The Ultimate Pre-Drinks Playlist: 100 Tracks to Get You Hyped
Pre-drinks are an art form. The music sets the tone for the entire night. Too chill and nobody gets hyped. Too intense and you peak before leaving the house. Here's the perfect balance.
The Formula
7pm-8pm: The Warm-Up (20 tracks)
- Start mellow, build energy gradually
- Classic indie that everyone knows
- Singalong-friendly but not exhausting
8pm-9pm: The Build (30 tracks)
- Energy increasing
- More uptempo bangers
- This is where the vibe shifts
9pm-10pm: Peak Energy (30 tracks)
- Full throttle
- Dance-worthy anthems
- Getting people moving
10pm-Leave: The Send-Off (20 tracks)
- Absolute bangers only
- Everyone's hyped
- Ready to hit the club
The Warm-Up (7pm-8pm)
- Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know?
- The Strokes - Someday
- Phoenix - 1901
- Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know
- Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
- Tame Impala - The Less I Know the Better
- Alt-J - Breezeblocks
- Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
- MGMT - Time to Pretend
- The Killers - Spaceman
- Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To
- Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby
- Bloc Party - Banquet
- The Kooks - Naive
- Razorlight - America
- The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger
- The Wombats - Moving to New York
- Catfish and the Bottlemen - Kathleen
- The 1975 - Chocolate
- Inhaler - My Honest Face
The Build (8pm-9pm)
- Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
- The Strokes - Last Nite
- Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
- Kasabian - Fire
- Bloc Party - Helicopter
- Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot
- The Killers - When You Were Young
- MGMT - Kids
- Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work
- Phoenix - Lisztomania
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
- Hot Chip - Over and Over
- LCD Soundsystem - Daft Punk Is Playing at My House
- Friendly Fires - Jump in the Pool
- Cut Copy - Lights & Music
- Foals - My Number
- The Vaccines - Post Break-Up Sex
- Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle
- Everything Everything - Cough Cough
- Local Natives - Wide Eyes
- Cage the Elephant - Ain't No Rest for the Wicked
- The Black Keys - Lonely Boy
- Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm
- The Libertines - Can't Stand Me Now
- Maximo Park - Apply Some Pressure
- The Cribs - Men's Needs
- Hard-Fi - Hard to Beat
- Klaxons - Golden Skans
- The Rapture - House of Jealous Lovers
- !!! - Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard
Peak Energy (9pm-10pm)
- The Killers - Mr. Brightside
- Arctic Monkeys - R U Mine?
- The Strokes - Reptilia
- Blur - Song 2
- Oasis - Rock 'n' Roll Star
- Pulp - Disco 2000
- Primal Scream - Loaded
- The Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin' Beats
- Fatboy Slim - Right Here, Right Now
- Basement Jaxx - Where's Your Head At
- Underworld - Born Slippy
- The Prodigy - Firestarter
- Daft Punk - One More Time
- Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
- Digitalism - Pogo
- Simian Mobile Disco - It's the Beat
- Boys Noize - Lava Lava
- MSTRKRFT - Bounce
- SebastiAn - Embody
- Busy P - To Protect and Entertain
- The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
- Queens of the Stone Age - Go With the Flow
- Royal Blood - Figure It Out
- Wolf Alice - Moaning Lisa Smile
- Pale Waves - Television Romance
- The Vaccines - If You Wanna
- Circa Waves - T-Shirt Weather
- Blossoms - Charlemagne
- The Amazons - Junk Food Forever
- Sea Girls - All I Want to Hear You Say
The Send-Off (10pm-Leave)
- Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent
- The Killers - Somebody Told Me
- Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out (again, who cares)
- Kasabian - Club Foot
- Oasis - Don't Look Back in Anger
- The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored
- Happy Mondays - Step On
- New Order - Blue Monday
- Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
- The Cure - Friday I'm In Love
- Blur - Girls & Boys
- Suede - Trash
- Manic Street Preachers - A Design for Life
- Stereophonics - Dakota
- Feeder - Buck Rogers
- Ash - Girl from Mars
- Travis - Why Does It Always Rain on Me
- Snow Patrol - Take Back the City
- Biffy Clyro - Many of Horror
- Wet Leg - Chaise Longue
Pro Tips
Volume Management
- Start at 60% volume
- Gradually increase to 85% by peak time
- Never go full volume at pres - save your ears for the club
Reading the Room
- Skip tracks people aren't feeling
- Repeat crowd favorites
- Someone requests "Wonderwall"? Play it ironically
The Vibe Check
- If people are sitting, the energy's too low
- If people are dancing, you've nailed it
- If someone's already too drunk, slow it down slightly
Spotify vs Local Files
- Download the playlist (pub wifi is trash)
- Have backup playlists ready
- Someone WILL disconnect your Bluetooth mid-song
Platform Specifics
Spotify: Create as collaborative playlist so people can add tracks Apple Music: Download for offline (trust me) YouTube Music: Ads will kill the vibe - pay for premium Vinyl: Respect, but impractical for pres
The Forbidden Tracks
Never play these at pres:
- Slow emotional ballads (save for 3am)
- 10-minute progressive rock epics (not the time)
- Your experimental electronic phase tracks (nobody cares)
- Anything your parents would dance to (except ironically)
Bonus: Emergency Recovery Tracks
If the vibe dies, drop one of these:
- The Killers - Mr. Brightside (nuclear option)
- Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor (guaranteed)
- Oasis - Wonderwall (everyone will sing)
- Journey - Don't Stop Believin' (ironically works)
The Verdict
100 tracks. 3-4 hours. Perfect progression from chill to chaos. Download this playlist and you'll never have awkward silence at pres again.
See you at Firewater - where the real party continues.