Reporter James Campbell takes a look back at the nightclub scene in Douglas in the 1990s.

Perhaps it is down to my rose-tinted spectacles but am I wrong in thinking the 1990s were a much better night out in Douglas?

I am getting misty-eyed in my old age and turning into one of those ‘it was better in my day’ types. But just looking at the choice back then compared to now surely provides some empirical evidence.

Times have changed, the way we consume music has changed and the way people socialise has changed.

I rarely venture into Douglas on a Friday and Saturday night these days but, if I’m not mistaken, there are only a handful of nightspots to choose from,

I’m guessing there are a number of pubs and bars that open late and there are plenty of places offering the likes of karaoke to extend the evening’s fun and games.

People are drinking at home for longer and going out later these days. The clubs are often used simply as a way to extend the drinking rather than the climax to a big night out.

But, when I was out every Friday and Saturday night during my late teens and 20s, we seemed to have a lot more choice.

Unfortunately, when it comes to writing this feature, another big difference is the fact there were no mobile phones with cameras so images from those days are at a premium. We lived in the moment back then.

I spent my mid-teens drinking in Onchan Park and Summerhill Glen before heading to the Crescent to play or watch others play Double Dragon or Nemesis.

We graduated to the big time with a trip to the Lido one New Year’s Eve. I went to my mate’s house where we naively consumed cans Carlsberg Special Brew and horribly underestimated our tolerance.

My mate got turned away but I somehow got in. It was at a time when a cinema was temporarily housed there- illustrating just how huge the venue was – and I was sat there talking to my sister’s friends when I proceeded to vomit.

I ended up on the stairs outside where I must have passed out for a while until the fire alarm went off.

Sadly, the popularity of the Lido dwindled. The problem was that you could take those from a packed Outback, 1886 and Bench, put them in the Lido and it would still feel empty.

But never fear. There was the Cave, Paramount City, Toffs, Smugglers and Reflections to name but a few. My favourite, however, was the Tardis.

I was a real indie kid back in the 90s and the Tardis played wall-to-wall bangers as far as I was concerned.

Choosing the Tardis as a theme was an odd choice as Dr Who had very much fallen out of favour in the 90s and was absent from our TV screens.

There was something just no nonsense about the dark and dingy Tardis. I loved dancing away to Green Day, The Breeders, Garbage and any number of Britpop bands. It was the Nikkei Dow before and then the Outback after but the layout has not really changed.

Smugglers was also a popular haunt and was the end point for the Barbary Coast pub crawl. Many of those pubs, such as the Railway, Bridge and British still exist although they were more spit and sawdust places back then.

The Cave was always there but it tended to be the place you would go to when you couldn’t get in anywhere else.

But it was good for a wee dance to Bryan Adams’ ‘Summer of 69’ and REM’s ‘Shiny Happy People’. We used to gravitate to the backroom which was a bit more chilled and you could escape the billows of dry ice.

Toffs was not really one of my favourites but I enjoyed a few good nights there. We often went on a weekday night and, for some reason, I remember dancing to the Saw Doctors, perhaps because Irish folk rock stood out like a sore thumb among the chart and dance music generally played there.

A more leftfield choice but a place close to my heart was Reflections situated in the basement of the Mannin Hotel on Broadway.

It was there a few friends developed a memorable dance routine to They Might Be Giants’ ‘Ana Ng’. It was a small but chilled out venue playing quality tunes.

Later in the decade Paramount – previously Little Caesars - became a more regular haunt. It was useful for me as I lived in Onchan which made the walk home shorter or the taxi ride cheaper.

The two floors were very distinct. Downstairs it was darker and where the hardened ravers went for the dance tunes, such as Darude’s Sandstorm and Sash.

Upstairs was more my vibe with cheesy 80s (Tiffany’s ‘I think We’re Alone Now’ anyone?) and a few good 90s tunes. There was even a food area at one stage where you could get chips and the like.

Of course, Paramount was still going strong well into the 2000s but, for me, the 90s was its heyday.

There was also Studebakers at the Castle Mona and Jimmy B’s which we only ever went to on a Wednesday. Can’t do hangovers at work anymore! My abiding memory was a mate hiding in the seats which were hollow inside.

Once the Lido closed, Summerland became the New Year’s Eve venue of choice. Many of us will remember Atlantic 252 hosting there one year!

There was also Havana which I visited sporadically and Guys and Dolls which was always a fun night but both were more early 2000s venues.

There was a real energy in the 90s which leant itself perfectly to the nightclub scene. Dance music came into its own, indie guitar music was vibrant and there was an optimism in the air with Labour getting in after 18 years and Euro 96.

It wasn’t perfect. The laddish culture was vulgar at time, the carpets were sticky and we would always come home smelling of cigarette smoke.

Of course, these are just my memories and I could have gone on for much longer about it. Others will look back fondly at other venues I haven’t mentioned as well as those outside of Douglas. I was a bit too young to enjoy the 80s club scene so for me the 90s will always rule.

I’d be interested in hearing your memories from the time - get in touch by e-mailing [email protected].