We kicked off our club reviews section last Wednesday with a trip to the Mecca of the Kingston clubbing circuit, Oceana. 

Oceana is home to four different themed bars, three floors, two dance floors and queues that stretch beyond Wilkinsons.
Where is it?

Nearly three months into term now it seems infeasible that even the freshest of you do not know where Oceana is.  For the record it’s on Clarence Street right next door to the Rotunda cinema complex.

Atmosphere:

If you like clubs packed to the rafters and loud and lively then this is the club for you.  We went on a Wednesday night which is student night (along with Mondays), so it was particularly crowded. 

It’s probably not the club for you if you’re not prepared to queue five deep at the bar, shout in people’s ears to get understood and dance within a two foot radius.  That said, there are four themed bars downstairs which are a good spot to go and chill out when it’s got a bit hectic on the dance floor after the initial rush period between 10.30 and 11.30pm.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Service:
The service is split down the middle between the bar staff who are all friendly and quick to serve despite the volume of people queuing for drinks and the bouncers who are at best indifferent and at worst plain rude.  That said, there are some helpful bouncers but they are few and far between and tend to be the one’s once you’re actually inside the club rather than those on the door.
Rating: 3 out of 5

Queuing:
Queuing is another area which lets the club down really, although given its popularity it is difficult to see what they can do to rectify this.  When we were there the main queue was 45 minutes minimum but it has been known to take up anywhere up to an hour and a half and can snake round as far as Wilkinsons.  By far the best thing to do is get on the guest list as even when there is a queue here it is significantly shorter than the main one.
Rating: 2 out of 5

Value:
It cost us £4 to get in with our NUS cards otherwise its £5 to get in after 7.30pm before which it is free to get in.  Once inside drinks prices are very respectable for a club.  A pint of Stella Artois is just £2 while a VK Apple is also £2.  Mixers are also reasonably priced in a bid to try and get people in early although most people tend to do most of their drinking prior to coming to the club either at home or in the Kings Tun directly opposite the club.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Features:
Oceana is unlike any other club in Kingston and is unique in both size and concept, having something that will cater for almost all club-goers.  It has four themed bars on the ground floor including the Alpine Ski Lodge and the Tokyo Bar and also has two different dance floors.  The cheese floor with its 70s style flashing tiles and disco ball and the enormous Ball Room with giant chandelier are particularly memorable and help the club stand out from the others in the area.  It also has two cash machines inside however these do charge.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Music:
The club endeavours to cater for a range of music tastes on student nights as opposed to trying to corner one particular market or feature different themed nights like some of its competitors.  The cheese floor will satisfy all pop and cheese lovers while the Ball Room plays a good mixture of R & B, hip hop, dance, electro and drum and bass.  It also regularly attracts top DJs and acts.  Busta Rhymes played recently although depending upon your musical tastes that may or may not be a good thing!  Indie does get played but not that often and it is certainly not the place to go if you like your rock or heavy metal.
Rating: 3.5

Overall:  Despite its bouncers, the queues and the fact that you will almost certainly lose people inside due to its sheer scale, Oceana is by far the biggest and most popular club in town.  It caters for a wide audience and is probably the place to go for a night out.
Rating: 4 out of 5