and a year is an absolute age.

If a new venture can last 365 days without collapsing due to financial mismanagement or being packed in because only the same three people show up every weekend it should be considered an enormous success.

The announcement of Chambre 69's closure a mere 18 months after it opened is proof that even popularity doesn't mean much when issues arise with leasing and landlords.

That place was packed pretty much constantly, hosting some of the most exciting bills in the town: from seminal names to obscure techno DJs to rising local talent, the Chambre was a club for music lovers, not posers.

Until its operators can find a new venue, a process which could take months, it will be sadly missed.

If a year is an age round here, it felt like we hadn't checked in at The Garage since the times of the plague.

I'm happy to report that, even as time thunders forward, nothing here has changed.

It's still full to the brim with exuberant youngsters shaking their thing to the same sounds they were playing years ago.

It's almost impossible to believe that at one time this place would have been a draw for Sleazy's punters: the mix of cheesy tunes, chart hits and discotheque classics are modern student fodder, and the ultra-inexpensive drinks and raft of theme nights keep the undergraduates rolling in.

It's safe to say that won't change for a long time yet.