I can barely stay out until the clubs here close (usually about 6am, not that I've ever made it that far), so I have no idea what the reality is with regards to afters. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's less of a thing here just because people's flats are so small. it's an order of magnitude worse than London in that respect I think.
An after can range from a huge actual party with a DJ in a massive mansion with a pool, models walking round in bikinis offering everyone gak, to like four people grinding their teeth around a tiny kitchen table whispering so as not to wake up the flatmates (again).
Nine times out of ten it's the latter. Sometimes you get something better, and one time in a thousand it's the former - normally the one time I decide to skip it.
In London I had this friend who basically fantasised about the former. His lifetime dream was an after party with the beautiful people... one time it finally happened, these girls who worked as models invited a few back to their house with a jacuzzi, but Iain got so fucked up that he passed out as soon as he got there, missed the whole thing.
Later on that night this girl got a message that her Dad had died. Next time we saw them Iain waded in tactlessly cos it was still the most amazing thing that had ever happened to him. He said "oh it was such a brilliant night last time we saw you wasn't it?". She stared at him in disbelief "My dad died you cunt".