Formerly the KooKlub, the Cuckoo Club (see what they did there?) is the new contender to wear the crown of cool Central Brighton club but does it ruffle feathers for all the right reasons?

The Venue
Whilst it isn’t the biggest space for clubbing in Brighton, it’s certainly not the smallest either. The sleek black and white space is dominated by giant letters studded with lightbulbs that spell out the word cuckoo and stretch along as a focal point behind the bar so that it’s illuminated in a Moulin Rouge/Chanel ad effect minus Nicole Kidman and her frozen forehead draped all over it. Two seating areas with distinctive chain mail-esque curtains that screen occupants from prying eyes are available for private hire on the ground floor, one as you walk in, tucked beside the bar and the other opposite the bar at the other end of the room, beside the dancefloor.

The dancefloor has a raised stage area that’s on slightly different levels which helps to make the space feel bigger and the DJ box is tucked off to the left ensuring that all of your attention when you’re dancing is focused on the music, the towering ten foot high visuals and the writhing dancers in cages close to the ceiling who are dressed in sexy burlesque attire and leave few moves to the imagination.

Upstairs, the Agwa Lounge is generally reserved for private hire, the decor inspired by Victoriana and in direct contrast to the styling of the ground floor. If you’re after a private party, this is the area to opt for as not only does it have its own cocktail bar and sound system, it’s also equipped with periscopes so that you can spy on the frolics taking place on the lower level. In fact, everything about the club screams attention to detail with the exception of the toilets that are more MFI than you’d expect given the styling of the rest of the club.

The Atmosphere
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together and that’s certainly the case at Cuckoo Club which attracts an upmarket, friendly crowd who are out to dance and have fun with friends on a night out. This is Brighton clubbing just as it should be. The door staff are commendably professional and effortlessly charming, weeding out troublemakers with good grace and greeting regulars by name and a kiss on the cheek.

The Music
The soundtrack for socialising switches from rock, indie and chart to RnB and funk depending on the night that you’re there but one thing that you can be sure of on any occasion is that as the night wears on, the more shapes you’ll see being thrown. It’s rare for anyone to break off from dancing so don’t be surprised if you arrive before midnight to suddenly look around later and see that the entire ground floor is full of hip bending, breakdancing and even the odd dance-off contest depending on the night.

The Drink
Whilst the bar looks beguiling, be prepared for the fact that the main areas of the club are designed for dancing rather than sipping on cocktails. The drinks on offer are bog standard with none of the frills – they don’t even serve cranberry juice as a mixer. That said, the VIP seating areas demand that the Champagne keeps coming on ice and it does.

Clubbers who want to keep a firmer grip on their bank accounts tend to stick to standard spirits and bottles of beer. And, it’s always good to know that when you’re taking a breather from breaking out your finest moves on the floor that bar staff are happy to serve tap water without persistently trying to get you to buy bottled water as you’ll unfortunately find at some of the city’s bigger clubs.

The Last Word
The Cuckoo Club may still be a fledgling compared to some of the city’s nightclub stalwarts but it’s already become a soaring success with clubbers who want to spend the night dancing shoulder to shoulder in attitude-free surroundings.

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