What to Expect @ Villa Nightclub

By Hamish Hastie

Perth is often touted as having a distinct lack of places to party. Villa grabs this claim and smashes it into the floor with the fury of the world's best in dance music. This place never fails to amaze with its versatility, cool styling's and delivery of a damn good night.

I've been here a lot, and for good reason. Villa opened in 2009 and is the type of place that Perth was screaming for; a multi-purpose, intimate venue that could present clubbers and music fans alike with the opportunity to get up close and sweaty with their favourite DJs. Villa isn't your average club; it only opens for special events. This prevents you from going there week in, week out, keeping the mystique and allure of the venue intact.

The music, oh the music! Villa is all about the music. Any night of the week an international DJ could come waltzing through Villa's glass doors and tear the place apart. Therefore, the music depends on who you buy tickets to see and (theoretically) because you bought the tickets, you're guaranteed to like the music. The odds are in your favour too when it comes to other punters - as you know, music influences culture more than culture influences music. If you pay to see someone you like, you get to share the experience with clubbers of a similar distinguished music taste. From my experience Villa is a great venue for live or DJ sets and the sound system is so impeccable, your ears will hate you...

The sound system is not the only thing this place has going for it. The layout is perfect: there are only two bars but they're big, and the bar staff are efficient enough to ensure you get your drink without missing much of the act. The dance floor is split into two levels and both provide full view of the DJ booth jutting out from the cool, upper level VIP bar (but who wants to be pretentious and sip drinks behind the DJ when you could be getting hectic with the peasants down below?). A balcony above the dance floor and large outdoor area for the smokers and those looking to cool off complete the place.

Contemporary is the only word to describe this place. Cool lights project words and images on the wall behind the upper dance floor and the grey/wood/funky furniture theme of the place is understated enough so you don't feel like you're in a spaceship but enough to know you're in a club. But really, who cares about decor? Like I said, this club is all about the music.

The DJ booth is awesome. I've seen many a world class DJ get up there, melt faces and blow minds. If you're lucky enough to be in the VIP bar or on the odd chance its open to the public, you can stand behind the DJ and watch him or her do their thing through the glass. An even better treat is if the DJ has opted to use the upper dance floor as their stage, as this is an intimate experience that may or may not involve inflatable life rafts...

The drinks are basic, no fancy cocktails or flaming Slippery Nipple sex fiend shots. The range of spirits is impressive however, and the prices are fair (in comparison with the rest of the city). $8 and above for a mixer and beers available for $6 and above, enough to get you through the night and keep your liquids up when your sweating them out dancing.

If you want a good night out, Villa is the place to go. Get tickets to a gig you'll enjoy (a lot of events sell out prior to the event so you may want to get in early) have a few drinks and get buck wild. Small or big crowds, there's always something to do and someone to meet at Villa. I've had some great nights out in this club because it's the only club in Perth precision engineered to provide them.