If you were on a night out in Edinburgh in the 2000s, there always seemed to be a point in the evening where you'd end up in Opium.
Situated at 71 Cowgate, the alternative night spot, which specialised in rock, punk and metal, became a mecca for those who liked their music sprinkled with ear-splitting vocals, thunderous bass lines and Satan-summoning guitar riffs.
Open from dusk till dawn, seven nights a week, you could always rely on Opium to ensure you'd be heading home suitably sozzled long after the witching hour.
READ MORE: Edinburgh's real-life 'rat island' that sounds like the stuff of nightmares
Split over two levels, with a main bar downstairs and a lively dancefloor and stage on the first floor, the dark and dingy venue was always packed to the rafters on a Friday or Saturday night.
And while Opium certainly marketed itself as a rock bar, the general clientele was actually rather mixed - perhaps due to the fact it was one of only a few places in the city that had free entry and stayed open till the wee hours.
Good times were had and many friendships solidified within Opium's wall over the years, with the bar becoming a favourite for many twenty-somethings who were either starting or finishing their evening.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, local and former Opium regular Ryan Johnstone gave us the lowdown on the Cowgate haunt.
He said: "Opium was the sort of place that attracted all the heavy rock and goth types. I was neither really, but ended up getting smashed in the place more times than I care to remember.
Sign up to our Edinburgh Live nostalgia newsletters for more local history and heritage content straight to your inbox
"They had bouncers, but they never seemed to care if you looked hammered or not. They'd just let you in. It was a great place for cheap drinks, decent tunes and to catch up and coming local bands in the gig area upstairs.
"My abiding memory though is knackering my back when I went flying down the stairs one night. Each step had a metal strip that would get mega slippery if it had been raining outside - an absolute death trap.
"I've not been in it since it changed names, but I hear the vibe is quite similar."
In 2021, Opium's owners announced that after 20 years they would be renaming the popular establishment 'Legends', a name the bar had previously been called.
The decision was made in part to prevent the bar from being blocked on social media due the name's association with illegal narcotics.
Opium's owners said at the time: “Big changes are a coming, watch this space for Legends Launch Day. The Final Count Down Begins.
“At least Facebook won’t keep taking the page down for drug references!”
READ NEXT:
Edinburgh's first TGI Fridays was like nothing capital diners had ever seen before
These 31 retro Edinburgh signs that will give you a serious nostalgia overload
Amazing Edinburgh image captures city centre street as it was 60 years ago
These 24 Edinburgh photos will transport you right back to the 1990s
The short-lived Edinburgh superclub that closed down in a haze of violence
