N's First Post

Back in January this year, we were denied a refreshing drink at a then new ‘well to do’ bar in the valley. We promptly wrote them a letter, as below:


To the owners of said bar,

We are writing to advise you of a very unsatisfactory experience we had whilst attempting to frequent your bar for an early evening cocktail to start our Saturday night.

We arrived at your venue at around 6:30pm on Saturday the 24th of Jan - the sun still lighting up the valley streets. After reading a positive preview piece in Rave Magazine, we were looking forward to a “casual, relaxing night out”.

After greeting the security guard warmly at the entrance and asking about the venue upstairs, we were told we could not enter because men are required to wear long pants, and in this case, the male of our partnership was wearing dress shorts.

If we do say so ourselves, the pair of us were looking hot, hot hot!

She wore:

Slim, black, mid-calf halter neck summer dress with cute ballet flats, the usual manicured hair and makeup, and a little dazzle with some low earrings and a simple bracelet.

He wore:

Pressed, collared, super-chic 70’s funk business shirt and knee length black dress shorts, brand new loafer style semi dress shoes, topped off with the appropriate hair grooming (not too much gel, just some fastener to help arrest those cool summer breezes).

She explained to the security guard that the recent preview in Rave and also The Courier Mail had extolled the virtues of your venue as an ‘unpretentious’, ‘unintimidating’ bar for “those who are gracious, well mannered and have a sense of humour”. Said clients were mentioned to be “more likely to find themselves in the venue than the well heeled, well dressed and arrogant.” She explained pleasantly with a smile that she understood the need for ‘smart casual dress’, pointing out the smart collared shirt as he twirled with a laugh, mocking an amateur K-Mart model. A quick check of the iPhone showed the temp to be 29 degrees and a lazy 80% humidity – not long pants weather.

We were still rejected and sent out of the too chic valley, into the wilderness of a bar down Paddington way.

As mid-twenties Brisbanites, we feel that if there is something that Brisbane needs, it is more interesting and exciting bars - and we fully applaud this new concept bar and would have loved to have experienced it. We are also careful to only visit bars and nightspots that limit their exclusivity – but do understand that some level of discretion is required to avoid patrons whose attire may lower the tone of the establishment.

As this was not the case with us, we are very confused and disappointed that we were turned away – learning that staff wear polo shirts and shorts adding to our bemusement.

We really do wish you all the best for your exciting venture, but are concerned to see that perhaps, despite your media releases, reviews and previews of a “laid back ambience” that your bar will instead end up a tad more pretentious – with security personnel trained to focus on the size of your patrons wallets rather than their personalities.

We would love to hear some, any response from you. Many thanks.


We did not hear back from them. It seems the famous Groucho Marx quote, something along the lines of ‘I would not want to be part of a club that would have me as a member’ rings true in Brisbane to this day!

Today......how lucky I am!

Grainy toast with peanut butter, a pot of coffee, the Swell Season on the stereo, and a whole day to write before an evening of stunning music at KiLN, and then a party with the most beautiful girls around (and my most divine husband)..............sometimes life is just gorgeous!

This is a really brief post, to express my gratitude for all of the above, and the billions of other blessings in my life.

This has been hard year, but generally I think I'm just someone who tends to find things harder than they really are, a very sensitive being. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed by the weight of sadness about what has happened, and anxiousness about what might be, that I forget the gloriousness of each day and the little things that fill it with joy- like taking my shoes and socks off after a big sweaty workout at the gym, making a really good dinner and overeating, having a good snuggle up on the couch with my beloved, getting all the washing done and drinking many cups tea after work in our little garden.