Uber Niteclub Grand Opening - 9.12.2005
Author: &ru @ Tranzfusion
Monday, December 12, 2005
A large red sign illuminates the stairs leading up to the club, and we move up with an air of anticipation. An impressive set of copper doors greets us with the club's design and colour theme readily apparent even from the first glimpse. It's impressive and certainly a fresh look for Brisbane. The emphasis at Uber is on quality and the club is decked in lovely metals and dark red, mauve and earthy fabrics. The lighting is warm and the lack of cigarette smoke is a pleasant change (fear not, you can still smoke on the terrace).
Soundproof glass doors divide the club into a lounge and a main-room. Both areas have good sized bars with cheery, helpful staff dispensing social lubricants. A few select beers on tap and a good range of premium beer in the fridge. The first-pour spirits and cocktail menu are equally elevated and I even spot Moet, Veuve, Bollinger and Dom at the lounge bar (an indication of the target market perhaps). Unfortunately for us, the champagne being circulated by the roving waitresses is not of that ilk but is still Chandon (support Australia I say!).
After a quick scout around, we spot one of Uber's managers, Matt Fraser. He looks decidedly relaxed. Apparently he was far from relaxed two hours earlier with final preparations still being made until minutes before the doors opened. He seems pleased with the turn out and you can see and hear how much passion has gone into this club. All the staff I spoke to see the club as something different and really want it to work. It shows too, with plenty of smiles and staff eager to help with even the most trivial of things such as finding a napkin.
But what is a club without music- On this front Uber offers one selection for each side of the soundproof doors. In the lounge, we'll see a range of funk, soul, deep house and '70s and '80s music. Stuff to drink to and warm you up for the night ahead. Meanwhile in the main-room expect electroclash and sexy house. Unfortunately, the music on Friday was, I have to say, rather disappointing. The music in the lounge was appropriate with a range of '70s funk and soul plus the odd later release. The main-room however was so commercial you'd have thought Kraft had setup a cheese factory. There was no imagination and the exceptional DJ hardware (see below) was under no stress at all. The music ended up sounding like that of a radio station. Perhaps commercial was the plan for opening night but I was underwhelmed. The crowd seemed to agree with few people dancing and many commenting on the lack of fresh tunes. The music will improve with big acts headlining soon, we're sure.
Uber's musical future does however bode well. They have invested in some serious hardware that will surely attract well-known names. The lounge booth is pretty standard; 2 x Technics 1200, a Pioneer CDJ1000 and a Pioneer DJM600. Cool. But now turn to the main DJ booth. It is one of the most impressive setups I have ever seen! Almost every toy a DJ could want is represented - 2 x Technics 1200mk5, 2 x Pioneer CDJ1000mk2, a Pioneer efx1000, 2 x Pioneer DVJx1 all feeding through a Pioneer DJM1000 (oh the fun I could have). The booth is winged by two large monitors and a wall of speakers that wouldn't be out of place at an AC/DC concert. There is some serious noise making possible in this room although it wasn't being pushed on opening night due to Council sound regulations. Overall, the system looks superb and from the booth you have a great vantage point over the whole main-floor, bar and VIP booths. The only let down on the technical side was the lighting which looked simplistic when compared to the sound system.
On the whole, Uber was just as advertised: quality. The feel of the club is opulent without bei Tags