These photos take you back to the 90s and noughties, showing 16 of the most popular nightclubs of the time across the North West.
The much-missed nightspots featured range from vast venues, including one said to be the UK’s biggest at the time, to quirky indie clubs.
Among them is a beloved venue once named the world’s best nightclub, and another club where Take That famously made their TV debut on an iconic 90s show.
Some of these venues are still drawing in the punters, albeit under a different name, while others have been destroyed by fire or flattened to make way for flats and offices.
They may be gone but they are not forgotten, with former regulars remembering them as the ‘place to be’ and telling how they have ‘never danced the same way since’.
These retro photos will take you back to these much-loved clubs during their heyday, when the floors were sticky with spilt alcopops, and the smell of sweat and smoke machines mingled in the air with the aroma of CK One and Joop!
How many of these nightclubs do you remember, and what do you think was the best nightclub of the 90s or noughties?
If these nostalgic images have left you pining for the past, you might enjoy this photo gallery looking back at popular shopping centres in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
13. The Hacienda
The Hacienda's heyday arguably came in the 80s, but this legendary club was still going strong in the early 90s. Run by the Factory Records label and the band New Order, it famously never made any money during its 15 years, between 1982 and 1997, but was the beating heart of Manchester's acid house and rave scene and has gone down in history as one of the greatest ever nightclubs. | Avalon via Getty Images Photo: Peter J Walsh/PYMCA
14. Heaven and Hell
The first of the Heaven and Hell chain of clubs opened in Blackpool in 1998, in what was a derelict building across the road from The Palace. The twin-themed nightclub had a capacity of 1,800, and it proved so popular that there were often long queues outside. One fan called it the 'best club Blackpool has ever seen'. | National World Photo: Rob Lock
15. Maximes
Maximes nightclub in Wigan was a hugely popular 90s and noughties venue, perhaps most fondly remembered for its 'Back to the Old Skool' nights. One former regular called it 'superb', another branded it 'class', and a third person said: "I've never danced the same way since! My best memories." | National World Photo: Paul Greenwood
16. Angels
Angels nightclub opened at a multi-storey car park on Curzon Street, Burnley, in 1974, but was most famous during the early 90s, when it became a key player in the house music scene. Pictured here in his post-Angels days is the DJ Paul Taylor, who masterminded the legendary Retro nights, featuring superstars like Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong, Sasha and Judge Jules, at Angels. | National World Photo: Kelvin Stuttard