Scratch Nightclub

Anywhere serving drinks for £2 and doubles for £4 gets my vote!
Don’t come here if you’re not a fan of the ‘student’ scene as that’s very much what Scratch is all about! They are located in the centre of the student quarter and hence aim to catch the trade from the students. The music is your usual current chart stuff and the vibe is actually pretty fun and full of energy. I loved going here as a student for obvious reasons (cheap, cheap, cheap!) and still have a guilty trip over every now and then! It’s always a good nigh especially if you’re with a group… or if you’re a student!

I’ll confess I haven’t been here in a while. In fact, I think the only time I’ve been in it since it stopped being The Fly was on a work night out two years ago.
I can’t really say much about it. It’s very dark, quite dirty from what I remember and it was too much of a meat market for my liking. There also seemed to be a wild amount of questionable substances being passed around too, which is totally not my thing.
In its defense, Scratch is cheap and so attracts a lot of students. I have gone in once during the day and it was fine for a sneaky afternoon pint.
I definitely wouldn’t go back for another night out though — no way!

I was in Scratch as recenty as last monday for a friends birthday and have to say it was decent enough craic. Very much a student haunt, the average age of the crowd was about 19, but this would never put me off. With drinks promos at £2 and double spirits and mixers for £4 I have to say I took full advantage and got stuck in, much to my detriment the next morning!
The club itself has three floors and an outdoor seating section for those who need to cool down or simply have a smoke, making the capacity for this club quite substantial.
The music was a blend of chart music and the usual sing-​a-​longs which made for a feel good night full of dancing, cheap drinking and plenty of laughs! If this sounds like a night you’d fancy then Scratch is the place for you!

This nightclub is the refurbed and renamed version of what was the Fly back in the day. I was at the Fly a long time ago and had a cracking time on a work night out but that was more in spite of the place than because of it.
It is pretty standard going here. Pretty rubbish local DJs, playing pretty rubbish music so people with low self-​esteem — as shown by their white shirts and short skirts can grab eachother and grind away to their hearts content.
The booze is pretty much standard with drinks promos designed to get people drunker so they buy more drink and try to forget about the person they just felt up in the middle of the dancefloor.
Its pretty dark inside — which is maybe a good thing — but its clean and the toilets are usually in good shape.
If you want to wake up and feel a sense of shame and regret, this is probably the place for you.

Located just off Botanic Avenue, Scratch is the nightclub part of the Tap House. This in itself is the refurbished version of what was known as the Fly many years ago.
It does not take a genius to work out Scratch has been designed for students to get drunk and get with each other. The music is current, with Cool FM (Belfast radio station) often having DJ’s playing at it.
The door tax plus the clientele do not make this the sort of place that will appeal to everyone but its proximity to the student area known as the Holylands make this an obvious choice for many students and drinkers alike.
Offers do apply to Scratch, with £2 a bottle of beer and £4 for double vodka and Red Bull.
Doors open at 9pm.
The food downstairs is actually very nice, with burgers being my personal choice. As there are offers on during the day, this can make for quite a pleasant experience.
Downstairs also comes complete with pool table which is always a good thing.
This night club may not and does not necessarily appeal to everyone and bar staff tend to be quite slow to serve. Though if you do just want a club to go to then make your way to Scratch.
Do not expect too much.