The Denver Pavilions might just be the latest place to see and be seen – at least on camera. Downtown voyeurs can do their peeping in public at Spy Bar and Lounge (720-299-1576), the new spot that opened on the second level last weekend. Owned by Curt Sims, whose Beyond Nightclub is next door, the Spy Bar and Lounge is a smallish hide-out designed to be pitch-perfect for people-watching. In fact, spying on the crowd is the main attraction.
The narrow space has a bar on the left of the entrance, and a bank of VIP booths to the right, each with its own monitor for “spying” on various spots. Security-style cams throughout the club allow loungers to switch channels on the monitors to check out the bar, entrance, dance floor, the unisex bathroom or the sexy silhouettes of the shadow dancers in the center of the room, all without leaving the comfort of their own cushy perch.
Last weekend’s opening night left me with mixed feelings about the space; it was stylish enough without being overly themed- out, the drinks were well-poured (try the Violet Femme martini, with Stoli, Parfait Amour and a sugared rose petal, $7) but the service at the bar was excruciatingly slow. And while the shadow dancers provided a visual centerpiece, I would like to see a bit more Bond and a little less bop from the gals. Still, it’s a welcome addition to the Pavilions and worth continued surveillance.
Art and music against the grain
The Revoluciones Collective Art Space is on the move again, and the final shows at the current location are tonight and Saturday. The gallery and performance art space moved last year from its original home on Eighth Avenue into a larger space on Brighton Boulevard known as The Construct, but the owners temporarily will close while they seek a permanent space to buy.
Since the gallery’s 1997 opening, it has embraced and promoted urban, counterculture and underground art. The space also has served as a venue for performance artists and experimental music.
This weekend’s closing events will be appropriately unusual. Tonight, Sci-Fi Uterus takes the stage for a multimedia performance art show, featuring its particular brand of post-new wave digi-pop (9 p.m., $5). Saturday, it’s an all-ages event (alcohol for 21+) starting at 6 p.m. with Love Mafia, Orwellian Math Project, The Turnups, Natural Order and others throughout the night for a properly creative send-off, $5.
Revoluciones Collective Art Space, 3519 Brighton Blvd.(303-292-2234).
“Club Rubber” meets the road
The Church nightclub just launched “Club Rubber,” a new event night on Saturdays that has club kids buzzing. The event promoters have successfully held Club Rubber parties in California and Las Vegas with various themes, and now they will host a series of regular Saturday night parties all summer in Denver.
So far, the Denver events don’t seem to have the pizzazz or diversity that Club Rubber is known for. In fact, the talent lineup seems to be focused on ’90s nostalgia, bringing back several big mainstream crossover artists from when electronica in the U.S. finally emerged from the underground rave scene and hit commercial airwaves and average households.
Last weekend, the first event featured the Crystal Method, who once performed for thousands at Red Rocks, and the almost equally accessible DJ Rap takes over the turntables this Saturday. Coming in June are BT (June 4) and DJ Jazzy Jeff (June 25), two more well-known artists. There’s certainly a mass appeal for these names, but it does raise the question: When will Club Rubber catch up with the times and live up to its own hype? With the entire summer still ahead of us, we’ll simply have to wait and see.
“Club Rubber” at The Church nightclub, every Saturday at 9 p.m. 1160 Lincoln St., 303-832-3528.
Kat Valentine writes about night life Fridays in 7Days. Reach her at kat@kingproduction.com or call 303-820-1568.
