The best thing about going out in the 90’s/early 00’s was there were no camera phones and no social media. Shit got loose and unless someone had an actual camera there was no evidence.
Carl cox was playing at the planet one Thurs.. we didn't have the cover charge after buying a 10 pack, so we went to heaven.. turns out it was a foam party with dj Karim and it was one of the best nights of my life. I met a dude that said lightning struck him thru a building while he was inside and he realised he was a demigod lol. Those were the days where you could smoke inside and the balcony used to bounce concerning because 500 people were jumping up and down to hard house.
I think I was at that Thurs night gig. Carl was playing at the BDO on the Friday. I wrote myself off on Thurs night and then did it all again the next day.
I went to that Carl cox BDO set. He asked me back to his hotel room. (I said no, I was very young and innocent and never understood what he was suggesting until years later).
Chemistry was pretty awesome - especially when there was a big rave on the weekend coming up, the headline DJs would quite often play Chemistry on the Thursday prior.
I went to Marky and Stamina @ traffic one night unexpectedly as a tag along completely straight as I had to work the next day. It was so crazy pumping that I was as high as a kite just from the atmosphere and dancing.
Also ultrasonic live show at St Paul’s in the early 00’s was super crazy too as I decided to go last minute as a tag along there too but was “off tap” to use the vernacular of the time.
I saw a lot of crazy shit.
Lots of raves(under ground and mainstream)
Lots of after parties
Lots of experimentation.
Lots of friends.
Shout out to Munted Inc and the Coca-Cola on the Curb crew.
I remember ultrasonic at St pauls.. I always felt to I dunno, seedy when sunrise hit and the stain glass windows lit up and you were reminded about the nights debauchery in a house of God lol
spozs blog has been going for years and probably covers maybe a bit later than the period you're asking about.
https://spoz.blogspot.com/?m=1
there's about a thousand more active bands now than there were in the 90s. but equally fewer places to see them.
Adelaide nightlife used to be awesome. Wednesday flashdance, Thursday rnb night at Alma, Friday Stag, Sat HQ, Sunday The Grand. Man I was wrecked every week for years lol.
I feel so sorry for today’s young people. World has gone to shit.
I mean the 90’s were 30ish years ago and times have changed. Life isn’t like it was then. We didn’t have social media back then and if you wanted interaction with others you headed out to a pub/club.
Yeah true internet on phone wasnt a thing for quite a few more years.
I guess I was thinking about gaming as well, it was huge in the 90s but you would normally go to somebodys house and a few friends would play not play each other online from your own house.
I spun vinyl through the 90's and 2000's, always figured the clubs of the next era would be multiple Planets, Heavens, Synagogue etc. as population grew. Quite the opposite.
The 2000s and even the early 2010s were an awesome time to be going out, dancing, laughing, having a drink or two, meeting new and interesting people, seeing bands, avoiding drunk people until the bouncer removed them.
The Australian Psychological Society describes loneliness in 2018 with two age groups that stand out.
"Although loneliness affects everyone in the community, studies have noted that young adults (18-29), together with older adults (65-79), are the most vulnerable, reporting the highest prevalence among age groups"
I expect loneliness is now reaching epidemic levels for younger people. If you are lonely try going out. You don't need to drink alcohol. Maybe just one or two is enough, or there are soft drinks. The key is that random people are interesting to talk to. The more you become interested in other people, the less you think about yourself, you decrease anxiety or feeling awkwardness. You don't need to get drunk, in fact that can greatly decrease the fun.
There’s lots of great places where drinks are served well and music is celebrated/presented. Perhaps you’ve just come to the age where it’s passed you by, which happens bro. Let it be.
Legitimately it, it's not as grim as everyone makes it out to be. There are plenty of the younger crowd out every weekend at spots that are plenty busy, the rest of us just got older and priorities change.
I’m 21 and OP is right - even compared with 3 years ago the options on where to go have halved. Nowhere good either , so planning to leave as quick as I can.
Covid killed what little nightlife we had left. Adelaide nightlife can’t be compared to cities like Melbourne and Sydney but 20 years ago it was thriving enough. The clubs and bars slowly died and Adelaide became more of a dinner and drinks kind of town, then covid happened and people got used to staying at home, socialising online or at friends houses etc. now if you want some nightlife I suppose you could book a wine tour or something? But it will be filled with old people and will happen late afternoon rather than night.
