Derby Road in Everton, has gone down in history for its wild party nights. Opening in 1924, the venue was once a thriving dance hall next to what is now known as the Liverpool Olympia.
It was also the setting for the famous "grab a granny" Thursday nights which were launched in the 1970s. In 1999 The Grafton became a star in its own right when it was the subject of a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary.
The last event to be held at the venue was a Turn Back Time dance, organised by Age Concern and featured 50s and 60s music. For a short while in 2008 it was used as a comedy club before closing down permanently.
In 2013, the frontage of the building collapsed into the road after a spate of bad weather but was repaired and declared safe soon after. The iconic building still stands on West Derby Road for everyone to reminisce.
With a whopping 35 votes, the Grafton, surprisingly, proved even more popular than Cream at Nation with ECHO readers. One person remembered: "Cheap beer, good laugh. Great club to pull if single or sometimes not."
Another reader commented: "Just a great night out with the lads. Always something going on in there to make you make you laugh your head off." Another reader remembered: "Sticky floors and yellow drinks that made your teeth UV [ultra violet] haha."
1. The State
With 44 votes, readers voted overwhelmingly to name The State nightclub as the club they most miss and would love to dance in once again. Loved by generations of clubbers, The State hosted a number of popular musicians and DJs, and even featured on our TV screens.
Opening as a stunning ballroom in the 1920s, The State transformed as the decades progressed, from being taken over by Littlewoods to later reopening as Liverpool’s first Laser nightclub in the 1980s. The site once featured in Frank Clarke's film A Letter to Brezhnev and on popular music programme The Tube when they came to do a special on the music scene in Liverpool.
By the 1990s, the State began hosting huge events such as Monster Jam and Garlands, with reunion events still taking place today. Located on Dale Street in Liverpool City Centre, the club has sadly since closed and the Grade II listed building has been home to JD Gym since 2014.
Being voted the most popular lost nightclub, readers reminisced in the comments section of our poll on the great nights they had there. One person said: "Boss music. Amazing DJs and bouncers were brill."
Another posted: "Just the atmosphere and the ambiance of the place - oh and the bottles of Rocamar wine which gave me a head like a rock the next day." Another person simply commented: "Brilliant atmosphere, brilliant music."
While another remembered: "The music, the place itself and the great times we had there from 1985 till about 1990. Sometimes we went Thursday, Friday and Saturday but the 80s had the best music and the State played it all."
Well with the most missed club now decided, we should also point out some honourable mentions who didn't quite make the top eight. With 12 votes the Krazyhouse on Wood Street made a strong showing as did the Kingsway nightclub in Southport with 13 votes.
Other also-rans included The Cabin on Wood Street with nine votes. While Bunters, Buzz and The Continental (The Conti) had seven votes each.
