Nightlife in Pompey seems to be an ever-shifting, almost living creature; new venues, closures, re-openings and a constantly rotating lineup of student patrons that are in one year then out the next. It can be difficult to keep up with all the happenings across the city.

Portsmouth is one of the most popular University cities in the UK, attracting thousands of new students from all over the world each year. It's no surprise then that the nightlife culture is very student orientated - with long-running SU-affiliated nights such as Purple Wednesdays spilling out into several venues to contain the large contingent of UoP students out in full force every week.

However, beyond the university, there is a rich variety of club nights and events across the whole musical spectrum from underground house and bass music to indie, rock and metal. We break down the best of the best in Pompey, showcasing the city's top club brands - doing the hard work so you don't have to!

Concrete Music

In 8 years Concrete Music has grown from humble beginnings to become one of the UK’s most respected underground dance & bass music brands. The brainchild of seven students at The University of Portsmouth, Concrete started as an illegal beach rave and steadily grew to become one of the vanguards of Portsmouth nightlife. Picking up attention from prestigious clubbing publication Mixmag and even bagging an entire stage at Mutiny - Portsmouth’s biggest electronic music festival - Concrete now has the world at its feet.

The long running club night, currently hosted every Thursday night at The Astoria, has brought some of the world’s best artists and DJ’s from across a broad spectrum of genres to Portsmouth - everything from UK grime to drum & bass. This year has already seen Concrete host legendary artists such as Darkzy and DnB don DJ Guv, with many more in the months to come!

Outside of Pompey, Concrete has expanded internationally and held residencies as far afield as Ibiza. Make sure you don’t miss their Day & Night party this summer at The Prince of Wales club in Brixton, tickets here!

Eskimo11

If you’re a UoP student, there isn’t a chance you haven’t already heard of Eskimo11. With club nights at almost every major establishment, they are undoubtedly the biggest name in student nightlife in Portsmouth. From the infamous Purple Wednesdays, to their flagship night The Eskimo Project, the spread of this monstrously huge club brand is all-encompassing and only looks set to grow further!

Eskimo11 are also the outfit behind Portsmouth’s notorious student block parties, the multi-venue carnage-fests responsible for some of the biggest hangovers in Portsmouth’s history. Many a fresher has been defeated by this clubland colossus, and many more will continue to rise to the challenge as Eskimo11 shows no signs of stopping in their quest to host the biggest and best student parties in Pompey.

Hijack Events

Hijack Events, Eskimo11’s little brother, is an offshoot responsible for a selection of the most popular events at everybody’s favourite nightlife chain - Tiger Tiger. As well as their namesake night, Hijack Thursdays, Mbargo Monday is also organised and run by Hijack Events.

The young brand also brings some of the hottest and most current acts to the city, Yung Bxne and MTV DJ Rewire to name but a small selection. If you’re still on the fence, then maybe their McDonald’s pound saver menu parties can convince you to take notice of Hijack - where else can you eat your post-night out feast pre-post-night. Try saying that after a bev!

Connection

Connection is the longest running indie night in Portsmouth. In fact it's probably the longest running club night in Portsmouth. It runs every Thursday at Zanzi on Guildhall Walk, after moving from its longtime home at the low-ceiling sweatbox Scandals where it resided for many years. 

Since the beginning, the night has been run by award-winning DJ Pete Scathe, a true living legend in the Portsmouth alternative nightlife community. ‘The special thing about it after all these years is that people still really enjoy it,’ he explains. ‘I sometimes have people chanting "We love you Pete!" at the end of a night or telling me how much the night means to them.’

Expect to hear an eclectic variety of music - lots of indie old and new, electro with the occasional retro tune and even heavier alt-rock anthems, the night has become famous for their pen and paper request list that is handed around the room every week - allowing partygoers to determine their own playlist, an ingenious idea that has become a massive draw for the night.

It’s also mega cheap! Only £3 full price entry, dropping to as little as £1 if you put yourself on the guestlist, perfect for students' tight budgets.

District

Pompey’s new rock/metal music night, from nu-metal to pop punk party anthems, District ticks all of your alternative boxes and then some. Touting themselves as the UK's biggest alternative club night brand, District is currently established in 8 cities including Bristol, Brighton and Portsmouth.

District isn’t all ripped jeans and band tees, the brand has become so successful due in part to the unique themes and giveaways it uses to break the monotony of the average club night. Past giveaways include McDonald’s chicken nugget shareboxes, a pop punk pizza party and even a £400 tattoo session! It’s no surprise then that District is revitalising the alternative music scene in Pompey, providing a breath of fresh air for punks, skaters and metalheads alike.

District is held on the third Saturday of every month at The Wedgewood Rooms. Don’t miss their next event on May 19th, entry from £5!