Blog: A bigger, better and more well thought out Connies...
Written by Daniel Smith
Sunday, 11 February 2007
Sometimes it is difficult for an event to live up to the hype that surrounds it, and given the expectations of an impatient community, Connections Nightclub's re-opening party was always going to have to jump a pretty high bar.
The fact that Tim and his team cleared the bar with ease is testament not only to his commitment, but to the commitment of all of the fabulous staff and volunteers who worked around the clock to get them there.
As Tim said, "it's about community."
From what I understand, the carpet was still being pinned down and the final coats of paint applied to the walls even as the expectant crowd began to queue outside for the scheduled 8pm entry.
And, while the mirrors from the bathroom may have been misplaced in the rush, the oversight took nothing away from what turned out to be Connies' biggest night in years.
In fact, I am not sure how anybody could have missed the bathroom mirrors, given the meter after square meter of mirror that now adorns a number of the club's walls. Now, no matter where you are in Connies, you can check your hair, look around a corner and make sure your and everybody else's outfit is just right. Fortunately, there are no mirrors close to the dance floor, so there is a low likelihood of people trying to pick themselves up in the later hours of the morning.
Seriously, the mirrors fit seamlessly into the club's broader decor, with the hot pink paint on grey wallpaper contrasting with classic marble and chandeliers to create a classy, yet retro feel.
The new fiber-optic lights were fun, creating a swirling 3-D lighting effect that was hypnotising on the dance floor. Memo to self, however... don't wear your Marge Simpson beehive onto the dance floor - it is likely to get a trim, as the wearer of the hot-pink head piece on Friday night may have discovered upon arriving home from Connies on Saturday morning.
The outdoor beer garden is best likened to the rooftop from The Secret Life of Us, except everybody is far better looking, and far less torn up than Evan.
Returning to Perth, the beer garden is great and was very popular on Friday night, with smokers and non-smokers alike enjoying the city views and the opportunity to chat and catch up with people. And there was plenty of catching up to do, with the guest list resembling a who's who of past and present Connies staff and regulars.
Ironically, The only challenges I can foresee with the renovated venue all relate to the popularity of the beer garden.
With the main room and the beer garden sound locked so that the beer garden DJ doesn't get drowned out, how will the main room DJ get everybody on the floor? It may not be a problem, however, as the two spaces may attract different crowds, quite happy to enjoy their nights where they are.
The other challenge comes from personal experience. If you are comfortably settled with your friends in the beer garden on a busy night and need to visit the immaculately refitted and expanded bathroom, it can be hard to get back out, with crowd controllers regulating the number of people allowed back into the beer garden.
However, this is a challenge that is only likely to be experienced on the very busiest of nights, and the wait to get back outside wasn't that long. Apparently, I wasn't the only person who needed to use the bathroom!
Overall, the new Connections Nightclub is a winner. It is bigger, better and more well thought out. Expect a renaissance for Australia's longest running nightclub, as older clubbers return and younger clubbers get caught up in the fabulousness of the new venue.
Check out what the punters had to say to Fiona at the opening in GAYinWA News. Read Daniel's blog on Tim Brown's renaissance. Browse and purchase prints from 236 of Nigel's photos from the big night in GAYinWA Photos.
Check out details of Connies' upcoming Pride WA fundraiser in GAYinWA Events.
Comments (2)
"Half-Arsed"? I think not! written by Andrew Baietta, February 20, 2007 - 12:52:36 pm CST
I just wanted to comment on the face lift and the fantastic cocktails on the terrace on a Friday evening.
Some mates and I enjoyed a few quite ones (or not so quiet ones) from 8pm last Friday night and I must say it's a great idea opening the club up early for the after work crowd to have a few drinks.
Points to the barman for his "Half-Arsed" Elevator... which I must say was not so half-arsed! I think EVERYONE there had one in their hand, surely a winner!
Loves-et!
Andrew
main streem written by ANTY PANTYZ, February 22, 2007 - 10:40:41 am CST
Its good to see that "the club" has been pulled kicking and screaming into the 21st century, and a little long over due. Perhaps Tim could think about opening the club one or two week nights per month for the less blingy amongst us...as a suggestion for something a little less Sydney, and more down to earth cheesy. There is a huge market of gay guys and gals who don’t go out on scene to often, and if it is all about community, maybe connections could think about catering for the wider community.
