Magazine disruption

MAGAZINE ISSUE NO.10
"WHAT USED TO BE COOL WAS EXCLUSIVITY,
AND NOW WHAT’S COOL IS INCLUSIVITY.”
60s and 70s was a core revolutionary for
the culture of Studio 54 and the Paradise
Garage—where dance music started.”
“It’s an education process,” says Jerry.
“When people come up and ask me
about the artwork I’m able to give them
a bit of history about how it relates back
to music and the culture.”
kyte aren’t alone in their commitment
to bringing a more educated, thoughtout
approach to Canberra’s bar scene.
But being progressive isn’t just about
getting serious about the music—it’s
about making sure everyone feels
included, too.
Michael Liu, DJ, event manager and
violinist, whose ethos of “classically
trained but never contained” has been
a mainstay of local nightlife for over
seven years, attributes this new focus to
Canberra’s approach to difference.
“I think the biggest change has been a
paradigm shift in club culture, where
what used to be cool was exclusivity,
and now what’s cool is inclusivity,”
he explains.
“It used to be about excluding people
because they weren’t hot enough to
get into the bar and having separate
sections, whereas now it’s about having
a bar which caters to everyone. You can
have an 80-year-old dude sitting next to
a jock, sitting next to an 18-year-old girl
drinking a vodka lime and soda.”
As Michael sees it, the venues that thrive
will be the ones that embrace diversity.
“I think [inclusive] is what bars and
clubs should aspire to be—regardless
of their theme or style. It’s almost a bare
minimum [to have] a commitment to
inclusivity if you want to succeed. There’s
a real adaptability these days.”
Michael cites his current residency,
Knightsbridge Penthouse, as well as
AKIBA and Bar Rochford, as examples
of venues that are both adaptable
and inclusive.
Co owner of Bar Rochford, Nick Smith,
agrees. In its very essence, ‘Rochford’
was always supposed to be everything
to everyone—just not a thumping club.
“I’m 30 now and my friends and I don’t
want to get pissed, we just want to
get some good food and wine,” he
told HerCanberra when Rochford
opened in early 2016. “But I do want to
welcome everyone.”
Owner of Braddon’s Knightsbridge
Penthouse, Troy Sixsmith, says that it
was always their aim to be as different
to the “club scene” as possible, which
was clearly a smart choice. At the ripe
age of 13, ‘Knighty’ has outlived many of
its peers.
Established in 2004 by Canberra
hospitality queen Bria Sydney,
Knightsbridge was, from the start, a
different bar for a different crowd. With
exposed brick walls and murals, rather
than strobe lights and smoke machines,
it was the young professionals’ house
party to Civic’s freshers’ week.
“I think Bria’s main aim was to open one
of Canberra’s very first cocktail bars and
from there it evolved into this late night
venue where you could dance and
PAGE 115