Trouble for Thompson’s
Oh naughty Thompson’s, what have you done now?
Thompson’s Garage, beloved haven for wipe-outs across Belfast, has gotten itself into a spot of trouble.Surprisingly it’s nothing to do with drugs, but rather about the amount of people they’ve been cramming into their club and smoking area.
Endless Music Ltd were fined £800 altogether after an inspection carried out last September found it had failed to limit the amount of people allowed into both the club and the smoking area.
Shocking.
Yet isn’t it this blatant disregard for the rules that makes Thompson’s so gosh darn loveable? When it comes to Belfast nightclubs, Thompson’s is like marmite. You either love it or hate it.
The clientele are a select bunch. Herds of Nike swaddled students and scary skinheads mix together in perfect harmony. It defies nature but somehow in Thompson’s it works, and it’s just downright beautiful. However, to be on the safe side maybe avoid making direct eye contact with anyone on the balcony.
You better be drunk. If you’re not indulging in other “recreational activities” then you need something to give you a rose-tinted experience of the place. Thompson’s sober is a challenge- putting all the usual “eugh I got pushed over/punched/groped” aside, without the help of a drink you will inevitably notice how…sticky the place is.
Embrace the madness. Due to our puritanical drinking laws,there are few places that stay open past 2am and we’ve got to love what we’re left with. There’s a reason the place has been fined for overcrowding- Thompson’s welcomes the masses with open arms when we have nowhere else to go.
Enter with an open mind, a firm grip on your bag and get ready to face the house music.