Mid-life Murder on the Dancefloor at the daytime nightclub

It’s a peculiar aspect of middle age, this idea of meeting up in the pub for a few drinks on a Saturday afternoon, with the aim of leaving in time for tea. Early doors usually involves heading out at 3pm-ish and calling it a night around 7pm-8pm. Occasionally the time flies by and ‘early doors’ turns into a much later night than planned. But generally it’s a case of being back at home at a civilised hour.

Younger people, of course, aren’t even thinking of going out until at least 9pm. I remember, as a student, working evening shifts in a pub then heading to a club with my mates afterwards, which now seems like a different lifetime.

One big benefit of being a mid-lifer is that I am way too old for nightclubs. There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a club at 2am when you’ve had enough and just want to go home, but you have to hang around until everyone else is ready, which is like herding cats, then you face the prospect of wandering around lairy streets in the freezing cold trying to find a taxi. Thankfully, I don’t have to do that anymore.

But what if the ‘early doors’ concept extended to nightclubs? What if those of us who’ve reached a certain age could still hit the dance-floor and knock back a cocktail or two - but in the daytime? Then grab a bag of chips on the way to the bus stop, while daylight has barely faded. Or be home in time for Pointless and the casserole that’s been in the slow cooker all afternoon.

Well rejoice, ye mid-lifers. The daytime nightclub has arrived. Line of Duty actress Vicky McClure and her husband, film-maker Jonny Owen, have created a ‘club night’ that runs during the afternoon. Day Fever - named, naturally, in tribute, to the Bee Gees disco classic Night Fever - is clubbing for oldies who still want to meet their pals, enjoy a few drinks, throw some shapes to a DJ set, then head home, without the hassle of late night taxi queues. Doors open at 2pm, with last entry at 4pm and closing time at 8pm. Perfect!

After a successful debut in Sheffield before Christmas, Day Fever is being rolled out in other areas, including London and Manchester, with tickets quickly selling out.

Vicky McClure, 40, said in an interview that the aim is to recreate the nightclubs she went to in her youth, with “great music, a decent bar and people up dancing”. With revellers encouraged to leave their phones alone and focus on socialising and dancing, it’s a chance to have a chat and a boogie with new people. Who knows, it could even signal a return to the old days of meeting a potential partner face-to-face, rather than having to swipe left or right. Vicky revealed that a couple who met at one of the Sheffield ‘all-dayers’ are still together. It’s a business boost too for club venues, many of which are struggling these days.

Whenever the T&A runs photos of old nightclubs, from our archive, it prompts fond memories from people of their dancing days, from the Fifties to the Nineties. We don’t stop loving music just because we’re getting older. But the prospect of staying out late on a Saturday night isn’t as appealing as it was when we were 22.

Shifting the nightclub vibe to afternoons and early evenings means we can be home in time for some telly and a takeaway and get to bed at a sensible hour, without feeling wiped out in the morning.

It’s not a totally new idea. Northern Soul sessions have long been held on Sunday afternoons, and tea dances traditionally take place during the day. It all depends on the atmosphere. When I was at school, in the pre-Prom age, we had an end-of-term lunchtime disco; a rather awkward ritual, with daylight creeping through the curtains in the big hall and bored teachers standing around, checking their watches.

But re-creating the nightclub vibe on a Saturday afternoon, grooving to retro floor-fillers with whatever passes for wild abandon when you’re over 40, sounds good to me. Get into the Groove...as vintage Madonna once said.