Luminous beer on the way as new Telford nightclub opens

It replaces the former Ice Lounge nightclub which closed last summer and is being run by partners Mike Mees, Martyn James and James Latham.

The nightclub will eventually be open Tuesday to Sunday and is set to become the first in the UK to serve luminous, glow in the dark beer.

Mr Mees said: "We are looking to offer our venue to students throughout the week and create a vibrant atmosphere for everyone to enjoy at weekends.

"We had a look around the area, spoke to a few people, and saw the university was close, which is our main target really.

"We are going to put different nights on for the students. They don't want the same thing all the time."

The trio have already transformed one of the rooms of the Eden Complex into a nightclub complete with bar, dance floor and VIP area.

They are also working on the room next door which will eventually be turned into a pub in the day serving food, before becoming part of the nightclub in the evening featuring live bands and VIP area.

Mr Mees said: "The two rooms will be completely different in terms of decoration. The challenge is make sure the one room doesn't look like what it does in the day. It's going to look like today's kind of pub rather than a traditional one."

They are also taking on the snooker club upstairs which will become a space for retro gaming.

Trends

Mr James said: "On a night people will be able to use either room and upstairs as well. People get bored so we want to offer them a choice. We want to cater for all different age groups."

"We want to create trends rather than follow them. A lot of nightclubs disappear after five years. As long as we are innovating and have our own brands there's no reason why they should disappear," Mr Mees added.

An estimated £200 million has been wiped off the value of the UK nightclub scene in the past five years as partygoers desert the dance floor in search of new pleasures.

More clubs closed in 2018 as people swapped thumping bass for alternative entertainment.

Mr James said: "Clubs are more concerned about the money rather than the atmosphere.

"It's like the fashion industry. You have got to be on top of new ideas, new ventures, new drinks, branding.

"Customer service is what we want to focus on. We want customers to leave happy. Word of mouth can either make you or destroy you.

"People are drinking more in their homes now. The smoking ban also had an impact as have supermarkets selling alcohol. People also haven't got the money they used to."

Mr Mees said: "I think people are a lot more health conscious, particularly the younger generation, you won't see them drinking alcohol."

Drugs have also been a big issue facing nightclubs, but Mr Mees said this is something they will not tolerate at the new venue.

"There will be zero tolerance. If someone gets caught they will be banned for life."

Mr James added: "It was a place known for drugs before and we want to change all that. We want to create a safe environment for the time our customers come in to the moment they leave."