BOOKS 64 F000 66 COMPETITIONS Tl lEITERS 72
Kathleen Morgan treads lightly in the netherworld of Glasgow’s under718
nightclubs.
The music throbs to a frenzied rhythm and designer-clad hips gyrate to techno sounds. The sunken dance floor is littered with a spectacular array ofpouting beauties of both sexes. and the corners cast their shadows on the less conscientious dancers. who move to a different beat. The only giveaways. other than a more careful inpsection of these fresh-faced nightclubbers. are the steel trunks which. instead of spouting forth generous quantities of lager. are now harnessed. limp and redundant. to the ceiling. Coke after coke hits the thirsty gullets of these disciples of dance. who share something other than their ability to
spend: they are all under 18.
The burgeoning phenomenon of the under-18s night-club scene began five years ago to the tune of a modest 150 people attending a private function at Fury Murry’s. Fusing the wit of Neil Allardyce. the sounds of DJ Robin Burrows. and a mob of llutchesons' school kids. ‘Fever‘ was born. Today. droves ofover l()()() adolescents. most ofthem from private schools. choose from three main venues in Glasgow‘s city centre: The Tunnel. the Sub Club and the Choice. At around £3 a head. and more for any extras such as fashion shows and bands. these kids are lining the pockets of young
DOUGLAS ROBERTSON
entrepreneurs. often no older than themselves.
Neil Allardyse. who co-runs ‘Fever‘ in its sparkling new abode. The Tunnel. is. in his early 20s. no spring chicken to this scene. Bluntly describing his customers as ‘privileged people’. he has no qualms about the club‘s policy of marketing the private schools: "The people who pay that money are walking about with a lot of money on their backs: everything that they buy is very expensive. I mean you don‘t see anyone coming in here with jeans and a T-shirt. Their pocket money is pretty mega.‘
Sub Club from man David Gray
The List 25 January — 7 Februarv 1991 69