Basement 45

I’m not sure what to think about Basement 45. I came here not too long ago for a friend’s dubstep night and it basically is an underground type club, with two dance rooms and most nights here aren’t too expensive to get in (on average, £5).
It’s alright, I suppose. There are alot of students but generally the crowd is pretty cool and fun and up for some serious dancing but I left feeling abit blah about the venue. It’s alright, nothing too crazy to shout about. Better than the other clubs around Park Street though, so if you’re going out around this area, this club is WAY better.

Basement 45 is one of the newer of Bristol’s alternative nightlife venues. It’s a cavernous space underneath the bridge at the bottom of Park Street, in an area of town noted for its wide range of (albeit not always fantastic) nightlife options.
Having recently taken over from The Mandrake, previously Bristol’s longest running club, it is currently hosting a range of underground music nights by some decent promoters. The genres of choice are mostly drum and bass, dubstep, techno, house and anything related (so, underground electronic music).
I have to say that recent visits have found the club relatively empty. But that’s not to say that I wouldn’t give it another go. There are some good djs, a decent soundsystem, it’s not too expensive, is easily accessible and the labyrinth of caves layout is worth a visit in itself.

Basement 45 is a new club, recently opened in February 2009 and has grown a fast reputation as being one of Bristol’s best underground night clubs. Basement 45 offers fresh music, with DJs and live music acts performing on a weekly basis. The low ceilings, dark lighting, and high level of bass tones from the music, all add to the experience of a club that offers fair priced drinks and entry for a night of dancing and drinking. Although Basement 45 may be a little crowded to some, most will enjoy its thriving atmosphere, playing house music, techno, electro and trance.
Basement 45 is renowned for being open until the early hours of the morning, and so attracts an array of individuals. Beware around 2am onwards as there will be streams of drinkers wanting to enter as other clubs and bars close. The laid back tone to the club means drinkers can dance and converse, without a required dress code per say. Although Basement 45 will not be everyones cup of tea, it is definitely worth a visit if you are seeking an after-​party club once.

Basement 45 is yet another night club in Bristol that is ensuring that good music is alive, vibrant and well in our fair town. If you are a fan of Dojo’s then you are sure to enjoy this little spot. The music and low ceiling put the two night clubs into the same bracket in my mind… although it should be noted that basement 45 does not have the grime that Dojo’s has worked hard at collecting over the years.
Thumbs up!

Basement 45 is a new club that is perhaps best suited to the post Motion/​Lakota/​Thekla afterparty crew. Having myself had the pleasure of DJing here I can attest to the sound quality of the newly inserted soundsystem. This is a club for people who like their music. The low ceilings will put you in one of two camps. ‘Oh its a bit cramped in here’ or ‘Cool I feel so much closer to you guys the atmosphere is awesome’! Be sure to chat with the Bouncers (yes bouncers can be nice)…one of them jokingly dismissed the ‘electro house shite’ that I played saying that ‘nothing will ever be as good as the birth of acid house’ in his day. ‘ACCCIIIIIDDDDD’ he and his bouncer friend then shouted and made some sort of hand gesture that looked extremely out of place in the 21^st century. Basement 45 then, is unquestionably authentic.

This club has a certain ‘laissez faire’ quality to it. Small, dark and cavernous it’s the sort of place where anything goes once you’re in. I’ve been to a few different nights here, and they’ve all been pretty good. If you’re into house and electro, I’d recommend you sample Duvez Vous, a regular night hosted by the club, which tends to attract a good crowd of party people. And if you’re a bit of a dirty stop-​out, you’ll be pleased to know that Basement 45 is blessed with a late license, meaning that parties such as Duvez Vous go on until 8am.
My only criticism of this club is that the sound system tends to be a little bit on the quiet side (you can just about hold a conversation on the dance floor without having to raise your voice — that ain’t right!) But if you’re looking for a place to go and let your hair down, without fear of judgement or compulsory dress codes, Basement 45 is definitely worth a trip.

I arrived at this place at about seven in the morning, I shit you not, along with my girlfriend after a whole night at Motion shaking our butts to Diplo and Rusko. This, then, was the afterparty, for those people who just couldn’t get enough of the music, or had done far too many drugs to be able to sleep this side of the following weekend. You may decide which category we were in for yourself — it wasn’t me, officer. Anyway, the sun had come up just as we boldly stepped inside the club, which was fairly rammed with folk just like us. Dubstep was pumping out at the far end of the cave-​like building and there were people with twitching limbs trying their best to dance the, well, morning away. We went to bar, bought an expensive pint each, realised just how wrong we felt inside and left to watch a few seasons of Lost in a vain attempt to get some sleep. Don’t let me put you off, though, as this place looks top notch and seems to put on some quality DJs. I will be back at some point soon, mark my words.

This brand new club (opened February 2009) should be scoring a perfect 5 out of 5 as a club and it is surprising what lets it down…
Let’s start where it is great :
1. The owners are really passionate about music and clubbing.
2. It is in the town centre but tucked away near the Hatchett and opposite the Queenshilling so the out-​of-​towner crawls can’t find it.
3. It has friendly door staff.
4. It is small and like a cave. This is a very good thing — superclubs are tedious. There are two rooms plus a bar with plenty of seats, and the main room has a separate bar as well.
5. The bar staff in the main room dance. This means they like working there.
6. The crowd is friendly and sometimes this is used as a late night drinking spot by the gay crowd at the Queenshilling which makes it friendlier still.
7. They get a wide range of music and some of the hottest talent. This sometimes includes techno — proper techno. Not ‘we’ll say it’s techno but it’s actually hard trance’ techno. Techno.
So what’s the problem? It’s the sound system. It’s fantastic, crisp and clear and loud. Too loud. There are moments near the end of the night as the volume is pushed a little where your teeth rattle and you can feel your brain pushing against the side of your head. Everyone leaves the dance floor and stand in the corridor waiting for it to change tune to something with less bass and goes back on again yet the owners/​sound system guys just don’t get the hint. So a small thing which hopefully can change. Check it out but be prepared for the bass!