Mystique @ The Arena - Fortitude Valley
For anyone into Brisbane’s R&B / Hip Hop scene, you’ll know the difference between “new Mystique” and “old Mystique”. For those of you who don’t, let me explain: old Mystique is the Mystique Nightclub, located on Warner St next to The Planet. New Mystique is the new home of the hip hop group that used to perform at that club, and is situated at The Arena on Brunswick St in Fortitude Valley. Having been out to old Mystique a few times recently, only to find it full of aggressive guys and large women, I was very keen to get a look at New Mystique and so that’s just what my entourage and I did this past Saturday, after a few drinks at the new Valley pad of course.
Mystique @ The Arena
Friday & Saturday from 9pm
Free entry before 10pm, $10 after on Fridays, $15 on Saturdays210 Brunswick Street
Fortitude Valley
www.mystiquebrisbane.com
The one thing that has stood out about Mystique @ The Arena the last few times that I’ve walked past the club is the line - even well after the 10pm free entry cut off I’ve seen a long stream of people waiting for the opportunity to get inside. This is a place that is in high demand - people want to get in there and are willing to both pay and wait for the privilege. Now, while some places are worth waiting for, and despite a very reasonable cover charge policy, I don’t normally do lines - so I called ahead and had my name put on the door. After all, running this site does have its privileges.
Once inside, I had to stop and look around a bit just to soak it all in. For anyone who has been to The Arena prior to its transformation into an RnB superclub, you’ll know that this is a big, open venue - just the kind of place I love. Entering at the ground floor, there were two levels open while I was there. The ground floor features a massive dancefloor, with plenty of space off to either side to chat with friends, as well as a long bar with ample staff to hook you up with a reasonably-priced ($7 vodka orange), frosty beverage of your choice. Not to mention a pretty social outdoor smoking area where my cancer-pals can get their fix, while being open enough that I don’t choke on the fumes.
Upstairs gets even better, starting with a huge balcony that wraps around the entire length of the club, overlooking the dancefloor below. This balcony makes for a great place to dance without getting amongst the throngs of people below, a great place to step back and chat with friends while keeping an eye on the action, and a great place to chill in the ample couches strewn about the balcony. Also upstairs is another bar with really quick service, as well as an entire room given over to lounging - though I would have liked to have seen more U-Shape couch formations, rather than just couches against the wall.
But the real reason people come to The Arena on Friday & Saturday nights is to see Mystique. An original brand created in 2008 by Patrick Donohue and Andy Tuumaga (a.k.a DJ Maxwell), in one short year they have established themselves as the premiere source for RnB in Brisbane - and it’s no surprise that their massive fanbase has followed them to the new venue. In a town that’s club scene sometimes seems dominated by house and electro, it’s fantastic to see a group that are so dedicated to growing Brisbane’s R&B scene.
Overall, the vibe of the place was hot. The lighting was just right - seductive but not dark, with great dancefloor effects; the music was pumping, but there were still plenty of places where you could carry on a conversation; it was quick and easy to get a drink at the bar; the guys were all friendly and non-aggressive and the girls were absolutely stunning. And those last two are particularly important - first of all, because I’m a very social person and secondly, I want the girls I’m out with to feel comfortable in the environment they’re in. At “old Mystique”, the guys glared at me just for being there, let alone talking to anyone, and the large girls kept trying to pick fights with my female friends on the dancefloor for being good looking. It’s nice to see that sort of trouble has been left behind!
So after getting a bit bored of a lot of the clubs in my Fortitude Valley rotation, I’m definitely going to make Mystique @ The Arena one of my new Saturday spots. And with a venue of that size, of that quality, it won’t be long before they’re rivalling clubs like The Met and Family for Saturday night patronage. It’ll be good to see RnB taking a bigger handhold in Brisbane.
– Ross
Related Posts:
Naughty By Nature @ Mystique - Wed Feb 24, 2010Meaning to get tickets for Good Vibrations, but never getting around to it, you have no idea how happy I
Bar 388 - Fortitude Valley
Having received a mysterious SMS to my phone telling me of a 'new' RnB / Hip Hop club in the
11 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
August 6th, 2009 @ 12:16 pm
Thank you for a wonderful write up!
We are glad to see you experienced the true meaning behind MYSTIQUE!
A one stop club for all who love R&B music. The only thing you forgot to mention but maybe didn’t see while you were there were BNE’s leading industry podium dancers contracted to perform every Friday and Saturday night from Fresh Elements Dance School, MAD Dance House and local freelance performers.
See you again soon!
Patrick
August 6th, 2009 @ 12:29 pm
come check out the crew at mystique arena. yes sir!
