Newcastle Entertainment

  1. Blackie Boy

    At first glance, this darkened old boozer looks like any old traditional pub. Look closer. The overly red lighting. The single bookcase. The large leather armchair that is rarely occupied. The signage on the toilets: 'Dick' and 'Fanny'. This place could have featured in Twin Peaks, which is why it's so damn popular with everyone.

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  2. Camp David

    An excellent mixed bar that is as trendy with straights as it is with the gay community.

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  3. Crown Posada

    An unspoilt, real-ale pub that is a favourite with more seasoned drinkers, be they the after-work or instead-of-work crowd.

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  4. Digital

    The newest of Newcastle's megaclubs is this two-floored danceteria with one of the best sound systems we've ever heard. Our favourite night is Thursday's Stonelove, a journey through 40 years of alternative rock and funk. Saturday's Shindig is all about four to the floor.

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  5. Forth

    It's in the heart of the gay district, but this great old pub draws all kinds with its mix of music, chat and unpretentious atmosphere.

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  6. Foundation

    This warehouse-style club features a massive sound system, fantastic lighting rig and regular guest slots for heavyweight DJs from all over. If you want a night of hard-core clubbing, this is the place for you.

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  7. Head of Steam@The Cluny

    This is one of the best spots in town to hear live music, attracting all kinds of performers, from experimental prog heads to up-and-coming pop goddesses. Touring acts and local talent fill the bill every night of the week. Take the Metro to Byker.

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  8. Powerhouse Nightclub

    Powerhouse Nightclub , Newcastle's brashest queer nightclub, with flashing lights, video screens and lots of suggestive posing.

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  9. Sage Gateshead

    Norman Foster's magnificent chrome-and-glass horizontal bottle is not just worth gaping at and wandering about in - it is also a superb venue to hear live music, from folk to classical orchestras. It is the home of the Northern Sinfonia and Folkworks.

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  10. Theatre Royal

    The winter home of the Royal Shakespeare Company is full of Victorian splendour and has an excellent programme of drama.

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  12. Tokyo

    Tokyo has a suitably darkened atmosphere for what the cognoscenti consider the best cocktail bar in town, but we loved the upstairs garden bar where you can drink, smoke and chat with a view.

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  13. Trent House Soul Bar

    The wall has a simple message: 'Drink Beer. Be Sincere.' This simply unique place is the best bar in town because it is all about an ethos rather than a look. Totally relaxed and utterly devoid of pretentiousness, it is an old-school boozer that out-cools every other bar because it isn't trying to. And because it has the best jukebox in all of England - you could spend years listening to the extraordinary collection of songs it contains. It is run by the same folks behind the superb World Headquarters nightclub.

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  14. World Headquarters

    Dedicated to the genius of black music in all its guises - funk, rare groove, dance-floor jazz, northern soul, genuine R&B, lush disco, proper house and reggae - this fabulous club is strictly for true believers, and judging from the numbers, there are thousands of them.

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