Citrus Club

Oh the simple joy of getting a curly wurly or a finger of fudge (phnarr!) when you pay your entry fee is hard to beat. Even better when you forget about it and find it in your pocket on the way home — result! Friday’s Planet Earth is my preferred night as Saturdays can start off a bit testosterone heavy with a fug of whatever happens to be Lynx flavour of the month. Bar never gets too busy and all your usual suspects at all your usual club prices although, as with most clubs, the house mixers seem to get smaller with every round. Maybe it’s the fear of acquiring a RSI from holding the skooshie button too long, who knows. Anyway be warned it’s a concrete dancefloor which can be a bit of a killer on the knees. Dark and dingy, like a scrubbed up CBGB’s. If this ain’t yer thing, this ain’t the club yer looking for. So move along so there’s more room for me to make my shapes.

I used to shiver at the thought of going to Citrus, but now I’ve come to accept it, for what it is… A grungy, dirty black pit with good tunes! Second to GoGo at Studio 24, it’s probably the only club you can go to for good indie or retro soul music.
Upon entering you faced with the bar selling a range of drinks, but they are pretty dear. Further into the club you can find a cloak room and lime green toilets opposite. At the end of the warren is the black pit. A dance floor on two levels and the DJ in the far corner. There is no fine design or luxury here, it’s concrete floors and black walls. Basic and no nonsense. I guess that’s why people come here, for the music and to dance. It’s not full of stilettos, fake tan, male peacocks and George Street naff, it’s good honest friendly people having a drink, dancing like no ones watching and having a good time!
Just don’t wear your good shoes here though, the dance floor is usually covered in spilt drink from too much shape cutting!

No… just no!!!
Only redeeming feature is the curly wurly they give you!
Ridiculously over priced drinks for sub standard house labels behind the bar!
Dank, smelly, full of people who look like they may have crawled out from under a rock!
…No!
Dear Owner,
No confusion, you must add on a hefty whack for mixer then! All i know is your staff were charging more than £4 for vodka mix last Friday!

I had one truly hilarious night in the Citrus Club. It was one of the most memorable nights in Edinburgh. Why only 2* then? Well, because it’s utter utter s***e. Funny though.
A group of four of us went in first year, hearing it was this cool little indie/​alternative venue. Basically, us arriving (and it was about half 12, normal club arriving time) doubled the clientèle. Ha, clientèle. Anyway, the bar staff were rude — they didn’t want to be there either.
But we thought we might as well make a night of it. So we totally dominated the dance floor. You know, like those horrible, awful guys you see in clubs that you instantly hate. That was us. But we were those only ones on there. In fact, my friends got so carried away they were asked to leave. «Really?! There’s no one in here!». So we left. And we’ve never been back. It was a very funny night, but, please, don’t ever go.

Despite a very short working relationship with the Citrus Club (I worked there for a night) I quite like this club, which is in small cul de sac just off Lothian Road.
My interview with the owner was more of a friendly chat than an intimidating interrogation, and I gathered that the club is probably one of the oldest in Edinburgh! Today, the bar area is quite modern looking, and leads to a garage-​like dancefloor with dj booth intact. However, it’s changed along with the many fads and trends of the decades; at one point all the walls were white; it’s difficult to imagine how practical a white walled nightclub could have been!
The club is currently only open on Friday and Saturday nights, but they’re planning to introduce a dubstep Thursdays theme. I worked there on a Saturday, and sitting on my throne (in the cloak room) I really enjoyed the indies mix of music, which the DJ puts together himself.
I’d recommend it for a relaxed/​casual night out, as it’s quite laid back compared to some of the other clubs in Edinburgh.

Went here on a Saturday night with a (less than typical) stag party. It was an indie night. Free to get in before 11pm, which was a bonus. Bottles of beer on offer for £1.50, another bonus.
I liked the fact that there were areas outside of the dance floor room where you could just hang out if you didn’t fancy the throng of the dance floor. The music was ok, although no more than half of the bands mentioned on the poster advertising the night were played. Still, the atmosphere was good, there wasn’t any threat at all of anything kicking off. A nice crowd all in all, of varying ages. The place was busy, but not absolutely packed, just about the right amount of people.
The men’s toilets were appalling. No seat on the toilet in the cubicle, no paper. One member of our party got swiftly ejected from the club after taking a dump in the ladies’ toilets. We’d been for a curry earlier in the day… what was he supposed to do? Still, I don’t think one can expect much of club toilets anywhere.
I’d really recommend this place to anyone looking for an indie night in Edinburgh. Get in before 11 for free, and you’ve not lost much if you decide you hate the place.

Lots of conflicting views about the size of the place and the cost of the drinks. Depends on your expectations I guess. Not being a very clubby person, this is one place where I still love an occasional Friday night — Planet Earth; nostalgiac 80s tunes — not all cheesey I might add. Again, depends what you mean by cheese. But if you remember the 80s as I do, it can really take you back — it’s good old fashioned fun on the dance floor: Madonna, Bryan Ferry, OMD, Human League… anything you want from the 80s basically. It’s unpretentious, it’s full of all kinds of people — not just students as some of the comments suggest– and perfect for a girls night out. We’re planning a night there in December — we’ll just dance all night… You also get a retro sweetie as you come in the door so if you get hungry just tuck into your Curly Wurly!

An ok club, it has different music for different nights of the week.
It looks a little like a big warehouse inside on the dance floor. There are lots of drinks promotions on and this brings in the people.
The dance floor is quite large and it never seems packed, it actually always seems pretty empty!
There are seats round the outside of the dance floor which are usually in use.
It seems to be the ‘alternative’ crowd who goes here to mosh and look a little grumpy!
This is quite a fun place to go with a large group of friends for cheap drinks and each others company, but I wouldn’t advise going with just a few people because it can get a little boring.

I went to an indie night there once on a wednesday but despite the fact of there being great drinks promotions and good music playing, the place was dead. And I could see that the dancefloor was just too small

Ah, The citrus club has not changed for years: Rock on Wednesdays, Indie anthems on a Thursday, 80s cheese on a Friday & chart hits on a Saturday + the occassional (and very random) ancient punk band playing a live set to confuse the regulars, I admire that consistency!
The Citrus Club continues to offer very cheap drinks and attracts skint patrons & students alike but with some of the most temprimental door staff in Scotland, anyone ruining the party is swiftly ejected.
Certainly not a place for visitors, but many a drunk local who fancies a boogy to Tainted Love on a Friday night, will find themselves at the Citrus!
Ess

They usually have some good music playing depending on what night you go. It does look like a bit of a dingy place that just looks like a garage that hasn’t been cleaned out for years. It can seem to be a bit smelly and too loud sometimes. The drinks are expensive and aren’t that good compared to other clubs in the area.

The Citrus Club used to be one of my favourite clubs in Edinburgh offering a fantastic rock night on Thursdays and an Indie night on Saturdays. The music has mellowed a little of late becoming more commercial. As alternative clubs go though, it still offers a fun night out. It is open Thursdays to Sundays with different music ranging from reggae and ska to eighties retro pop or live music and it looks and feels a bit like somebody’s basement. It isn’t damp or anything, it’s just dark and linear opening up into a biggish dance floor bordered by comfy seating. It’s minimalist. The prices are good and there’s free entry before 11pm on all nights. The atmosphere is relaxed and the usually dressed down crowd varies depending upon the night.