End of an era: Syndicate is closing down

3.7 million people have been to Syndi since 2006


After nine years of questionable service to the Bristol club scene, Syndicate, the club you probably only went to twice in Fresher’s week, will be closing down on August 22nd.

If red pills, sweaty hippies and grumpy water ladies aren’t your thing and you wanted an even worse night out than Lounge, Syndicate was your port of call.

Top night in Syndi

With leviathan-like bouncers, fluorescent drinks, a mega dance floor, chart-toppers and smoking areas resembling prison-yards Syndicate was in many respects a locals club in a vibsey student city. But this didn’t stop Syndi-goers coming from Stoke Bishop, or Redland, or Stokes Croft, to find solace on the sweat-stained dancefloors of the so-called ‘Superclub.’

Over the course of 9 years, 3.7 million people passed through Syndicate’s doors and 24,736,890 awkward Syndibooth photos were taken of people too drunk to understand how cringe their behaviour was.

Syndibooth high jinks

Syndicate came a respectable third place in The Tab’s poll of the worst clubs in Bristol last year. It was described as: “The ugliest club in Bristol by some distance. It’s a club haunted by a congregation dedicated to supercharged ugliness: ugly voices, ugly faces, ugly thoughts.”

But the clubgoers who spoke to us about had kinder things to say about Syndi, describing it’s departure from the scene as “devastating” and “a dark day to be remembered for generations to come.” Syndi’s cult status has also seen it be described as the cities best club.

Maybe this wasn’t so bad

Amy, a third year who studies English Literature refused to comment. She said: “Please, I’m still in mourning about the whole thing.”

Vicky, 22, and another English student told us that she and her friends got wasted one night, and after frequenting the infamously tacky Syndibooth “I woke up to find myself in a grey tower block on Frenchay Campus.”

Luke, 20, said: “It’s a shitty place with shitty music. I once got so blind drunk, that I bought a whole Stag Do rounds of drinks for the entire night. I spent the next few weeks just staying in halls, not going out, because I spent all of my money on them.”

Whatever you thought of the nightclub, it’s been part of Bristol students’ nightlife for the past decade. Syndi’s closing party takes place on August 22nd and will feature music from the likes of Tinie Tempah, So Solid Crew, Rizzlekicks and The Hoff.