RIP Vodka Revs — the last bastion of messy British nightlife
It’s time to say goodbye… (Picture: Revolution/Kristina Beanland)
It’s 2010, and I’ve just downed a vodka shot named ‘love candy’ — one of six served to me on a wooden paddle.
The sound of FloRida singing about apple bottom jeans is so loud my chest is thumping, and I’ve just been handed a White Russian cocktail, whipped cream dripping onto the floor.
I’m in Vodka Revs on a Monday night — but make no mistake, I’m loving every second of it.
The news that Revolution Bars is closing all of its 14 venues has sent shockwaves through my Millennial heart.
The parent company Revel Collective, which owns 62 bars including Revolucion de Cuba and Peach Pubs, said on Monday it had filed to enter administration after putting itself up for sale in October.
It means that my beloved Revs, the site of so many drunken university nights out, could disappear from the high-street for good.
It’s goodbye to Vodka Revs (Picture: Revolution)
‘Please, God, no,’ came the response, after I’d posted the shocking news into my group chat.
‘Those White Russians had me in a chokehold,’ came another, accompanied by a crying emoji.
And we’re not the only ones lamenting the loss of Revs.
‘It’s where I snogged the late, great, Paul Danan’
Amy Fox, 41, says she’s ‘heartbroken’ to hear about Vodka Revs closing, one of her favourite nights out while at uni in Liverpool.
‘Thursdays was the night we went to Vodka Revs,’ she tells Metro. ‘My housemate worked there, so we’d go all the time for free drinks — never at the weekend though, of course.
‘I was a White Russian girl through and through, and would do pretty much any shot going.’
And a standout moment for Amy was her brush with stardrom.
‘I snogged the late, great, Paul Danan, from Hollyoaks one night!’ she laughs. ‘My friend and I couldn’t believe it! He was so lovely.
‘I probably haven’t been a Revolution since about 2014, but I’ll never forget it. Some of my best nights happened there.’
Meanwhile, Layla Hardy, 36, now lives and works in Madrid, but looks back fondly on her nights out at Vodka Revs, while at university in Leeds.
Layla tells Metro: ‘I’ve got too many memories of posing in front of the mirrors in the clubs, taking selfies with my digital camera, to upload yet another Facebook album with a ridiculously cliché title.
‘It might not be the most glamorous night out, but it was always a good one.
The iconic paddle of shots (Picture: Revolution)
‘It never took itself too seriously, everyone knew what sort of night it would be — a fun and silly one.’
And Metro’s own deputy news editor, Izzy Frodsham, experienced Vodka Revs from a slightly different perspective — as the club’s photographer and keyring sales girl.
‘While the job was a bit of a slog with the long hours, the bar staff were really great and lovely to work with,’ says Izzy.
‘My friends and I would always go there on nights out too as they had insane deals and fab music. Our nights always ended at Vodka Revs.’
And the best drink, according to Izzy? ‘Easily the best shot was the watermelon one, hands down.’
‘Brilliant, therapeutic, joyful’
But perhaps the reason I’m most sad about the potential end of Vodka Revs?
It reminds me of a time when getting pissed was just straight-forward fun.
In a 2024 podcast episode of Sentimental Garbage, author and Millennial icon, Dolly Alderton questioned why getting pissed, gets ‘such a hard time’.
‘I love cocktails, I love wine, I love pints, I love shots, even… everyone’s so down in the dumps about it,’ she said.
British nightlife is changing (Picture: Revolution)
‘Yes, substance addiction is a really serious thing and those stories must be told, but there’s also this majority experience, which I think isn’t told enough, which is, some of it’s good, some of it’s bad, you learn your boundaries, you push it too far, you bring it back and then it becomes this brilliant, therapeutic, joyful thing in your life.’
I couldn’t agree more. I have some wonderful memories that don’t include alcohol — but I also have many that do.
Some are once-in-a-lifetime, like drinking mojitos at a hole-in-the-wall in Havana, or downing unspeakably expensive shots in Ibiza, while other are more mundane: red wines at the pub until closing with my bestie, or ciders in the park on a scorching summer London day.
Yes, I’ve had hangovers that make my question my place in the world, but often (granted, not always), they’re worth it for the silliness and bonding that went on the night before.
But times are certainly changing.
The home of ridiculous cocktails (Picture: Revolution)
While pockets of the UK, such as Manchester, Nottingham and Leeds, still have a thriving nightlife culture, younger generations have been turning away from booze. And it’s been the death knell for clubs like Vodka Revs.
In 2024, the company which owned nightlife chains Pryzm and Atik, went into administration, closing 17 venues, and selling a further 11. Bosses cited changes in student habits as a reason for the closures.
James Hacon, founder of Think Hospitality and industry expert, tells Metro that the Millennial ways of pre-drinks and clubbing until dawn are becoming a distant memory.
‘There’s been a huge reduction in drinking, particularly among the student demographic,’ James says.
‘There’s a real desire and demand for more experiential venues — think Flight Club or Bounce — and they’re more fitness focused too.
‘They’re aware of the impact of alcohol, and they don’t want to be hungover all weekend. They’ve got better things to do.’
The draw of the White Russians was too strong (Picture: Shutterstock / Nigel J. Harris)
Instead, alternative third spaces are taking over.
‘Young people are turning to coffee shops and bakery chains for their socialising,’ says James. ‘Student unions are shifting to more of a food focus, or offering quiz nights. Some have stopped operating all together.’
Of course, cost has a part to play too.
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‘Drinking and eating out costs more than ever. Young people can see that their parents have been through a recession and a pandemic, and are struggling. There’s an awareness of needing to actually get a degree, and make some money.’
RIP Vodka Revs
With confirmation that Vodka Revs venues are set to close, here is my plea to Gen Z: take to the streets (or rather, the clubs) and savour the final moments of this bastion of British nightlife.
It’s unfortunately too late for me to get White Russian-drunk on a week day (yes, it’s true what they say about hangovers in your 30s), but there’s still time for you.
Everyone has a Vodka Revs story — make sure you write yours, before it’s too late.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
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