Society closure: sadness and a reality check as Kirkcaldy’s last nightclub closes

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A colleague was at a private party at Society recently and had nothing but praise for the welcome they got and the way the event was run. When they left the upstairs VIP section close to midnight, they saw an empty dance floor. In that moment, a club without clubbers.

Even allowing for the fact that people have been going out later and later for a number of years, and opening hours have been extended to try to capture that market, the lack of people took them by surprise.

Speak to anyone who has ever run a club in Kirkcaldy and they will tell you their revenue has to be generated across just a handful of hours of activity. The days when you had to be in the queue at Kitty’s before 10:00pm to get in belong to a different generation - one that could also not have conceived of clubs opening until 4:00am. Not without a wee lock-in ...

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Society had pivoted to tap into different markets with some success - daytime clubbing packed them in, but it always felt like a passing trend, and it also went for an older demographic as it moved away from the ‘club’ tag.

The gates leading to the doors at Society are now shut (Pic: fife Free Press)The gates leading to the doors at Society are now shut (Pic: fife Free Press)
The gates leading to the doors at Society are now shut (Pic: fife Free Press)

They weren’t the first to do so. When Kieran Fagin ran Society it was a style bar and one that was easily on par with anything you’d find in George Street in Edinburgh. The word ‘club’ was never used - instead it served teas and coffees, lunches and meals while changing the vibe into the evening market.

Society found success, but not enough to rely on, so it switched track again, rebranding as “SCTY” and embracing the club scene and 18-30 market which has been the venue’s mainstay across all its different names over the years.

The sadness at its demise was evident as people shared their memories. Many recalled the days when it was Oscars back in the 1980s, others went further back to when it was The Olde World.

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It also ran side by side in competition with Jackie Os for many years, and continued long after the legendary Esplanade club had been torn down. Society also played host to gigs at Kirkcaldy Comedy Festival, packed them in to see Leslie band Sergeant play live - and then there was the day Joe McCormack, singer of the fabled Joe’s Band, clamber on to the roof to sing live, much to consternation of the police.

But there was also a reality check - those who used to go out regularly no longer do so, and today’s generation is much more insular and, in many cases, isolated. One said: “The owners really did try everything to make that place work but I am not sure there is even a place for the likes of this in Kirkcaldy anymore.”

It would be sad if that was the case. The town centre’s night-time economy needs bars to be busy, and restaurants full - and it needs clubs to help stem the drift of people heading to Edinburgh for nights out. Clubs come and go - it’s the nature of the industry - but to be left with none in a town where they once bussed ‘em in - is incredibly sad.

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