New City Compound
This weekend, I went to New City. I hadn’t been in quite a few months, so I was really looking forward to it, especially since New City is one of my favourite clubs in the city.
There’s just something about rocking out with punks, goths, raver kids, queers, and pretty much any other “weird” subculture that’s totally awesome. Plus, the music is usually pretty ass-kicking.
Saturday happened to be goth night, which I hadn’t realized ahead of time, but it was still a blast. Dark rave music blasted, and was pretty fun to dance to, even though it’s not really my kind of music. Toward the end of the night, the music changed up a bit, and went more toward the punk and neo-mod side of things, which is more my speed. Dancing to “Anarchy in the UK” is a bit of an odd experience, though.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the New City Compound, it consists of the Likwid Lounge (upstairs) and the Suburbs (downstairs). The Lounge is, as the name indicates, a lounge. There are plush couches, pool tables, and TVs that tend to show cool old school cartoons (Betty Boop, for example).
The Suburbs area is the club. It’s got a huge dance floor, and three separate bars. It’s also got a good-sized stage that’s host to all kinds of punk and rockabilly shows on weekdays. The atmosphere is a cross between the old school rave scene, and the Nightmare Before Christmas.
The music varies depending on the night of the week, and is different depending on whether you’re upstairs or down, but typical sounds include punk, rockabilly, electro, industrial, and anything that still manages into that vague and undefinable area known as “alternative music.”
In addition to being a bad ass night club, New City is also host to a number of concerts, stand-up comedy events, and punk rock bingo.
In many ways, it’s the gathering place for the alternative subcultures in Edmonton. Essentially, everyone is welcome. If you go on any given Saturday night, you’re likely to see drag queens, hardcore punks, goths, weird shirtless dudes in too-tight leather pants, and the occasional “normal” person, as well.
The only thing you won’t see at New City are the self-absorbed bar star types (both male and female) that you tend to see at a lot of “trendy” clubs. Aside from the fact that these people won’t usually go to New City, the dress code of “no athletic wear” allows the staff to use their discretion to keep out anyone who is likely to cause trouble.
Basically, if you like a crazy atmosphere where pretty much anything goes, New City is the place for you. Whether you’re looking for a laid back time in the Likwid Lounge, or a hardcore party downstairs in the Suburbs, you’ll be hard-pressed to have a bad time at New City.
For more nightlife reviews and information, check out my Edmonton Nightlife Guide.
March 10th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
[…] For more information about New City Likwid Lounge, read my review of the New City Compound. […]