Northbridge is the hub of nightlife in Perth with a smattering of clubs, a spattering of pubs and just a dash of the g&l in the form of Connections Nightclub and The Court Hotel. Beyond Connections and The Court and amid the spattering and smattering are quite a few rainbow-friendly places for a night out. So, if you want to mix some diversity into your gay nights out, consider some of the following for a cocktail or a show before going back to the age-old one-two combo of The Court and Connies.
In the direct line between The Court and Connies, The Brass Monkey and its wine bar Grapeskin (for the ladies out there, that’s Grapeskin of Pride Women’s Sundowner fame) have decent food and great wine and beer options in a casual corner pub atmosphere.
For the see-and-be-seen crowd, the Brisbane Hotel on Brisbane Street is away from the main hullabaloo, but manages to pack a classily raucous metrosexual (read: some gay, some not, all well-dressed) crowd into its beer garden on weekends. It’s also the Northbridge stop for the professional rugby and footy boys, who often look as delicious as the gourmet pub food.
The Brass Monkey, the Brisbane and the Court serve above average pub fare for those who want to start the evening where they plan to finish it.
For something less Aussie pub hotel and more boho underground, The Bakery, through the Wilson’s Parking Lot on the western end of James St, always pulls fantastic live acts to its bar, which many patrons leave slightly disoriented and fancying themselves somewhere in Melbourne’s Fitzroy rather than WA. As with all good avant garde drinking spots, The Bakery has an interior that is to decorating what fashionable ‘I-couldn’t-care-but-I-do’ bedhead is to hair.
For personality and character, The Rocket Room has it every Friday night from midnight on with the so-camp-he-doesn’t-even-need-a-frock Sir Tomás Ford uncaged and on display.
To dance the night away, Geisha announces itself at the door (that’s literally announces – with a placard saying ‘Geisha is female friendly & gay friendly. Sleazy, homophobic men aren’t welcome.’) as a gay-friendly place to sip and mingle in a well-spun electro lounge. The result is undeniably hip.
Connections Nightclub
81 James St
www.connectionsnightclub.com
The Court Hotel
50 Beaufort St
www.thecourt.com.au
The Brass Monkey
209 William St
www.thebrassmonkey.com.au
Brisbane Hotel
292 Beaufort St
www.thebrisbanehotel.com.au
The Bakery
233 James St
www.artrage.com.au
Rocket Room
174 James St
Geisha Bar
135a James St
www.geishabar.com.au
Megan Smith
