Sydney’s lesbian social scene will be transformed next year with the
opening of a full-time girls’ bar in the city.
The team from UK lesbian super-club Candy Bar will visit Sydney in
January to secure a venue, Candy Bar founder Kim Lucas told Sydney
Star Observer.
Candy Bar Sydney, which is due to open in late 2008, is expected to
join its sister bars, Candy Bar Soho and Candy Bar Brighton, in becoming
one of the world’s best-known lesbian venues.
The organisers of Sydney’s lesbian events will be collaborating with
Candy Bar in the lead-up to the Sydney opening.
Stephen Craddock from Slide’s girls’ night Cherry has
announced a partnership with Candy Bar, and Middle Bar’s Bitch
has been invited to tour the UK bars with drag king Sexy Galexy and DJ
Renee Stanton this month.
Bitch
founder Renee Schembri said Candy Bar Sydney was
expected to operate four to five nights a week.
“I believe there is potential here in Sydney for a permanent girls’
night to work,” she said.
Craddock, who has just returned from a month in Europe, said there were
some “very exciting times” ahead.
“There are so many options for girls in Europe,” he said,
“especially in London, Paris and Madrid, with seven-day-a-week bars and
clubs all tailored for the girls.
“It’s definitely a sign of things to come in Australia.”
The question of whether a fully operational lesbian bar would be
successful, however, has had Sydneysiders talking.
DJ Sveta said she would love a Sydney lesbian bar to work, “but I am
just not sure that it would”.
“Lesbians stop going out really quickly,” she said. “There is a
period from about 18 to 22 when they are out all the time, but then they
stop and the next generation comes through.”
Leana McInnes, the producer of Lickalisious at Arq, said while
some male clubs could afford to open seven days a week, a permanent
girls’ bar would be less profitable.
“Girl’s don’t necessarily go out every night of the week,” she
said. “The current girls’ nights sustain themselves because they are
so unique.
“The Bank is different to the Sly Fox, which is different to Bitch,
which is different again to what we do here once a month.”
The Candy Bars in Soho and Brighton have based their success on
providing a vast range of spaces and entertainment options for the girls.
Candy Bar Soho, a three-level venue, has a cocktail bar, an upstairs
pool lounge and a basement dance area.
Alex, 30, from Darlinghurst, said she would love to see a girls’
venue that wasn’t scared of showing “a bit of personality”.
“Let’s have a space that’s got a bit of class,” she said.
“The first ever Fingers First at the W Bar came close in some
ways in that it attracted women of various ages who weren’t scene
queens.
“And you didn’t have to be E-ing off-chops or consuming copious
amounts of alcohol to get through the night.”
Tell Candy Bar founder, Kim Lucas, how you want your Candy Bar to
be, by filling out the questionnaire at www.thecandybar.co.uk.