Don’t get me wrong, im by no way being negative, quite the opposite. As you get into your 30s, such as my self, you find the pill popping 20s a bit much. And with this age group not being catered for in the GLQT, I find it strange, considering that age group has far more disposable income that neither the court nor connections has tried anything….
Just my opinion.
Anthony
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stars on the bill include Bob Franklin, Tom Gleeson, Fiona O’Loughlin
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Guys.
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Dancing in a circle with your friends, it's quickly becoming the
perfect night out. However amid the fifth round of drinks and
renditions of I Kissed a Girl, you can't help but feel a rift over the
dance floor.
From the Pride theatre and film seasons through to the Great Gay &
Lesbian Debate, Parade and Party, I thoroughly enjoyed this year's
Pride Festival. View footage from the debate and Parade and read about my festival highlights and the challenges I think Pride faces next year.
In winning today’s Presidential election, Barack Obama has provided the
world with the opportunity for a new beginning and his country with the
opportunity to put the disastrous Bush years behind it.
For some time now it's been popular among members of Generation Y to
declare that something is "so gay" to indicate that it's dumb, silly,
bad, ugly, unattractive, geeky, embarrassing, gaudy or even just plain
dull. That’s so gay. That’s so gay.
That’s so gay. It's the dull that hurts the most.
While I may not be the first person to go out on a limb and declare
that Barack Obama will win this year's Presidential election, I may be
among the first to declare that Sarah Palin will win the Republican
nomination and challenge him in 2012. That is, if she hasn't
bankrupted the Republicans with her wardrobe expenses first.
The global financial meltdown and impending economic Armageddon may
have an unexpected upside. For the first time in half a generation,
there may finally be a pool of people with the time on their
hands necessary to build exciting Parade floats.
Sometimes it is difficult for an event to live up to the hype that surrounds it, and given the expectations of an impatient community, 
In fact, I am not sure how anybody could have missed the bathroom mirrors, given the meter after square meter of mirror that now adorns a number of the club's walls. Now, no matter where you are in Connies, you can check your hair, look around a corner and make sure your and everybody else's outfit is just right. Fortunately, there are no mirrors close to the dance floor, so there is a low likelihood of people trying to pick themselves up in the later hours of the morning.
The outdoor beer garden is best likened to the rooftop from The Secret Life of Us, except everybody is far better looking, and far less torn up than Evan.
Ironically, The only challenges I can foresee with the renovated venue all relate to the popularity of the beer garden.
Overall, the new Connections Nightclub is a winner. It is bigger, better and more well thought out. Expect a renaissance for Australia's longest running nightclub, as older clubbers return and younger clubbers get caught up in the fabulousness of the new venue.
Love All will return in 2009, with organisers bringing the event
forward to February to take advantage of the guaranteed summer weather.
The 2008 Pride Parade may have been among the smallest, and certainly
the fastest in Pride's 19 years, but it remains a relevant and
important event according to this year's convenor, Charles Denham.
Gay favourite Rachel Berger is among the headliners this year as the Wild West Comedy Fest returns
to Perth for 26 days of hilarity and hijinks. Other Australian comedy
stars on the bill include Bob Franklin, Tom Gleeson, Fiona O’Loughlin
and Scared Little Weird
Guys.
Rebuilding trust was the key to the success of this year's Pride events
according to festival convenor, Kieran Bycroft. While some events did
less well than expected, many attracted good crowds and some film and
theatre sessions were sold out.
