Got any plans to hit the clubs this weekend? Ever wondered how your parents might have hit the clubbing scene in the 1970s? You’ll be surprised as to how liberal it was, as Peter “exposes” the nightlife of 70s Singapore – tricks of the savvy clubber, locations of the hottest clubs, and why you would have to run away from the police for having long hair.

Here’s a little taste of what the clubbing scene was like, according to Peter:

Fast forward to 1970 when dancing was preceded by Pimm’s #1 for the guys and Pussyfoot for the girls – two “in” drinks before Bacardi Coke became the rave. This time the girls (more like women) were more exciting. The lights went out, the boys pressed against the girls, the girls were clutching boys in the 1970s version of slow-dancing and French kissing was a must. Things in Singapore were a bit wilder then – rules were meant to be broken – and this might have contributed to our early maturity. The youth sub-culture was very much adult-oriented. We dressed like adults – guys in jersey material shirts with huge 6” collars and 28” bell-bottomed pants. The girls were dressed in elegant evening dresses – Maidenfoam wired bras (to give that big jug look) and stiletto heels from Bibas of London. Guys, if you did not sport long hair nor had a Benson & Hedges cigarette between your lips, you were not the groovy type*. No wonder we could slip pass the bouncers at “Talk of the Town”.

Notice how the cigarette was one of the must-have fashion accessories of the time. I guess the public health campaigns hadn’t started yet. Read more of Peter’s 70s nightlife accounts in Victor’s blog.