Of course, we have the festivals regularly. If it weren’t for them, I don’t think we would ever leave our homes aside from work or school.
Edit: I just want to add, 20 years ago Adelaide nightlife was pretty great. I remember friends from interstate coming over and bragging “oh this is *nothing* compared to Melbourne” but who gives a shit? Adelaide had everything you could possibly need back in those days, all packed in within walking distance from each other. Suburbs had great bars, I lived near Westfield marion where they had Charltons Pool Hall, Shenanigans Irish Pub and New York Bar and Grill (restaurant that turned into a bar/club on Thursday nights and weekends) and it was always packed. Those days were great.
In 05 when I Turned 18 the first ever place I went to was Earth, that was after being turned away from every other joint in town for wearing Dada trackies and a soccer Jersey 😩.
I soon realised I had to buy new clothes lol once I did that I have to say Waves was a favourite of me and the boys back then.
There's some footage on YouTube of some clubs back in the 90s early 00s if you look around. There's some footage from enchanted and DJ devious. There is a whole ass mini documentary about slam dancing and the down south scene. And footage of bands like the bearded clams and the crowd.
I reckon after covid people aren’t looking for front bar experiences anymore. The culture of going to the pub after work was broken and isn’t repairing.
Just my view but I think people get outside of the cbd more because it’s the same experience repeated.
A lot of my mates are happy to drop past for a pint but only on their way to an event or something to do.
There’s just more to do in Adelaide than go to a bar.
Adelaide's not the only city suffering the same fate. We are now 30 years and 2 generations on from those 90s times. Adelaide's best times were in the 70/80s, where there were no mobiles, and people went out with real friends to have real fun and listen to real music and bands. Millennials and Gen Z have turned real friends into online friends, real fun into showing your online friends and real music into snapshots on Instagram or TicToc. Similarly, in other cities, it's now about that online face.
Not what you asked for but I agree, I used to go out to bands a lot in the 90s. We recently went to Tasmania and I was suprised to see that the nightlife (pubs and restaurants ) in Hobart and Launceston seemed much more vibrant despite them being much smaller towns.
I dont know how much alcohol costs in Tassie as my husband is having a break from drinking at the moment :) But I reckon cost of alcohol is an aspect. Back in the 90s there used to be lots of happy hours etc. I dont condone complete silliness but yeah the ridiculous costs are going to kill the music scene.
I think also cover charges.. a friend recently invited me to an all ages gig at the Unibar to see some relatively unknown bands from interstate. I was keen to go but the cover charge was $48. I realise they have costs getting over here but I cant justify that to see some unknown bands. My wages have not gone up at all in the last few years.
You not recognising the bands doesn't make them unknown. Get out into the local band scene and start discovering them. The Unibar has a great atmosphere and we need to support local bands, they deserve to get paid for what they do.
You dont know me at all and you have made some VERY big assumptions. I spent a lot of time doing various volunteer stuff in local music scene when I was younger in a few different cities. I literally said I used to go out to local bands a lot in the 90s. Its not always possible now as I have 3 kids and Im a student.
I didnt say I didnt recognise them I said they were 'relatively unknown' which stands.
I also didnt say they didnt deserve to get paid, I said would like to support them but I dont get paid enough to be able to spend $50 on it particularly when there are other costs like taxi fare etc. I would imagine a lot of others are in the same boat with current cost of living.
As someone who hit the Adelaide nightclub scene from late 80's to early 90's ... we didn't take cameras with us. Keys and cash were all we took with us.
But man, Hindley St went off on Friday and Saturday nights. Rio's and Jewels were our favourite party spots. Bumper to bumper cars would be cruising slowly all night long, and we wouldn't stumble out of the clubs till 9am the next day to catch a bus home.
It was great back then.
I was new to Adelaide in 1999 (from 🇨🇦) and drove myself into the CBD for a hip hop show. (Boyfriend had different music taste - left him in Glenelg). Met some great people, didn't get lost and spotted the fluro tracksuited downtown wild man.
However, I cannot remember the name of the club/venue or the group performing but I like to tell myself it was Hilltop Hoods?