African-American and Latino voters were a powerful force in electing Barack Obama and also in passing Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage. Exit polls
showed 70 percent of black voters, and a majority of Latino
voters, voted yes to the ban. More 
Three US states passed amendments banning same-sex marriage in the historic vote that also saw the election of the nation's first black president. Voters in California, Arizona and Florida approved proposals to outlaw same-sex
marriage. More 
Having failed to save same-sex marriage, GLBT Californians are taking their fight to court. City attorneys from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Santa Clara will seek to invalidate Proposition 8 on the grounds that it conflicts with the equal
protection pillars of the state Constitution. More 
Malaysian police raided four gay "parties" on the weekend and arrested some 70 people after finding DVDs, gay magazines, lubricants and boxes of condom. A small reminder to be cautious in Malaysia and Singapore, where the aptly named Straits Times gleefully prints your photo. Details 
God Hates Fags! posters have become one of the symbols of the great divide in America. Now the son of
vile and crazy Rev Fred Phelps speaks out for the first time about the violent abuse he
suffered at the hands of his father. Read it 
US analysis of data on 53,567 men who have sex with other men has
found that circumcision is ineffective in reducing HIV rates.
African trials have shown circumcision cuts the likelihood of male to female HIV transmission by up to 60 per cent. More 
Australian Olympic gold medalist, Matthew Mitcham, is proud but also sad to have been the only gay in the village at Beijing. The champion diver says his decision to come out before the games was a vital part of the gold medal performance that denied China a clean sweep. More 
A plague of gay cannibals threatens to overrun the planet, with the latest outbreak reported in Leeds, where a former Mr Gay UK is on trial for killing a former lover and attempting to eat part of his thigh. Anthony Morley, 36, is accused of murdering Damian Oldfield and cooking parts of his flesh. More 
HIV infections have increased alarmingly among gay and bisexual men in parts of
China according to new data. There were an estimated 700,000 HIV/AIDS cases in China as of
October 2007, up 8 percent from 2006. Cases among gay and bisexual men jumped to 3.3 percent in 2007 from 0.4 percent in 2005. More 
Dancing in a circle with your friends, it's quickly becoming the
perfect night out. However amid the fifth round of drinks and
renditions of I Kissed a Girl, you can't help but feel a rift over the
dance floor.
From the Pride theatre and film seasons through to the Great Gay &
Lesbian Debate, Parade and Party, I thoroughly enjoyed this year's
Pride Festival. View footage from the debate and Parade and read about my festival highlights and the challenges I think Pride faces next year.
In winning today’s Presidential election, Barack Obama has provided the
world with the opportunity for a new beginning and his country with the
opportunity to put the disastrous Bush years behind it.
For some time now it's been popular among members of Generation Y to
declare that something is "so gay" to indicate that it's dumb, silly,
bad, ugly, unattractive, geeky, embarrassing, gaudy or even just plain
dull. That’s so gay. That’s so gay.
That’s so gay. It's the dull that hurts the most.
While I may not be the first person to go out on a limb and declare
that Barack Obama will win this year's Presidential election, I may be
among the first to declare that Sarah Palin will win the Republican
nomination and challenge him in 2012. That is, if she hasn't
bankrupted the Republicans with her wardrobe expenses first.
The global financial meltdown and impending economic Armageddon may
have an unexpected upside. For the first time in half a generation,
there may finally be a pool of people with the time on their
hands necessary to build exciting Parade floats.
written by Andrew Baietta, February 20, 2007 - 12:52:36 pm CST
I just wanted to comment on the face lift and the fantastic cocktails on the terrace on a Friday evening.
Some mates and I enjoyed a few quite ones (or not so quiet ones) from 8pm last Friday night and I must say it's a great idea opening the club up early for the after work crowd to have a few drinks.
Points to the barman for his "Half-Arsed" Elevator... which I must say was not so half-arsed! I think EVERYONE there had one in their hand, surely a winner!
Loves-et!
Andrew
written by ANTY PANTYZ, February 22, 2007 - 10:40:41 am CST
Its good to see that "the club" has been pulled kicking and screaming into the 21st century, and a little long over due.
Perhaps Tim could think about opening the club one or two week nights per month for the less blingy amongst us...as a suggestion for something a little less Sydney, and more down to earth cheesy. There is a huge market of gay guys and gals who don’t go out on scene to often, and if it is all about community, maybe connections could think about catering for the wider community.
Don’t get me wrong, im by no way being negative, quite the opposite. As you get into your 30s, such as my self, you find the pill popping 20s a bit much. And with this age group not being catered for in the GLQT, I find it strange, considering that age group has far more disposable income that neither the court nor connections has tried anything….
Just my opinion.
Anthony