Melbourne nightlife roundup: Favela Rock, Manchuria/ New Gold Mountain, Love machine

I got out and about a bit this weekend. First up; the “Favela Rock” party with Karen, at “Miss Libertine” in the city.

I have to say, I find the name utterly tasteless. Its quite offensive to find “favelas’ (ie Brazilian people living in cardboard boxes) “sexy” when you are a hiphop wannabe from Glen Iris. Minus points for that. But everything else about it was cool; a chill, easygoing, multi-racial crowd of (straight) boys in hoodies bobbing their heads and glammed-up platinum blonde girls in what looked like cheap prom dresses (but then, they are in every club in Melbourne these days.) And the music was great – at least for DJ Mafia’s set; she played “Baby I Got Your Money” AND “Love Like This” by Faith Evans (as well as the horrible reggaeton “Gasolina” track). No Brazilian beats though. I think the party started as a Rio baile funk night – meaning that they played a few such songs, mixed with more familiar R&B – but that niche is just too small for Melbourne to cater to, and it got lost along the way. No matter though, still a great party.

Then, while wandering through the city, I discovered a new bar “Manchuria”. Its in a building in a little alleyway off Chinatown owned by the Chinese Masonic Society, up a slightly seedy and forbidding set of stairs, and then you get to a door that looks like this:

And then inside looks like this:

PLush and opulent, with no DJ thank god (why is every bar in Melbourne so noisy?). Of course its a little overpriced, (and they didnt have Tsingtao!), but still: a find.

It reminded me of Chinatown’s other plush Orientalist designer bar: in another little alleyway on the other side of Little Bourke Street. ““New Gold Mountain” either used to be called “Double happiness” or is directly above the bar called “Double Happiness” and it looks like this:

Nice.

The name, interestingly, is the literal translation of “Australia” in Chinese, so-called by Chinese miners during the Gold Rush. The “old” Gold Mountain was California, so one interpretation of the name is that “Australia” means “New California”. A slightly odd concept for much of the world where California itself is considered a relative newcomer…

Last up I finished at Love Machine the only recent addition to Melbourne’s gay scene of any note, and its only a “mixed” club at that, with a gay Sundaynighter. Its an odd place – located off Chapel Street, the favored haunt of overly-groomed , tanned people in sunglasses, with stylish decor. But then the crowd is pretty much evenly divided between fashion-y gay boys and what look like overweight suburban secretaries in polyester dresses, who are totally unselfconscious and don’t give a fuck. Its a weird, but entirely pleasing, midway point between “the beautiful people” and the dags (as the cheesy name and lacklustre website – no Myspace! – would suggest).
But thats the charm. On a rainy Sunday the dancefloor was packed and the most noticeable thing was how everyone was smiling – lots of late thirties gay couples, not out cruising, but just boogying with their boyfriends or the girls from work. Not sexy, just fun. The music came courtesy of DJ Arlen Da Silva – from the now legendary and sorely missed Freakazoid party of the late 90s . Deep house with soulful vocals and disco extravaganzas, full of bongos and layered orchestral breakdowns – wonderful! A bit like the “Body and Soul” parties in Tokyo (though not quite as good…) I enjoyed it though.