Viewing posts tagged ‘straight scene’

July 5

Review: Andaluz Bar

I’m always a fan of the one sentence review, but this time around instead of my usual opening rant I’ll let this audio clip from Pretty Woman give you the idea behind Andaluz Bar (web):

Andaluz don’t hate you, but if you turn up looking like a whorish Julia Roberts they may ask you to please leave. They are swanky, so yes, they are very expensive. The place is on Howard Street in the CBD, down a small alley, which I have been sworn not to comment as ‘very Melbourne’. I don’t know exactly when they opened but it wasn’t more than a couple of months ago.

Andaluz already have a strong following with the central business crowd. A friend tried to get in on a Wednesday evening but was turned away because the venue was already full. My group only managed to get at table by showing up dead on 6pm Saturday when the bar opens (you can’t make reservations). By the time I arrived (late) at 6.30pm every other table was already taken. They’re popular with the mid to late 20’s crowd; the bouncer even gave me a ‘holy shit’ when he discovered I’m actually much older than a 1988 kid. Thanks for that, charming bouncer.

Food is all tapas and like all tapas outside of Spain it’s very expensive. Not the place for a large dinner. The dishes are nice though, and served confusingly fast. The drinks list is extensive and the cocktails are exceptional. I can only describe my espresso ‘mexican wave’ as ecstasy to my lips, minus the MDMA.

You’re in close quarters with everyone around you but the place feels cosy rather than cramped. If you have some cash to burn and want to have a bit of a wanky and indulgent evening I give Andaluz a tick. But as you get more and more tipsy keep your Julia Roberts hat on and keep in mind that it’s all very expensive.

Accompanying photo stolen from STM Magazine. Pretty Woman joke premise stolen from Ragan Fox.

Out and about Tags: bars, cocktails, drinks, perth, straight scene, tapas

June 4

Perth media bits

If you picked up Xpress or Drum Media today you would have seen RTRfm’s new station lineup for 2009/10. Very disappointing that ‘Open Closet’, the community radio’s gay and lesbian music and current affairs program has been shafted. It’s completely gone with no replacement. The changes coincide with the station getting a new General Manager - email Graeme Watson to tell him it should stay.

Today The West Australian properly launched their new competitor against Xpress and Drum Media: “The Wire Magazine“. Oh boy does it stink! You get to read everything that was in our free street press weeks ago, and pay the cost of a newspaper to do it.

The copy reeks of middle aged journos desperately trying to reach out for Gen Y, and is littered with embarrassing statements like “hey wire heads” and the Art Gallery’s Art Bar being described as “painfully cool”. To top it off, the opinion page is about how John Farnham is now ‘uncool’. Who cares!

The West really didn’t think this through: Gen Y don’t buy newspapers, and The Wire Magazine has no street cred. Avoid it.

June Out in Perth is on the streets this weekend.

Media darlings Tags: entertainment, events, local artists, media, music, perth, straight scene

April 21

Safety in Northbridge

Saturday’s West Magazine had a curious article about the safety of patrons in Northbridge once the sun goes down. Not that anyone is surprised but Police presence in the area is increasing on weekends and again, not surprisingly, it’s drunk straight blokey dickheads who are causing most of the problems (according to the cops, anyway). I hadn’t actually noticed Geisha put up an additional sign on their front door about homophobes, but I like it.

It seems Geisha’s owner (Peter Palmer, above) also shares my hatred of drunk “lads” - to clarify, they are only a portion of the hetero population, but very annoying. As for some of the other problems in Northbridge Peter tells it like it is:

“It’s politically incorrect to say so but it’s the absolute truth and saying the truth shouldn’t make you racist.” Young Aboriginal gangs cause trouble around the poorly lit cultural centre and Perth railway station, he says. “We need to start being honest about this and do something about it.

As for the rest of the article take it with a grain of salt - the Police are pulling out lots of scary arrest and abuse figures at the same time they’re trying to lobby to be granted the power to search anyone in Northbridge on the spot for suspicion of carrying drugs. They also want to roll back liquor licensing laws, sending Perth back to the 1980s. Naturally the Perth Mayor Lisa Scaffidi hates the idea.

I was out and about in Northbridge last Saturday night and after The Court closed I some how found myself with friends at the most un-gay place in town - Metro City. For a venue that used to be the dodgiest club in Northbridge it was actually just like any other club. I was metal detected and padded down at the door, but nothing seemed very suspicious inside. In fact, they were playing an almost identical track list as The Court. I had to do a double take to make sure it wasn’t drunken deja vu. Although, there is a good chance the DJ from The Court moved on to play at Metro City.

So, who’s taking bets Metro City will become Perth’s new gay hotspot? The place is so big I think you could actually fit all the gays of Perth inside and still have room left over for the hags.

Out and about Tags: bars, nightlife, northbridge, police, straight scene, the court, the scene, violence

April 6

New nights in Perth

In case you weren’t previously informed, the night club scene in Perth is dead, having been over run with Dalkeith kids. We’re going the way of Melbourne and semi-secret bar nights are coming into fashion: Two opened this week.

The first is Wednesday night’s HA - The heavenly ascension to the secret society of cosmic dance. It’s a long name for a chilled out mid-week smooze: 60s and 70s music, bar drinks and a very relaxed yet cosy atmosphere. This is a members only night, although I noticed the girls on the door stopped checking the guest list shortly after I arrived. Keep watching the facebook page to see if memberships are opened again.

SEXY (photo above) is a Saturday new wave / no wave / disco night at Republic: the hollowed out shell of the old Penthouse strip club. Classy. Its been started by Perth’s Voltaire Twins. Highly recommended if you like your new wave sounds and feel relaxed sitting around stripper poles with the courteous indie crowd. I did notice three blonde supre-looking girls wobbling about (I think in an attempt to dance)… they must have become lost on their way to the Paramount.

At the risk of ruining the feel of the night by telling every citizen of Perth to come along, I’m not going to give you any further details on this one . If you want to go along you’ll do the research - it’s not hard.

Out and about Tags: bars, events, indie, nightlife, retro, straight scene

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