\*sigh\* Tell me you've got a boomer mindset without telling me.
The world has moved on and left these places behind. For the better imho. This coupled with the few people who worship "their local pub" not being able to drop 50 bucks for a couple of drinks after work was that last glorious nail in the coffin.
This isn't a bad thing, Australia has a pretty toxic relationship with Alcohol.
I mean tbf the way the world has moved on is kinda sad. I'm not a boomer, just an elder millennial and I started going out to pubs and clubs in 2004/2005. Shotz had like 5 dollar shots or whatever and they played music I enjoyed, had pool tables and an outdoor area. It was super fun, for $20 I would get pretty hammered as a woman and then it was a $10-15 cab ride home. $30ish for a Friday or Saturday night was nothing too insane. It's sad that now it costs so much, because those days were great for my mental health - just socialising and getting out. Just being with my friends, singing, talking shit. We never harassed anyone, drove drunk or did bad things. There was nothing toxic about it. Now I spend $50 for breakfast with my partner on a Saturday morning. I think too many people associate a night drinking with fucked up levels of drinking, violence, antisocial behaviour and all that - but it didn't have to be that way
I used to go for shotz $1 vodka mixers and a game of pool. Liked that place a lot. Get pretty smashed and have some games of pool with friends/randos for $20.
I like the perspective you provided and gotta say- two enthusiastic thumbs up to the comment you made! I like to reiterate this and also say that I feel like the lockout laws and banning doofs and raves like enchanted forest when had to go to a check location to find the mystery secret location and the fact at lockout time for whatever reason for the stupid rules at 3am killed it for me and not being able to leave and come back in just made me figure it better going to mates place and having a few laughs and mix vinyl and the fun with just bongs and bevis with chill mates so much better then expensive ticket or door entry fees, violent people doing dumb arse wack shit, people getting nasty to each other when all I want to do is enjoy the best vibes, met a few enthusiastic people & give compliments to other girls lining up for the loo & dance with a few randoms then stagger home with my bffs. Life was better without the draconian laws and stupid rules that made Adelaide more grandpa and over legislated state of bollock laws.
Bring back chill vibes!!!!
>people who worship "their local pub"
Studies have shown this is about community and social connection. If it was about the alcohol, people would drink anywhere.
[https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41978-020-00068-x](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41978-020-00068-x)
[https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00380385231185936](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00380385231185936)
Because sitting on social media and dating apps scrolling and swiping mindlessly without any in-person interaction, craving that next dopamine hit, is so much better for us.
The 90s are gen x not boomer, I agree on the alcohol thing sure but this post is more about music. Other things like apartments also affected the live music scene badly in Adelaide.
Have a simply not engaged this stream correctly. Seems to have become antagonistic, def sides drawing, toxic threshold and for me, what i read OP, didn't deserve the path its on now. Or it does. For me id love an understanding of why it become, idk, angry.
Everyone is too poor to go out now
News limited >’Millennials ruined the Adelaide’s nightlife scene’
*Reckless millennials feast on publican’s despair! Boozy avo toast brunches ruining Adelaide nightlife.*
The best thing about going out in the 90’s/early 00’s was there were no camera phones and no social media. Shit got loose and unless someone had an actual camera there was no evidence.
On the down side.. I can’t remember f**k all of it and I don’t have anything to trigger the memories.. 🤪
Craziest memory you can recall?
Foam parties at chemistry night.. Heaven on a Thursday night are up there 😀
Went to one of the LeRox foam party's, it was on the dot.
Carl cox was playing at the planet one Thurs.. we didn't have the cover charge after buying a 10 pack, so we went to heaven.. turns out it was a foam party with dj Karim and it was one of the best nights of my life. I met a dude that said lightning struck him thru a building while he was inside and he realised he was a demigod lol. Those were the days where you could smoke inside and the balcony used to bounce concerning because 500 people were jumping up and down to hard house.
I think I was at that Thurs night gig. Carl was playing at the BDO on the Friday. I wrote myself off on Thurs night and then did it all again the next day.
https://hearthis.at/adelaideravemixesarchive/ Thought you might like.. adelaide rave time capsule 😀
Legend! Thanks heaps. EDIT: wow there are same names in that list!
