The decline of nightlife in Middlesbrough must be one of the biggest drop offs in the country over the past 15-20 years or so... Not necessarily because it's so bad now, more so due to how brilliant it used to be. Looking back, I think it most likely punched above its weight in terms of bars / club vs size of the area.
100%
We used to go out Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Friday and Saturday and then do the Southfield quiz on Sundays, and you'd have a choice of places to go most nights.
It used to be so cheap though - lot of places did double or triple vodkas for ÂŁ2, free entry before certain times, 50p alcopops, taxis were fairly inexpensive. Lucky if a double isn't ÂŁ8 on a night out, ÂŁ5 plus for an alcopop or bottle, a taxi to Boro and back from here costs ÂŁ30
seems like the active ends of town changed too
Used to have a lot of stuff in that area around Cleveland centre/spencleys area - corner house, but lot of the focus seemed to shift away from there, guessing drive. By police trying to stop anti social behaviour. Had what was wickers world, royal exchange, the venue, walkabout, isaacs, madison, jumpin Jaks, liquid/envy/time/lava/ignite, Chicago rock, blaises, spencleys etc
Then a few small independent "late spots", and stuff on Lipthorpe road like club Belmont/aqua, the crown, then the arena over Newport and even getting over to Teesside park for millennium or Yarm for club m
Most of which weren't particularly quiet - and when going out for New Year's Eve etc always had to grab a ticket in advance whereas now it's not even a big thing to even go out on New Year's Eve
There is probably more but off top of my head it's flares/pop world, mint, the empire, stereo (spencleys), sapphires (the gay bar that used to be Rooneys fish & chips), XS (the other gay bar)..student union.. after that I'm struggling. It's certainly not somewhere I'd visit from elsewhere for a proper night out