New Brisbane

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 Saturdays

210 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