August 6th, 2009 @ 3:16 pm
YOUR NOT KIDDING WITH THE FAT CHICkS TRYING TO PICK FIGHTS!… several occasions my friends and i had been started on there… one time being kicked out on the street with them… and they continued to try fight us!…. PATHETIC!!!…. The new Mystique is the BEST! frienly, un-intimdating environment!! YOU GUYS ROCK!!
August 6th, 2009 @ 5:33 pm
Wow that was an awesome write up. Our crew aim to please and its great to hear you enjoyed your time.
Be sure to come check us out again.
August 6th, 2009 @ 6:56 pm
Firstly I have got to agree with you that the new Mystique is one of the best RnB clubs of today in Brisbane. I know that fo sho, cos i know the Djs there give it all they got with the best music and yes the crowd is great also…The line up is worth it. Unless your hopeless with your alcohol and your legs quit on you after awhile of standing! But yes the club is great!
As for your comments about the LARGE girls trying to pick fights..i don’t think you should have really made that comment. i am not a size 6 girl or a size 14…and i am very comfortable with my figure. But i have been to soooo many clubs and have never started a fight on a girl much smaller then me. I have also been to the NEW Mystique and have found larger girls there also who haven’t started fights…but have just enjoyed themselves. So i think you should have used your words more wisely. Maybe your having trouble saying what you really think about the ‘certain people’ who start the fights or stare you down. But after all thats said…I do really, 100% agree with you on the new mystique nightclub…it does rock ma jocks!!
On ya guys!!
August 7th, 2009 @ 5:11 pm
Hi Sharla,
Not sure what you mean by ‘certain people’, but rest assured I rarely have trouble saying what I mean.
In terms of large girls picking fights with my friends at old Mystique, I didn’t believe it myself at first. In fact, I told my friend she was just being silly when she told me that the one thing she didn’t like about old mystique was “the fat bitches that try and fight me because I’m a better dancer than them”.
Until later that night, a few weeks ago, when I saw a “fat bitch” come up to my friend on the dancefloor, push her out of the way with her oversized house of an ass and start stomping on her bag.
In said “fat bitch” ’s defense, she may not have seen the bag on the floor past her enormous gut.
At that moment I stepped back a bit and took a look around the club, quickly realising that a Saturday night at Mystique Nightclub on Warner St looks like a watering hole in the Serengeti - elephants, hippos and even the odd rhino.
Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any of the aggression at New Mystique and the chubby:hotty ratio was much more to my preference.
- Ross
August 26th, 2009 @ 10:54 am
Hi there- I’m looking for some photos that were taken by the clubs photographer dated 15 August… Do you know where i will be able to view these??? Thanks
August 29th, 2009 @ 5:16 pm
Hi Mez,
Their photos are most likely available through their Facebook or Myspace pages… you’ll have to search for these yourself.
September 2nd, 2009 @ 7:30 pm
Madd props to the New Mystique!!! I moved here from Sydney 2 months ago and have been back and forth 3 times in between, so yes I have checked out Hide Out the newest RnB club at Kings Cross which is actually pretty good but has tough competition with the New Mystique which (in my opinion) pumps better than any RnB/Hip Hop club in Sydney! The size of The Arena alone is impressive enough as it is but add to that, a mint set up, friendly staff who provide quick service, a great atmoshphere where there are no staunch “hippos/rhinos/elephants” hahaha topped off with awesome music and entertainment and you’ve got it made! I’ve been there a few times and I feel you Ross about the staunch chicks, they’re just jealous bullies and the only way to handle them is show them you don’t give a shit by not acknowledging their death stares! By still smiling and enjoying your time and by carrying on moving as smoothly as you do and knowing that you’re the shit! What they hate the most is seeing hott confident chicks who know they’re hott and know how to move but what they hate even more is their men checking us out! Ummmm hmmmm not our fault so handle yo shit! You seam to only get these types of chicks at Rnb/Hip Hop clubs but the fact that they’re a HUGE minority at New Mystique does no harm to New Mystique’s reputation and makes it easier to just lax and have shit loads of fun!
December 5th, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
I can’t agree with your comment about the fat bitches/staunch bitches… etc
I think it’s totally inappropriate.
It’s also very shallow to be thinking this way.
Like I wouldn’t want a big staunch bitch to start on me while I’m trying to have fun, but come on, it’s not really appropriate to say these things. Ross, maybe your skinny friends should learn how to fight aye and keep off their men?
February 22nd, 2010 @ 3:54 am
Hey guys,
can someone tell me the number for this place? im lookin at doing behind bar service!! i want it soo bad