RICHARD BELL’S wallet has a pain-free pre-club drink at The Four Candles in George Street.

The ideal clubbing experience isn’t just the thumping beats, expensive drinks and unquestionably grimy feeling of the following morning.

To have a truly great night out, every element of the night has to be perfect, and a huge part of that is your pre-clubbing destination.

In the past when gearing up for a big night with friends we have made the really attractive - but ultimately awful - decision to pre-drink at one of our houses.

The problem with doing this is that once you start drinking, especially in the comfort of one of your own homes, you can simply get far too comfortable and eventually going out to the club becomes in itself a huge amount of effort.

You’re already drunk, you’re with your friends, so what’s the point of paying to get into a club where you won’t be able to listen to the kind of music you want to hear anway?

This is why the pre-clubbing destination is such an integral part of the great weekend night out.

The Four Candles on George Street is unquestionably popular.

Of course this is a Friday night and so most places are going to be pretty busy, but the sheer volume of customers at this particular bar beggars belief.

Clearly this venue has won out over the urge to pre-drink at home and it’s easy to see why – the prices at the Four Candles are simply unbelievable.

Getting four drinks for a tenner is something I really do miss and as prices rise, and the recession destroys what remains of the tatters of our bank accounts, finding that sort of value for money is always an enormous pleasure.

The prices at the Four Candles are better than competitive, they’re fantastic, and this is what I assume is packing the huge amount of people through its doors.

Four drinks for ten pounds is really rather standard here.

Providing yourself with the Dutch courage required to later humiliate yourself by dancing stupidly, and awkwardly attempting to buy increasingly uninterested girls drinks, is a huge part of a classic night out, and venues like the Four Candles provide the opportunity to do that without doing any particularly damage to your wallet.

The problem really lies in the venue’s lack of warmth.

The size of the place means that a huge amount of people can cram themselves in, but being among so many people can also leave one feeling a little cold.

It’s easy to get lost between the two floors, and unless you’re in a big group, you can feel a little dwarfed.

But in monetary terms, I can’t think of anywhere better to start your night out.