I went clubbing in Reading after lockdown and it was epic

Nightclubs and venues were allowed to reopen on Monday, July 19, when all coronavirus restrictions were lifted on ‘Freedom Day’.

The last time I went clubbing was in March last year, just a few weekends prior to the first lockdown. After so long of being deprived of the clubbing experience because of legitimate concerns surrounding the pandemic, I was eager to relive it post lockdown.

Last year I went to Sub89 to watch, or more appropriately, dance to DJs on the Jungle Cakes record label. Jungle Cakes have some of the best drum and bass DJs in land, notably Ed Solo, Deekline and the Serial Killaz.

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I thoroughly enjoy a good dance and wasn’t disappointed. As great as it is to stumble on these guys at festivals like Glastonbury and Boomtown, it’s also awesome to see them perform in a dedicated setting in the heart of Reading.

The world of live music came to a screeching halt when the first lockdown, which was instituted on Monday, March 23, 2020. Although it seems like many musicians have had their careers put on ice during the lockdowns, Freedom Day has given them an opportunity to thaw.

An advert flickered across my Instagram showing that the Jungle Cakes DJs would be returning to Sub89.

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So on Friday night, while drinking with a mate in The Lyndhurst I took the plunge and bought a ticket off Skiddle. I went to Sub89 after The Lyndhurst closed at 11pm. I really enjoyed my club experience over a year ago, and I wanted that same feeling after the pause during the pandemic.

They didn’t disappoint. The DJs delivered drum and bass in its purest form, making popular remixes of all sorts of reggae songs and chart hits to get people moving.

Revellers travelled from South Oxfordshire and Surrey to the event, as well as from Southcote, Caversham, and the other areas of Reading. One guy I spoke to came from as far away as Brighton.

But what is it like to club post covid?

Social distancing wasn't adhered to on the night, but that wasn't a surprise. The Government has lifted restrictions on clubs after 15 months of them being shut. Credit: James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Well, unsurprisingly, there was no real social distancing at the club. There was something of a divide between those dancing in front of the stage and the queue for the bar, but revellers in both places were almost shoulder to shoulder.

I had essentially the same experience that I did when I saw the same DJs last year, and for me that was a good thing. As I’m 27 years old now, clubbing is a rarer and rarer experience, so its good to go all out while I still have stamina left! All in all, it was epic to be back.

Whether the idea of clubbing appeals again is down to personal choice. I’ve been fully vaccinated since the start of April, so any qualms I have had about catching coronavirus are very much dampened by this. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t give it a second thought.

A vaccination requirement for clubbing, which has been discussed, would be discriminatory in my opinion. I believe this would rob those who may have medical or moral objections to the vaccine the experience that I have enjoyed.

However, I understand maybe others would feel safer and a lot more at ease if this was established.

My fears over the coronavirus were dampened, as I've been vaccinated since April. Photo taken at the Jungle Cakes night at the Sub89 venue in Reading. Credit: James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Personally, I would hope those who were unvaccinated and may have tested positive would cancel and obtain a refund. If you do feel ill prior to a night out, you should reorganise or wait for a similar style of night that you are looking for when you are feeling better.

Reading Festival is happening this year, and although I’m not going, I have to wonder whether there may be an uptick in coronavirus cases because of it. That said, the festival has made proof of vaccination or a negative lateral flow test a condition of entry.

As far as clubbing is concerned, the simple point for me is this: the Government has judged that clubbing is safe enough to go ahead, which has given venues the greenlight to run events like that at Sub89.

Venues have had to follow the rules closely – any caught breaking the rules have faced hefty fines.

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Until now, musicians and DJs have had to conduct livestreams and videos of shows, when they usually would be performing at venues and festivals up and down the country.

I would love to say that coronavirus cases are continuing to go down, and that we’re all in the clear but that is far from the case.

Nationally, after a spike from May to July, cases were going back down during the tail end of July. However, the case amounts are going back up again if you look at the new case trend graph, things aren’t going in the right direction.

The Coronavirus infection rate trend from May to August in Reading. Credit: Public Health Berkshire

This trend is reflected in Reading, where the infection rate trend is similar – with an  an increase in infection rates, particularly between June 23 and July 26, a slight dip, then an increase at the start of August. 84 cases were reported on August 9, with the borough having an infection rate of 294.4 per 100,000 people.

There is also a worrying number of hospitalisations nationally, with 5,879 hospitalisations and 885 in intensive care according to a five day average recorded on Thursday, August 5.

I hope the case trends and hospitalisations continue to go down.

But as for myself, I thoroughly enjoyed being back in a club again. The only downside was the drawn out hangover I grappled with for a few days afterwards.