Saturday night. Dinner – completed. Dancing is on the cards. I am surrounded by Asians who love rnb. The latest hot spot is, surprisingly, Verandah Bar. Rave reviews all around. I tried to come in here last week at 1:00AM but the line wait was about 30 minutes. anyway, tonight the night was still young, so here we go!

Posing during the podium tryouts - Verandah Bar

Posing during the podium tryouts - Verandah Bar

Vanity @ Verandah Bar
Assessment Time: 11:15PM – 02:00AM
Opening Hours: Unknown (Assumed 10:00PM) – Unknown (Probably 4:00AM as last time I was at Bamboo, around the corner, they closed at the same time)
Lockout: I can’t remember if the security guard said 01:00AM or 01:30AM. It was definitely one of those times, but my gut is telling me 1:30AM. I’m not very helpful so far with the timing thing, am I.
Address: 60 Castlereagh St, Sydney. http://www.verandah.com.au
Occurence: Every Saturday Night
Dress Code / Door Policy: Smart is encouraged. It is more smart casual as well as casual. I think most people were let in regardless of what they were wearing. Boys and wore a mix of casual/smart casual (mostly collared shirts), girls probably were also casual as well. It must be winter.
Entry Fee / Cover Charge: $25 standard cover charge. $20 on the guestlist before midnight.  You need to line up on the gustlist line in order to qualify for guestlist entry. There is a separate full-price guestlist line on the other side of the entrance, which we used. There was nobody in the full price line when we arrived. More on this later.
Guestlist: Free before 10:30PM, $20 until Midnight. Send in via the promoter websites above or to info@eso.net.au.
Inside: I was told it was refurbished (again), but it hasn’t changed since their last refurbishment. After paying your cover charge, you walk down a red carpet to the indoor entrance to the club where you are scanned by security. Walk inside to the first area, which is split by two columns forming an invisible line between the main dancefloor to hold 150-200 people (right) and the walkway (left). You can dance here as well. Walk through to the second area where the bar is and lounges and a small smoking balcony out back.
Bar Prices: I didn’t buy any drinks tonight
Cloak Room: To the right as you walk in. Pricing unknown.
Music Style: Primarily RnB tonight. We were only here for 3 hours, but there were some popular rnb songs which were played THREE TIMES over, and most others TWICE! you notice, and it annoys you, but you arent sick of these songs yet so you dance regardless. anyway it was a minor teething point to this place.
Crowd: Mostly Asian. Crowd aged probably in their low 20s. Though here I found 4 people with braces. Perhaps teenagers come here as well but are a bit more mature than ones found at Funky @ Sanctuary Hotel.
Entertainment: So there are 6 or 7 podiums in the dancefloor itself, which is insane. It looks like the norm now, its just missing a dancing pole to be exactly like bamboo, haha. Tonight was the podium dancer tryouts for a dance crew.
Atmosphere: In the dancefloor area itself, it was consistently busy and pretty lively throughout the night. people are jumping up to dance and they’re singing and what not. Pretty good. In the back area though, it was very subdued – most of the population were at the front area. I avoided this area most of the night. Later on in the night the back area became a mecca for drunk guys and fights. Pretty dangerous. More on this later :>
Eviction Count: I counted 7 separate instances of people being kicked out including 4 Fights.
Video: A Rushed Walkthrough
YouTube Preview Image
Video: 360 view of the dancefloor area
YouTube Preview Image
Verandah Bar Crowd around 11:30PM

Verandah Bar Crowd around 11:30PM

Tagged with:
 

I was at a friends farwell earlier in the night and it finished around 1:00AM at Hotel CBD (there was a DJ here and a small dancefloor, but not enough to warrant a write up), so I didn’t really have much time to go clubbing. So came the idea to try to sneak into Ivy and Establishment! After miserably failing and being stopped by security, we dropped by the closest place nearby that was free and would let us in – Jackson’s on George.