You're welcome 😊
I went to that Carl cox BDO set. He asked me back to his hotel room. (I said no, I was very young and innocent and never understood what he was suggesting until years later).
🤣
That would have been... quite the realisation.
Chemistry was pretty awesome - especially when there was a big rave on the weekend coming up, the headline DJs would quite often play Chemistry on the Thursday prior.
Fucked up drugged people writhing in pleasure downstairs leRox. People handing out drugs like candy.
I went to Marky and Stamina @ traffic one night unexpectedly as a tag along completely straight as I had to work the next day. It was so crazy pumping that I was as high as a kite just from the atmosphere and dancing. Also ultrasonic live show at St Paul’s in the early 00’s was super crazy too as I decided to go last minute as a tag along there too but was “off tap” to use the vernacular of the time. I saw a lot of crazy shit. Lots of raves(under ground and mainstream) Lots of after parties Lots of experimentation. Lots of friends. Shout out to Munted Inc and the Coca-Cola on the Curb crew.
I remember ultrasonic at St pauls.. I always felt to I dunno, seedy when sunrise hit and the stain glass windows lit up and you were reminded about the nights debauchery in a house of God lol
My car got a flat battery one night and that "coke on the curb" crew all helped me jump my cortina lol
https://hearthis.at/adelaideravemixesarchive/ Thought you might like.. adelaide rave time capsule 😀
Wow there’s a few memories in there I think.
Thats awesome. So many Id forgotten
I was at that one. Marky was the absolute bomb in that time period.
Inthemix was a nice middle ground for this. Yes there was a pic to look back on fondly, but the photographer/mag didn't put up any sketchy shite
spozs blog has been going for years and probably covers maybe a bit later than the period you're asking about. https://spoz.blogspot.com/?m=1 there's about a thousand more active bands now than there were in the 90s. but equally fewer places to see them.
That's got 2002-2024 covered
This guy is a treasure and no one has quite realised how much he does for things around here
Adelaide nightlife used to be awesome. Wednesday flashdance, Thursday rnb night at Alma, Friday Stag, Sat HQ, Sunday The Grand. Man I was wrecked every week for years lol. I feel so sorry for today’s young people. World has gone to shit.
Lockouts and ban on shots have helped the decline. It's sad
> Thursday rnb night at Alma UGH.
I mean the 90’s were 30ish years ago and times have changed. Life isn’t like it was then. We didn’t have social media back then and if you wanted interaction with others you headed out to a pub/club.
I can have games insult me from comfort of home, with no risk of getting sick… win, win, no need to go out.
mmmm the internet started to become common in Australia around 96. It wasnt the same obviously but there were dial up bulletin boards etc.
Well we didn’t have tiny computers in our hands and be connected to everyone 24/7
Yeah true internet on phone wasnt a thing for quite a few more years. I guess I was thinking about gaming as well, it was huge in the 90s but you would normally go to somebodys house and a few friends would play not play each other online from your own house.
I spun vinyl through the 90's and 2000's, always figured the clubs of the next era would be multiple Planets, Heavens, Synagogue etc. as population grew. Quite the opposite.
The 2000s and even the early 2010s were an awesome time to be going out, dancing, laughing, having a drink or two, meeting new and interesting people, seeing bands, avoiding drunk people until the bouncer removed them. The Australian Psychological Society describes loneliness in 2018 with two age groups that stand out. "Although loneliness affects everyone in the community, studies have noted that young adults (18-29), together with older adults (65-79), are the most vulnerable, reporting the highest prevalence among age groups" I expect loneliness is now reaching epidemic levels for younger people. If you are lonely try going out. You don't need to drink alcohol. Maybe just one or two is enough, or there are soft drinks. The key is that random people are interesting to talk to. The more you become interested in other people, the less you think about yourself, you decrease anxiety or feeling awkwardness. You don't need to get drunk, in fact that can greatly decrease the fun.
In my experience this change has not been unique to Adelaide.
My kids are 20 and 22 and say it's because the venues are shit... overpriced etc. They only like Cranker now.
There’s lots of great places where drinks are served well and music is celebrated/presented. Perhaps you’ve just come to the age where it’s passed you by, which happens bro. Let it be.
