Welcome To The Twilight Zone... (Zone (Redruth,Cornwall))

Member Name: Tcraze84

Product:	Zone (Redruth,Cornwall)
Date:	25/04/01 (3200 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Range of music, recent refurbishment.

Disadvantages: Tough-talking bouncers, fairly expensive drinks.

The rise of dance music over the past decade is unprecedented, relative to the state of other musical genres. With much thanks going to the likes of Ibiza, as well as newly-found "Superstar DJs" such as Paul Oakenfold, Sasha and John Digweed - as well as the Radio One team of Judge Jules, Pete Tong and Seb Fontaine, the commercial top 40 has since been invaded by multiple dance tunes, finding their way onto the likes of Top Of The Pops by way of crossover and unlimited hype from DJs, clubbers and critics.

Besides the early nineties rave phenomenom, dance music in general really hit major popularity in the Summer of 1999. Suddenly, with several aspects coinciding, trance and house music were the most credible genres around; Ibiza was the choice holiday destination and glow-sticks all suddenly came back into fashion. With the rise and rise of UK Garage and Hard House one and two years later respectively, the entire spectrum of the collective dance genre was as much a part of youth culture as late nights, sex, drugs and alcohol. Oh, and Supermarket Sweep.

By some strange occurence, the new "rave" culture (incidentally, a term penned by ageing journalists, who, to be honest, just don't have a clue), began to fathom it's way westward to the quiet towns and villages of Cornwall. But, those "up-country" cry, won't the sheep and cows on the millions of farms be distracted by the constant noise of Hard House? Well, firstly, as a sprightly young Cornish lad myself can all well state (and have done, time and time again..), that:

• Cornwall is not just farms and beaches, you know, despite the stereotypes! I certainly do not live on a meagre diet of pasties and clotted cream and can assure you I do not work on a farm, or know anybody who does! In fact, I would say Cornwall overall is perhaps one of the liveliest places in the United Kingdom, particularly at night. And secondly...

• ..Er...a
ll the farm's cows and sheep would have been slaughtered due to foot-and-mouth. Probably.

So, besides the beaches, the festivals and the general feel-good factor of the county, what else do I base my assumptions that Cornwall is such a "happening" place? The nightclubs are perhaps my main reason. Newquay, in particular, boasts a wide range of top-notch clubs - Berties, Tall Trees, The Koola - to name but a few - and all of which regularly host to big-name DJs. Truro, the so-called "capital" of Cornwall, has L2 - a haven for any modern clubber and continually hosts big, big names such as Lisa Pin-Up, Anne Savage and Miss Chif.

However, venture even further west and you will find more clubs, some of a high calibre. In fact, the club in question is so far west, on a map it probably seems deep under the ocean, but in reality, er, isn't. Indeed, the newly-relaunched Zone nightclub, residing in admittedly downtrodden Redruth, cannot compete with the likes of L2. But, who ever said big-names make or break a club? Despite some recent high-profile PA's from the likes of Cassandra, the vocalist behind Rui Da Silva's number one single "Touch Me" and equally, Planet Perfecto performing "Bullet In The Gun", the Zone simply does not have the financial muscle to pull in the likes of Tiesto and Van Dyk each week.

Previously called the longer-winded "The Twilight Zone", the Zone recently splashed out on a complete refurbishment of the club - around £1m was spent, the main attractions being a crystal-clear new sound system and one of the best lighting rigs in the South-West. Located within the grounds of the highly-rated Penventon Hotel, the Zone is almost perfectly situated. Nearby, a multitude of pubs and takeaways adequately cater for both pre, and after-club entertainment, and with a hotel right next door, there really is no need to worry about finding a bed for the remaining few hours of
the early morning.

The dress-code of the club is fairly relaxed - you won't find a lot of 'Crasher kids with face-paint and/or tinfoil outfits, but on the other side, you don't need to dress up. Smart-casual I believe would be the correct term to use, though some females inside would probably disagree! Understandably though, due to two colleges and two Sixth-form centres nearby, there is a fairly large student scene at the club as a whole. Myself being one of them.

So, after navigating your way through the reception area, you are greeted with, in all honesty, a small club, even despite the fact it consists of two floors. Downstairs, there is an adequately-sized bar with a fair range of drinks, the obligatory toilets, two stages for the dancers, and similarly two podiums, once behind bars for the seriously outrageous girls. The dancefloor is not bad at all, actually. A see-through transparent effect used to unnerve me somewhat, but you won't fall through, and is of an appropriate size, though can get fairly cramped on busy nights. Upstairs, much of the same. A bar, toilets and a small, but much-welcomed, takeaway section is perfect for those who get hungry. However, despite a large balcony to overview the action below, the upstairs is predominantly more for chilling out, with velour seating and tables scattered about the place. Incidentally, the DJ box is situated almost in a "floating" position directly above the main stage and easily accessible.

The music inside the club is not all bad, either. Spanning across three main nights of the week - Thursday (Student Night) is a blend of uplifting house, combined with some chart favourites; Friday (Seventies night) is just that, glamourous and camp; whilst Saturday boasts the same variety as Thursday, if not slightly more focused on the house and trance. Incidentally, prior to Friday night's "main attraction" is an Under-18's night each week from 7.00p
m - 10.15pm in which, ironically enough, Happy Hardcore and Trance are favourites, as well as the obvious chart inclusions.

After the club, getting home shouldn't be a problem - privately-hired buses and taxis are everywhere, with a train station nearby - if you really want to wait!

Overall though, the Zone is a good club - not superb by any means, but with regular promotions and visits from such organisations as Club 18-30, as well as a recent television shoot from Sky TV's "Uni Uncovered", it is most definitely worth a look, and you will probably have a good time. Just don't expect a Gatecrasher clone though.

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