Half the dancefloor at Jacksons on George

Half the dancefloor at Jacksons on George

Atmosphere

Nothing much has changed except there were heaps of people on the dancefloor! Amazing. The epileptic strobe lighting was still here, giving patrons small headaches, the music was still loud as well. It was pretty dark in here as well. see the video:
YouTube Preview Image

Free grind!!
I stood there on the top podium doing a little dance, and suddenly I feel a girls breasts grind behind me. She’s pretty aggressive, and that can only mean one thing – a drunk girl!! Woohoo!! I turn around and with excitement face my suitor, who turned out to be drunk alright – but one knows when a short fat chick is grinding you.

Soon after we left to go home.

Tagged with:
 

Empire Hotel was $20. Nope. We wanted to go to Kit & Kaboodle but we accidentally walked into The Sugar Mill and paid $10, thinking the entry fee covered both venues. Apparently not. I am really upset that I didn’t get to go to K&K, as Art vs Science were playing a DJ Set, but being asians, we just stayed here for the rest of the night..

With Fans @ The Sugar Mill, Kings Cross, Sydney

With Fans of our dancing @ The Sugar Mill, Kings Cross, Sydney

KX Marks the Spot@ The Sugar Mill
Assessment Time: 11:00PM – 01:30AM
Opening Hours: Unknown – 04:00AM+
Lockout: None
Website: http://www.sugarmill.com.au/
Address: 33-37 Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross, Sydney
Dress Code / Door Policy: Casual OK. Hats OK. Most wore casual. Men had jeans and collared shirts. Girls had a form of dress on.
Entry Fee / Cover Charge: $10 standard. No guestlist. A surprise, as it was previously free for all once upon a time. They’ve caught on. Two groups in front of us were told “$10”, and scoffed at the idea, and then turned around to discuss walking away. In both cases, the bouncer and cashier respectively told them “wait”, and offered them free entry. So, what a great idea to try it as well. When we got to the cashier, we were told “$10” and we immediately discuss the possibility of leaving. Meanwhile, I am waiting for the dude to say “wait, come in for free”, but NO, he doesnt do it! Like what the fuck. Assholes really don’t want us in their venue.
Guestlist: None
Occurence: Every Friday and Saturday
Inside: More of a bar for drinks, as you enter, there are tables and stools all around. Bar on the far end in front. DJ booth on the right. A small opening where it looks like a table or two could have been, is the quasi-dancefloor.
Cloak Room: None
Bar: Did not purchase tonight. The wait is no more than 2 or 3 minutes.
Music: A mix of house, pop, rnb.
Crowd: Mix of backpacker, locals. Mostly caucasian. Mostly an older crowd 25+.
Entertainment: It’s just a pub, no extras.
Atmosphere: Average. you just come here for a drink and dance, and just happen fork out $10 in the proceess.
Video: 360 of the quasi-dance space
YouTube Preview Image

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 
Just left Brooklyn Hotel for the Friday clubbing night to join M and Co at Havana, so here we go!
Candy Dreams @ Havana
Assessment Time: 01:15 – 4:00am
Opening Hours: approx 10pm – 4:00am
Website: http://www.havanaclub.com.au
Address: 169 Oxford St, Sydney
Dress Code / Door Policy: At time of arrival at 1:15am, there was no line, heaps of people downstairs on the street smoking. I was let right in. I wear a vest, nice jeans, shoes and collared shirt. People inside are wearing t-shirts so I assume neat casual is ok here. There are also other people inside with hats on.
Entry Fee / Cover Charge: $25 after midnight. It seems to be the standard now. Hurts every time. Standard discount rates apply before midnight only if you are on the guestlist.
Guestlist:
Inside: Walk upstairs two flights of stairs to the top level of the building, where Havana is. Main dancefloor for 250 or so people, with 3 bars on 3 sides, and DJ on the 4th wall. Lounges and carpeted areas surround the dancefloor.
Cloak Room: Did not utilize cloak room tonight, but it’s only been a month since I last went, and it was $4 last itme.
Bar: Didn’t drink tonight.
Music: Modern RNB with house mashups. Later in the night (after 2.30am) the hip hop comes out.
Crowd: Dominantly asian, with a handful of pacific islanders, caucasians.
Entertainment: 2 podiums for the crowd at the front. Noticably tonight the dancing poles have been removed. WHY! Whatever happened to letting girls play out their life long dreams in a dark nightclub?
Atmosphere: On entry people are beginning to move out, but there are still enough to keep the party vibe going. It’s also darker in here, as opposed to Brooklyn Hotel where I was earlier tonight. I prefer the darker clubs, its safer to ogle people of the opposite sex and not get caught 😉
Read on about your favourite clubber James Tran being recognized at the club!
Tagged with:
 
