RAPTOR | long-live-the-pub

Clubbing is Dead, Long Live the Pub!

Gen Z is embracing slower living. Studies show they’re having less sex, spending less money, and are more sober than generations before them. Coming of age during Brexit and the pandemic shaped how young Brits learned to socialise as adults. Now, attending uni during a cost of living crisis has changed the way they want to go out.

student outside on a dark street by a pub

This change has resulted in a trend shift; university students are flocking to their local pubs on weeknights instead of going to the clubs. The shift away from casual clubbing for many can be attributed to a few things: hassle, cost, and safety. The fear of spiking for many university students, whether founded or not, keeps some young women out of nightclubs. The rise in nightclub cover costs also keep students away from the dance floor. A third year student at the University of Edinburgh reported paying at least £10 for either tickets to club nights or cover charges on the door, adding that “you can easily pay upwards of £30 on a night out, and that’s if you’re only drinking.”

This shift towards pubs isn’t anything ground breaking, or anything entirely unexpected. Britishness and pub culture are deeply entwined; we’ve all seen the airport Wetherspoons completely packed at 5:30 am. But there is nothing inherently cool about being down at the local pub with the lads. Or, there wasn’t. The new post-ironic Gen-Z hipsters have emerged, and they’re flocking to the pub to muscle down pints and roll their own cigarettes. Traditional pubs are the place to be now; bonus points if your pub of choice is called the ‘something’ Arms. The same establishments that have traditionally been filled with pensioners are now also populated with patrons who could still go to National Theatre shows for £10.

“This shift towards pubs isn’t anything ground breaking, or anything entirely unexpected.”

What university students are realising now is that those pensioners get it. It is nice to hang out with your friends, buy drinks that aren’t going to send you into your overdraft, and talk. The pint, almost laughably unsuited for the club, lends itself to conversation. You can get shots at the pub, I guess, but you’re much more likely to get a long drink that can last you at least one round of cards. Brands capable of transitioning to the pub from the club will find success among university students who, despite some arguments, are still more than willing to drink during the week. Promoting at pubs all year round, not only during major sporting events will help regain some of the momentum lost by the decrease in clubbing.

Those looking to appeal to the trend-setting university masses should also look to the heritage of it all. Take Guiness for example, which is experiencing a surge in popularity in large part due to its iconoclastic appearance and overall aesthetic sensibility. The instantly recognisable pint coupled with the lower ABV and number of calories makes Guinness an ideal choice for students obsessed with both wellness and aesthetic. Heritage brands and aesthetics have been experiencing massive surges in popularity for a couple years now. First labelled “quiet luxury” and “old money” on TikTok, the clothing trend has turned into a full blown lifestyle that has young people across the UK gazing nostalgically towards classic symbols of Britishness. Here in Scotland, the iconoclastic red “T” on pints of Tennent’s is everywhere, and its cult following contains both the born and bred Glaswegian and the new to Edinburgh university student eager to become a local in an adopted home.

The club isn’t going anywhere, to be sure, but its status as nightlife king among culture-driving university students is being threatened by the humble public house. Whether it’s due to wellness culture, the cost of living, or simply that the clubs aren’t cool enough anymore, less students are hitting the clubs when they go out. This isn’t just rumblings among students, either. In February of this year Rekom, the parent company behind Pryzm and Atik, announced that they were closing 17 of their clubs across the UK citing the cost of living crisis and decrease in number of clubbers since reopening after the pandemic. It’s clear that young people in Britain are finding other ways to occupy their nights than writhing up against strangers to drum and bass.

Where the “cool kids” used to drive university culture forward on the dancefloor, the new guard prefers to set the trend from a wobbly chair at a sticky table. At least for now, the club has taken a backseat in the minds of wellness-loving, pandemic-raised young Britons.