Building the Goodgod Super Club

Now in its final days we asked some of those closest to Goodgod to share their favourite memories of the Small Club that's had a big impact on Sydney's nightlife and culture Sydney's favourite basement danceteria has been dishing out late night good times for almost six years. A haven of dancefloor antics, fruity cocktails, vibrant personalities and no phone reception that was as inclusive as it was diverse and forward-thinking, while still maintaining an emphasis on unpretentious fun. As owners Jimmy and Hana move on from the Liverpool Street venue (but watch this space, there's plans for Goodgod in 2016, just not as a traditional club) we salute you, Goodgod Small Club. Andrew Levins       It’s possible that I’ve spent more time inside Goodgod Small Club than Jimmy and Hana themselves, so picking a favourite memory from the thousands of amazing ones is borderline impossible. I can say though that nothing beat those first few visits in 2010, as the club filled with new structures and artwork and made the transition from La Campana to Goodgod. With every new addition we realised what a special place this was going to be. Andrew Boon   My fave Goodgod memory would have to be one of the first nights I'd ever been down to the venue for one of the early Ro Sham Bo parties. We stayed until the end, and as was tradition 'Come On Eileen' played as the final song of the night. There was about 25-30 of us, all in a circle linking arms and doing a massive kick line during the slow

Well, for four nights at least... Everyone's favourite small club Goodgod is back, and it's going turbo. As a part of Vivid Live the creative team behind the old Liverpool hotspot will be resurrecting the GG vibes when they host four parties in within the Opera House.  After closing its doors in December last year, there was a little hole in our heart where the Liverpool Street Danceteria and Small Club once resided, so we can't wait to see what they do underneath the sails. They team will bring to life their very own custom-built ultimate nightclub and dance heroes and DJs including Bradley Zero, Simon Caldwell, Oneman, Mike Who, Kyle Hall, Magda Bytnerowicz, Joey LaBeija, Junglepussy and Chanel will be providing the soundtrack.  

Goodgod Small Club had its last dance on Liverpool Street late last year – but this didn’t mean they disappeared from Sydney forever. Since pulling down the awning for the last time Goodgod’s Jimmy Sing and Hana Shimada have been busy behind the scenes planning its incremental return, by the way of the Goodgod Super Club parties as a part of Vivid Live. Alongside curating the line-up – which includes Bradley Zero, Junglepussy and Oneman – the duo also gained total creative control of the Opera House Studio's visuals, with some help from co-designer Jeremy Wolfe. Speaking to Time Out from the underbelly of the Opera House where set up for the Super Club was well under way, Sing explains. “It’s the first time we’re doing the full design... So that’s everything from the layout of the room to the sound system design to the lighting.” Essentially the trio approached the space by considering the essential ingredients that make up the ultimate dancefloor. “Rather than going and trying to make it like a theme we just spent a whole month working through what is it that makes people comfortable to start dancing,” Sing explains. “If you walk in at 9pm, it'll be totally different than it is at 2am.” Lighting, layout and smoke are three of the cornerstones they’ve used to create an inclusive and immersive space. “We’ve kind of designed a whole bunch of really quite low-fi tricks,” Sing adds, “if you walk in at 9pm, it'ill be totally different than it is at 2am.” To this end, they’ve deplo

Back at the start of 2015, Goodgod Small Club welcomed Belly Bao: bringing Taiwan’s delicious bao buns into the bar-club environment. The soft, fluffy buns are made from steamed, fermented wheat dough that is then stuffed like a soft taco. And Belly Bao’s take on one of Asia’s best street foods has gone down a treat with Goodgod regulars. The perfect bar snack, Belly Bao’s bao buns come in six main varieties (with fresh or pickled toppings and lively sauces to match): slow braised pork belly; crackling roast pork belly; Panko-crumbed chicken breast; soft shell crab; and crispy tofu. Chef Sylvia Tran has since expanded the menu with the likes of the BBC – Belly Bao fried chicken, crunchy wings and sweet potato fries with a kick. Drop by on a Thursday evening to catch their weekly special, the Baoger: Belly Bao’s take on a hamburger. A handmade steamed bao bun contains a juicy Angus beef patty, melted cheese, lettuce, onion, pickled radish and Baoger sauce. Then there are the eye-catching dessert offerings taking steamed buns to another level: the Baonana split and Strawbelly Bao. The kitchen at Goodgood has long been at the forefront of Sydney’s dude food culture, from the early hot dogs and fries revival to jerk chicken and now, with Tran’s clever fusions of American fast food with Taiwanese street eats.