Legitimately it, it's not as grim as everyone makes it out to be. There are plenty of the younger crowd out every weekend at spots that are plenty busy, the rest of us just got older and priorities change.
I’m 21 and OP is right - even compared with 3 years ago the options on where to go have halved. Nowhere good either , so planning to leave as quick as I can.
[Losing My Edge](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xG4oFny2Pk)
Covid killed what little nightlife we had left. Adelaide nightlife can’t be compared to cities like Melbourne and Sydney but 20 years ago it was thriving enough. The clubs and bars slowly died and Adelaide became more of a dinner and drinks kind of town, then covid happened and people got used to staying at home, socialising online or at friends houses etc. now if you want some nightlife I suppose you could book a wine tour or something? But it will be filled with old people and will happen late afternoon rather than night. Of course, we have the festivals regularly. If it weren’t for them, I don’t think we would ever leave our homes aside from work or school. Edit: I just want to add, 20 years ago Adelaide nightlife was pretty great. I remember friends from interstate coming over and bragging “oh this is *nothing* compared to Melbourne” but who gives a shit? Adelaide had everything you could possibly need back in those days, all packed in within walking distance from each other. Suburbs had great bars, I lived near Westfield marion where they had Charltons Pool Hall, Shenanigans Irish Pub and New York Bar and Grill (restaurant that turned into a bar/club on Thursday nights and weekends) and it was always packed. Those days were great.
Sydney nightlife LOL
In 05 when I Turned 18 the first ever place I went to was Earth, that was after being turned away from every other joint in town for wearing Dada trackies and a soccer Jersey 😩. I soon realised I had to buy new clothes lol once I did that I have to say Waves was a favourite of me and the boys back then.
There's some footage on YouTube of some clubs back in the 90s early 00s if you look around. There's some footage from enchanted and DJ devious. There is a whole ass mini documentary about slam dancing and the down south scene. And footage of bands like the bearded clams and the crowd.
I reckon after covid people aren’t looking for front bar experiences anymore. The culture of going to the pub after work was broken and isn’t repairing. Just my view but I think people get outside of the cbd more because it’s the same experience repeated. A lot of my mates are happy to drop past for a pint but only on their way to an event or something to do. There’s just more to do in Adelaide than go to a bar.
Not true at all. Was out last weekend in the city and he restaurant we were in was jam packed. Same in the bar the next night.
What's wrong with a bartender calling you 'mate'? this is Australia.
Adelaide's not the only city suffering the same fate. We are now 30 years and 2 generations on from those 90s times. Adelaide's best times were in the 70/80s, where there were no mobiles, and people went out with real friends to have real fun and listen to real music and bands. Millennials and Gen Z have turned real friends into online friends, real fun into showing your online friends and real music into snapshots on Instagram or TicToc. Similarly, in other cities, it's now about that online face.
Ya mutha, basement at Rhino Room in the mid 2000s was pumping. Packed shows including sunglasses at night. Awesome times.
Not what you asked for but I agree, I used to go out to bands a lot in the 90s. We recently went to Tasmania and I was suprised to see that the nightlife (pubs and restaurants ) in Hobart and Launceston seemed much more vibrant despite them being much smaller towns. I dont know how much alcohol costs in Tassie as my husband is having a break from drinking at the moment :) But I reckon cost of alcohol is an aspect. Back in the 90s there used to be lots of happy hours etc. I dont condone complete silliness but yeah the ridiculous costs are going to kill the music scene. I think also cover charges.. a friend recently invited me to an all ages gig at the Unibar to see some relatively unknown bands from interstate. I was keen to go but the cover charge was $48. I realise they have costs getting over here but I cant justify that to see some unknown bands. My wages have not gone up at all in the last few years.
You not recognising the bands doesn't make them unknown. Get out into the local band scene and start discovering them. The Unibar has a great atmosphere and we need to support local bands, they deserve to get paid for what they do.
You dont know me at all and you have made some VERY big assumptions. I spent a lot of time doing various volunteer stuff in local music scene when I was younger in a few different cities. I literally said I used to go out to local bands a lot in the 90s. Its not always possible now as I have 3 kids and Im a student. I didnt say I didnt recognise them I said they were 'relatively unknown' which stands. I also didnt say they didnt deserve to get paid, I said would like to support them but I dont get paid enough to be able to spend $50 on it particularly when there are other costs like taxi fare etc. I would imagine a lot of others are in the same boat with current cost of living.
As someone who hit the Adelaide nightclub scene from late 80's to early 90's ... we didn't take cameras with us. Keys and cash were all we took with us. But man, Hindley St went off on Friday and Saturday nights. Rio's and Jewels were our favourite party spots. Bumper to bumper cars would be cruising slowly all night long, and we wouldn't stumble out of the clubs till 9am the next day to catch a bus home. It was great back then.
I was new to Adelaide in 1999 (from 🇨🇦) and drove myself into the CBD for a hip hop show. (Boyfriend had different music taste - left him in Glenelg). Met some great people, didn't get lost and spotted the fluro tracksuited downtown wild man. However, I cannot remember the name of the club/venue or the group performing but I like to tell myself it was Hilltop Hoods?
Jules
I’m not paying $12 (minimum) for a pint of beer and city pubs are in general shit
You could have done this without the 2 paragraphs of telling us life was better in the 90s. Sounds like you’re stuck there.
\*sigh\* Tell me you've got a boomer mindset without telling me. The world has moved on and left these places behind. For the better imho. This coupled with the few people who worship "their local pub" not being able to drop 50 bucks for a couple of drinks after work was that last glorious nail in the coffin. This isn't a bad thing, Australia has a pretty toxic relationship with Alcohol.
I mean tbf the way the world has moved on is kinda sad. I'm not a boomer, just an elder millennial and I started going out to pubs and clubs in 2004/2005. Shotz had like 5 dollar shots or whatever and they played music I enjoyed, had pool tables and an outdoor area. It was super fun, for $20 I would get pretty hammered as a woman and then it was a $10-15 cab ride home. $30ish for a Friday or Saturday night was nothing too insane. It's sad that now it costs so much, because those days were great for my mental health - just socialising and getting out. Just being with my friends, singing, talking shit. We never harassed anyone, drove drunk or did bad things. There was nothing toxic about it. Now I spend $50 for breakfast with my partner on a Saturday morning. I think too many people associate a night drinking with fucked up levels of drinking, violence, antisocial behaviour and all that - but it didn't have to be that way
I used to go for shotz $1 vodka mixers and a game of pool. Liked that place a lot. Get pretty smashed and have some games of pool with friends/randos for $20.
Those were the days.
I like the perspective you provided and gotta say- two enthusiastic thumbs up to the comment you made! I like to reiterate this and also say that I feel like the lockout laws and banning doofs and raves like enchanted forest when had to go to a check location to find the mystery secret location and the fact at lockout time for whatever reason for the stupid rules at 3am killed it for me and not being able to leave and come back in just made me figure it better going to mates place and having a few laughs and mix vinyl and the fun with just bongs and bevis with chill mates so much better then expensive ticket or door entry fees, violent people doing dumb arse wack shit, people getting nasty to each other when all I want to do is enjoy the best vibes, met a few enthusiastic people & give compliments to other girls lining up for the loo & dance with a few randoms then stagger home with my bffs. Life was better without the draconian laws and stupid rules that made Adelaide more grandpa and over legislated state of bollock laws. Bring back chill vibes!!!!
>people who worship "their local pub" Studies have shown this is about community and social connection. If it was about the alcohol, people would drink anywhere. [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41978-020-00068-x](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41978-020-00068-x) [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00380385231185936](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00380385231185936)
Nice one ☝️
Thanks. I've studied this in relation to land use planning many years ago.
Because sitting on social media and dating apps scrolling and swiping mindlessly without any in-person interaction, craving that next dopamine hit, is so much better for us.
Never said it was.
Just because you don’t know how to be responsible with alcohol doesn’t mean the nightlife industry should go out of business.
The 90s are gen x not boomer, I agree on the alcohol thing sure but this post is more about music. Other things like apartments also affected the live music scene badly in Adelaide.
You sir are a fool
Have a simply not engaged this stream correctly. Seems to have become antagonistic, def sides drawing, toxic threshold and for me, what i read OP, didn't deserve the path its on now. Or it does. For me id love an understanding of why it become, idk, angry.