Vodka in Winchester is a club so tragic it actually lost its music licence

Winchester's a beautiful city in the South East, but its only claim to fame is that it was once the capital of England. It also only just scraped city status through its diocesan cathedral, which basically means having a fat church governed by a Bishop. Given this, and Winchester's pensioner population, its nightlife is somewhat limited.

Apart from one diamond in the rough: Vodka.

To understand Vodka's infamous fame, look no further than 2014, when Vodka lost a pretty essential part of clubbing: the music.

As a result of their PPL licence (Photographic Performance Ltd) being out of date, Vodka were banned from playing any recorded copyrighted music until their licenses were updated. The legal action was discussed at London's High Court and left Vodka pretty fucked. What else were they going to do if they couldn't play Drake.

To make matters worse, this was one of the songs the inspector heard:

Without a license to play copyrighted music Vodka had reached an all time low. Yet, this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface why Vodka is the most tragic night out you can imagine.

First is Vodka's decor. Fluorescent graffitied walls which are meant to look edgy, actually just remind you of the alleyway to a crack den. A white 'photography backdrop' covered in Ciroc and Smirnoff logos reminds you that actually, you're in a quality, banging nightclub sponsored by the best vodka brands in the world. This is classy. You can feel it running through your veins.

The club is more intimate than you can imagine, making your ex-boyfriend; the school's computer technician; and the dodgy pull you had last Thursday, impossible to avoid. The dance floor is packed full of cheeky middle-class lads, Symonds students on their first legal night out, and Winchester University students who haven't yet realised the one and only Oceana is only a train ride away in Southampton.

Now that the club finally renewed their license, it's now banging with quality music. One room's got classic chart tunes and the other has a RnB vibe – a.k.a Drake, lots of Drake. On repeat.

Next on the tragic list, the smoking area. Step outside and next thing you know you are transported to a tropical paradise, with the bamboo and Tiki mask clad walls. The gap yah students try to impress their mates by smoking shisha and doing some sick tricks that helped them find themselves. Back inside Vodka the night is coming to an end and you know it, because Mr Brightside just came on. Classic.

Although, for all its tragedies, there is something about Vodka. It's a place of unity. The students, the chino wearing middle-class and the classic white girls all come together over one of Drake's more emotional records. It's where the tragic adolescent college memories are made, or university memories if you are unfortunate enough to be graced with Winchester's nightlife.

If you ask the locals what a night out at Vodka's like, they'll reply, "Vodka's what you make it". With a quality group of cheeky lads and a copious amount of alcohol, I guess Vodka isn't really that bad after all.