There was a strong backlash to a proposed new venue in Sydney that was to be called Pink Pony, but the groups new name also been rejected by some potential punters.
The owners announced new venue was to be named Pink Pony, drawing inspiration from Chappell Roan’s iconic song Pink Pony Club. The venue would take up residence on Oxford Street at the location that was formerly multi-level venue Flash.
But things went awry when they described the venue as being primarily focused on young gay men, which drew criticism since they’d named it after a song by lesbian pop star Chappell Roan. The community outcry sent the team back to the drawing board.
After some brainstorming they’ve announced the club will now be called Tribe @ 231.
In a statement posted to Instagram the team said the venue would herald a bold new chapter in Sydney’s nightlife and the club was set to “ignite Darlinghurst nightlife with three floors of high-energy dance music.”
The team said the new venue would, “deliver a genre-smashing soundtrack of high-energy dance music, fusing underground house, techno, pop remixes, disco, and anthemic queer classics. From late-night deep house on the lower level to euphoric pop and drag performances upstairs, each level promises a unique vibe with world-class sound systems, state-of-the-art lighting and its own unique energy.
They also noted that the new venue would include gender neutral bathrooms, and host some of Sydney’s top DJs and live drag shows.
Not everyone loves the new name
While some people thought the new name was an improvement on the previous announcement, the choice of ‘Tribe’ also drew criticism.
One on popular community Facebook ground the response to the new name was greeted by claims of cultural misappropriation over the use of the word “tribe’.
The club was also called out over omitted the letter A from the LGBTIQA+ acronym, with some posters concerned it was a sign that asexual and aromantic people would not be welcome in the space.
The club is expected to open in mid-December.
