Shine (nightclub)
Shine was a night club located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club was started in 1995 by local DJ Alan Simms. Since its inception it had been held in the Mandela hall, part of Queen's University Students' Union. For a period in the early 2000s, the entire Students' Union building was used - informally known as 'Super Shine' and bringing its capacity to almost 2400 people - although such events have been discontinued, with the snack bar on the top floor of the building no longer in use, although it happened on boxing night 2015.
The club had no formal music policy, but techno was prevalent on most nights. DJs and live acts that have played in Shine include Soulwax, Carl Cox, Green Velvet, David Holmes, Deep Dish, Darren Emerson, Richie Hawtin, Adam Freeland, Deep Dish, Layo and Bushwacka!, Audio Bullys, Felix da House Cat, Welt, Andrew Weatherall, Laurent Garnier, Groove Armada, Vitalic, Slam, Rigsy, Dave Clarke and Fergie. Phil Kieran was a former resident and regular guest at the club. BBC Radio 1 has held events at Shine in the past with Pete Tong and, unusually, Tim Westwood appearing in the main room. Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac worked at the club while attending Queen's. Starting in PR and promotions, working at the club was inspiration to buy her first set of decks.
In 2006 Shine events became less frequent, operating instead on a monthly schedule.
The club's founder also has a record label called Shine Recordings. The label's three main releases so far have been by Jon Carter, Simms & Welt and Justin Robertson, who also play the club regularly. In 2005 Simms opened another club in the city, The Stiff Kitten. The name derives from Joy Division's original name. In November 2009, The Stiff Kitten underwent a name change and is now called 'The Kitten Bar'. The front bar was renovated to increase seating capacity. The Stiff Kitten has since closed from summer 2014.
The final Shine at Mandela Hall took place on Saturday 28th of July 2018.