Sydney’s nightlife scene has shifted dramatically since the controversial lockout laws were first imposed in March of 2014. The changes have been felt in a myriad of ways for punters, promoters, partygoers, DJs and musicians and, most visibly, the venues. Since Time Out initially reported on reforms, the Flinders, Soho, Trademark, Q Bar, Hugos Lounge and the Backroom have all closed.   The lockout laws were introduced in March 2014 by the state government in an attempt to curb alcohol-fuelled violence, following a number of fatalities. The suite of reforms mainly have affected the ‘entertainment precinct’, which stretches across the CBD, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, the Rocks, Kings Cross and Cockle Bay, and include 1.30am venue lockouts, the 3am cessation of alcohol service at bars, pubs and clubs and the state-wide take-away alcohol must not be sold after 10pm. As a result the laws have affected the way Sydneysiders go out… What were once bustling nightspots are now much quieter, there’s been as dispersing of revellers to the fringes of the city, and generally there is a lot less positivity towards late night culture in what could and should be a vibrant and functional, 24 hour city.   Tyson Koh is someone who’s entrenched in music and nightlife in Sydney. The producer and programmer of the ABC’s long-running Rage, Koh also DJs and has thrown a few parties in his time. He heads up the alliance Keep Sydney Open, which is fast gaining momentum.   “We’re aiming to get public sup

Hey, guys – we know Picnic for throwing down great gigs and booking some of the most original talent from around the globe for its parties. But let's rewind seven years to when you first began. How did you get started? Picnic was started by myself – Carly or Kali – and Mr Motorik – Vi Hermens. Vi and I had a great time for two years, then he kindly handed me the baton and the name. And I’ve been going strong for five years! The core Picnic family is Andy Webb, Adi Toohey and myself. Andy has been with me for nearly the whole five years and Adi about one and half years. They are both invaluable. Of course, there is the extended family of amazing artists, and my friends are part of that family.Where can we hear you guys? You can head to Picnic's Soundcloud and Facebook page. Adi and Andy are also on Soundcloud. What's been your best gig so far?Kali It’s a tie between two Andrew Weatherall gigs. Firstly, at Sydney Festival when he played with Neville Watson it started raining just before... which was crap for my suede shoes but incredible for the vibe under that marquee! And then his One Night Stand at OAF last year. Two equally untouchable gigs.Andy It's so hard to pick one. Probably DJ Harvey and DJ Garth at Sydney Festival in 2011. Harv’s set was so sensational, I went straight to the afterparty at Goodgod and played what I still reckon was my best and favourite set ever. Too inspired, too vibed.Adi When Andy Webb had his records and gear stolen from his car, it was very near

Plan B was the successor club in the space that was once Goodgod Small Club. The venue is now called Hudson Ballroom. 

The Caribbean-themed Jonkanoo Canteen has been in charge of the snack action at Goodgod Small Club, everyone's favourite late night haunt. And their six-month residency is coming to a close in December so if you're planning on throwing some shapes in the coming weeks take time to fuel your fun times with jerk chicken and pork, plus lesser known regional dishes from Haiti, Trinidad, Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Cuba before it's too late.

The countdown to the largest winter festival in the Southern Hemisphere has begun. Vivid Sydney has announced its colourful program for 2017, which will include 23 days of light, music and ideas events taking place around the city. As always, there’ll be light projections to admire around the CBD, as well as Australian-exclusive performances inside Sydney Opera House. It’s a heady program – so we’ve picked out 15 highlights to help you decide how to spend that pocket money during the festival, from May 26 to June 17.    1. AIR, Laura Marling and Nick Murphy at the Opera House Sydney Opera House has already announced a series of shows from folk-rock band Fleet Foxes for this year’s Vivid Live program. Curator Ben Marshall says his third program will include exclusive performances from French electronic duo AIR, a 360-degree in-the-round performance by Nick Murphy, and an outdoor show by DJ-producer Richie Hawtin. Plus, shows from Brit Award-winning singer Laura Marling, folk star Beth Orton and UK producer Sampha.    Artist impression of Trapdoor by SpinifexImpression: Jason French, Spinifex Group     2. Vivid Light expands to Barangaroo Vivid Light will be stretching from the Botanic Gardens to Darling Harbour, and for the first time this year there’ll be using the streets of Barangaroo as a canvas for light projections, including the terrifying Trapdoor by Sydney special effects studio Spinifex Group. You can also expect manga and Steampunk in Chatswood, a giant Port Jack

For a lot of people, club culture is about being exposed to music that they don’t already have in their iTunes library. Don’t get us wrong, we like shaking it to golden oldies at and getting cheesy to ’90s hits, but sometimes we just want to kick it to some fresh stuff. Enter Astral People, an artist management and events brand that pushes off-kilter electronica on tour and into Sydney.What started as a couple of club events back in 2011 to showcase artists like Collarbones and Jonti, who the boys (Tom Huggett, Lee Danilewitz and Vichara Edirisinghe) To were already managing at the time has quickly gained a landslide of momentum. “The brand is getting stronger and we are starting to see that people really trust us,” says Huggett. “We just toured an act called Knxwledge, who isn’t too big at the moment, and we ended up selling out Goodgod. He said it was the biggest show that he’s ever done, and he’s from LA.” “Another guy came up to us after one of our shows and said, ‘I had no idea who this act is, but I came because I saw the Astral logo was on the flyer’,” adds Edirisinghe. “For us, peoples’ trust in the brand is the most rewarding thing." The beat-bent boys have more upcoming international tours, artist showcases and club events than they can reasonably manage. And with street press and online music sites pushing headlines declaring Sydney’s live music scene to be a “tough climate” [Mess + Noise, Mar 2012] and in a “state of emergency” [Tone Deaf, Mar 2012], this run-off-