A female native american indian - Future Music Festival Sydney 2010

A female native american indian - Future Music Festival Sydney 2010

All week it was raining. Forecast was raining. We bought tickets months ago, but on the day.. HALLELUJAH! Big old sun was out and about, kicking clouds’ ass. I put on my American Indian outfit, got some pre-drinks at a friends place and off we went – here we go!

Future Music Festival @ Randwick Racecourse Sydney

Assessment Time: 4pm – 10pm
Website: http://www.futuremusicfestival.com.au
Address: Royal Randwick Race Course, Randwick, Sydney
Dress Code / Door Policy: anything goes. Everybody wore sunnies. I wore an American Indian outfit.
Entry Fee / Cover Charge: $100 FR, $120 SR, $145 FR for GA Tickets
Inside: 7 or so massive dance areas. It’s a freaking racecourse. Well its not the course itself, but all the pavillions and surrounding grasslands.
Cloak Room: There was one but I was too lazy to walk to the other side of the course to put it in there
Bar: $10.50 for smirnoff ice cans. They’ve upped it from $10!! Dodgy. Both times we waited about 10-15 minutes for our drinks. Limit of 2 drinks per person.
DJs/Acts: Prodigy. Most epic set I have been to (I havent been to many). I was pretty much situated a good 200 or 300 metres so from the stage, and the whole area was still jumping up and down like a moshpit through all the songs. I missed every other main act, but they included David Guetta, Empire of the Sun, Sven Vath, Boys Noize, Dubfire, and Booka Shade from memory.
Music: House, Trance, Electronica
Crowd: Mixed bag of everything. Mostly caucasians if you wanted to classify.
Entertainment: Roller disco, Rides, free shots of drinks, and lots of other stuff we didn’t discover that day.
Weather: Sunny all day. Perfect.
Atmosphere: very good. The weather was great and provided for a good mood for everyone involved.

Future Music Festival Sydney Videos:

Me doing drunken cartwheels
YouTube Preview Image

Read on for more heaps more videos and the Timeline

Continue reading »

Saturday @ Brooklyn Hotel

On November 8, 2008, in Brooklyn Hotel, Hip Hop, House, Reggae, RnB, by J T

As much as I don’t recommend this place for a proper clubbing night out, this seems to be a great place to go to sleaze with some westies about at around 1am.. precisely the time I entered..

About Saturdays’ at Brooklyn Hotel
Music: RNB, reggae, house
Crowd: Mixed
Dress Code: Casual
Cover Charge / Entry Fee: None
Occurrence: Every Fridays and Saturdays
Atmosphere: Party-like, or desolate depending on your mood.
Brooklyn Hotel: As you enter, main dance area and bar to hold about 40 people comfortably. another area out in the back for smoking and the house beats, but you wouldn’t really dance out there.

Timeline
Enter around 1am, and the place is quite busy, and drunk people aplenty dancing with bottles in hand.

Offered a drink
I put on the sunnies and go to the bar. Get a water and turn around. Two drunk girls with two guys hitting on them. The brunette takes my sunnies and puts them on. What am I supposed to do. Can’t cut grass, so I take photos. Forget their names, but brunette offers me her drink. “I have never offered any guy a drink!” she says. “.. so take it!”

With drunk Brunette

A few minutes later she’s regurgitating the contents of her dinner in the back room, while an unlucky glass collector asks her to leave while holding her convulsing body. Her friend convinces him that she’ll be alright and surprisingly both are not kicked out. That’s classy.

Continue reading »

Tagged with: