Nightlife
New to the dancefloor? Here's what you need to know to thrive in the club, as told by comedian Lucinda "Froomes" Price.
Froomes still remembers her first night out clubbing. “It was with my best friend and her older sister and we went to Rats, which was this club in Melbourne in the CBD,” she recalls. “Cool, indie people would go. You’d get the photographer to take photos of you doing the peace sign or looking down at the ground.”
The Australian comedian and content creator – real name Lucinda Price – has had many more nights in the club since then. In fact, these days she’s something of a nightlife expert. That’s why Froomes is stepping up to mastermind a night out for Red Bull Curates, in which some of the nation’s best party starters and collaborators are coming together at iconic locations across the country to welcome summer – all for free.
If you haven’t logged quite as many hours on the dancefloor as Froomes, fear not. In the lead up to Red Bull Curates: Welcome To Summer, we asked Froomes to share her expertise and offer some words of advice for those new to the brave new world of nightlife. From what to wear to how to meet new people, consider this the beginner’s guide to clubbing.
Don’t ditch your friends
This is what Froomes considers a golden rule of clubbing: if one of your friends doesn’t get in, don’t let them go home alone.
“I did that a few times and it's just never worth it,” she says. “Because clubs are great, but the whole point of it is partying with your friends and getting funny stories.” Whatever happens, she says, “stick with your friends and have fun”.
… but don’t be afraid to go out alone
That’s not to say you can’t hit the clubs solo – you can and absolutely should, Froomes says.
“Don't be afraid to go out on your own and dance by yourself because it's a really nice way to find new friends. You can meet so many good people at clubs,” she says. “I've met so many friends, and almost all of my exes, at clubs.”
“It's a great environment to meet new people, have fun and dance with them. Because I think you can find out a lot about a person and what they’re like in a social setting when you go out clubbing with them.”
Read the room
There are, however, rules to striking up a convo on the dancefloor.
“Harassing people that clearly don't want to talk to you, and that goes for men and women, [is a no-no]. Try and read the room – be open to talk to people, but don't expect them to entertain you. Put yourself out there, but if someone doesn't want to take it, just move on.”
There’s also ways to communicate without opening your month. “If there's somebody you want to talk to, just give them the eyes,” Froomes advises.
Overdress, it’s fine
The club is the place where you can really go the extra mile with your outfits.
“Don't be afraid to dress up. Don't be afraid to be overdressed,” Froomes says. “It's nice to get dolled up or put your best clothes on. So I would say there's no fashion faux pas.”
That includes footwear: “People really bag high heels and think, oh they’re uncomfortable. If you get a really good pair of platform heels, it's so fun going out in heels.”
Pack wisely
Preparation, Froomes says, is the key to clubbing success.
“You need to get a bag that is comfortable and that you can wear crossbody." As for what you should put in that bag? "Wet wipes."
Commit to the club
“Another mistake I made when I was younger was hopping between clubs thinking there's always going to be better clubs to go to, as opposed to just committing to the club you’re in,”
Froomes recalls. “Stick it out. If you start to get bored give yourself another half an hour, another song. If you take away the expectation it can be really fun.”
An added bonus: stay in one place and you’ll also save money on cover charge.
“Once I paid $40 to skip the line somewhere and it was shithouse,” she remembers. “I ended up seeing my ex-boyfriend kiss another girl. So it was a very expensive way to get my heart broken.”
Respect the bathroom line
Another golden rule: “Never, ever cut the line to the bathroom. It’s a really dog act and it will come back to bite you,” Froomes says. “If you need to piss really bad, everybody else needs to piss really bad as well.”
Another bodily functions-related faux pas? “Farting on the dancefloor, obviously”.
Adhere to drink etiquette
The time will come where you bump into someone and spill their drink. It’s unavoidable. As for what you should do next?
“I would definitely apologise and offer to get them another drink if they want to come with me to the bar, but I'm not going to go be a sorry little bitch and go get them a drink,” Froomes says. “But definitely profusely apologise and use it as a bonding technique.”
“And if they're really sooky about it, well, that's collateral damage. That's what you get for going to a club, so get over it, wise guy.”
Tick off the institutions
There are certain clubs that hold a hallowed place in the mind of ravers. You should make it your mission to experience them all.
“You always want to be able to say you went to certain clubs, like, I tried to go to every club in Melbourne so I'd always have something to talk about,” Froomes says. In Sydney, “The Ivy is such an epic institution and everyone’s got a story from the Ivy. So try to get your own stories.”
And, um… delete your Uber?
Froomes has one final piece of advice for the, uh, frugal among us.
Before you go to pre-drinks, “Delete your Uber app and lie to everyone and say that you got banned from it or something so you don’t have to pay for the ride there,” she says. “That’s a fun one.”
To celebrate the launch of our Guide To Nightlife, Merivale and Red Bull are offering anyone who turned 18 during lockdown the chance to win one of four ivy Thursdays VIP booth experiences. Say hello to the ultimate flex. Entries close 31 December; enter HERE.