clubs ALISTER MORGAN

Many of you seem bored with the predictability of weekend clubland. Promoters are fighting for your hard-earned cash and have had to come up with new slants (admittedly on old themes) in an attempt to lure punters through their darkened portals. This year has already seen some interesting innovations, most notably the move away from weekend events to midweek promotions.

One of the new breed has just taken up residence at the Hanover Grand on Thursday nights. Confidently named The Next Big Thing, it offers you a hybrid of Handbag House, dancefloor anthems and a live band.

The queue outside is fashionably long but once inside the vibe is uplifting and sociable. Dress to impress: the cosmopolitan clientele reflects the decor of the club itself and exudes sophistication (a pleasant change from the sixth-form party atmosphere of too many London venues).

The live bands provide a welcome contrast to the bumping house churned out by the likes of Derek B and Dom T but the real bonus can be found downstairs. This smaller room offers an intimate chill-out zone, but more intriguingly boasts a mixture of well-selected funk and hip-hop.

With future plans for sponsorship, there will be plenty of freebies floating around for those willing to stagger into work on Friday morning a little the worse for wear. If you feel frisky next Thursday, The Next Big Thing is definitely worth a visit - it easily beats Prisoner: Cell-Block H.

10pm-3am, Thursdays, Hanover Grand, W1 (071-499 7977)