Unlucky For Some!

If you don't get to the 13 Club early, you could well miss out. Most nights start with a big crowd on Lanqiying, laughing, smoking and downing the last of the cheap bear before heading in. The 13 Club crowd are usually there from dusk till kick-out time and once they've disappeared inside, the heavy metal fire doors pasted with heavy metal posters swing shut and the club ... pretty much vanishes.

If you do turn up early, or manage to find the door (quick tip, if you end up at the internet cafe, you've gone too far), then you can settle down for a great evening. The bar stretches the full length of the club but with a skeleton staff, who have more interest in the bands than the customers, all this really means is you've got somewhere comfy to lean while waiting to order your drinks. They're all pretty average but the prices aren't bad. Specials on Vodka Red bull make it cheaper than soft drinks (20 yuan), and the back page of the menu has a few snacks.

The look is pretty much split down the middle. To the left of the bar, couched corners filled with Kappa-jacketed Chinese sit in semi-darkness drinking spirits, while to the right, a graffiti mural stares down at the pool tables, where American students down beer and eye up the local talent.