Welcoming a fresh face to the scene; Adelaide’s newest live music venue and nightclub FAT CONTROLLER is steaming through the weekends, transporting leading acts from interstate and sending out vibes that are absolutely ‘off the rails.’ Adelaide, please be seated as you prepare for the ride of your life.
We’ve seen a lot of new smalls bars popping up around the CBD as of late, each bringing their own little piece of something new to the table. But what Adelaide hasn’t seen a lot of lately are new nightclubs bringing something refreshing and competitive to our deeply grounded music and clubbing scene. We’re not talking old spaces being redone, or nightclubs starting up their own new Friday or Saturday nights with resident DJ So-and-So, we’re talking about clubs that are completely and entirely a breath of fresh air. And boy, is Fat Controller just that.
The underground establishment, what was previously known as The Cavern (a sixties themed live music venue of a good 10 years), is now Adelaide’s very own platform Fat Controller, run by our favourite hospitality entrepreneurs The Little Miss Group. Being creators of Royal Croquet Club (RCC), Little Miss Miami, Little Miss Mexico, Dive Shop and Crab Shack, the group have been gearing up for what is to be their biggest year yet with the introduction of a new nightclub and RCC taking on a national tour.
It comes without question that what the boys from RCC and Crab Shack tend to do exceptionally well is cracking a clever theme or two. Little Miss Mexico was known for its spicy mexicana cuisine and all-night fiestas, Dive Shop and Crab Shack are known for their nautical nostalgia with a sea-themed fitout, and RCC, of course for their classy croquet, darling. And now we welcome the group’s new project, Fat Controller, choo-choo-sing a name reminiscent of Thomas the Tank Engine and ideally squeezing in between the underground Adelaide Railway Station and North Terrace on street level. With a quintessential theme oh-so-fitted to its location, we think the ‘fat man’ is here to stay.
After stepping down the stairs last Thursday night, we had a wave of nostalgia taking us back to the subway system in London as we approached a sign reading ‘To Platform Fat Controller’ and ‘To Street.’ We chose to follow the arrow pointing left and descended down more stairs into our underground destination, curious to see where the fat man would take us on the night of his official launch.
We only look slightly dishevelled…right? Loving those personalised Fat Controller coffee cups!
The area itself was effortlessly edgy and ever-so grungy, characterised by wire mesh fencing and neon-lit signs; it was the perfect fitout for a train station theme. The welcoming, chubby face of the Fat Controller greeted us on arrival, sitting central to the entrance and weaved with red neon-lighting through a gigantic square of wire mesh. Indeed, it’s a place one might correlate closely to that of Electric Circus, evoking that rundown basement feel. I, myself, found it quite similar to many underground clubs I had experienced in Europe such as Tressor in Berlin, Germany, which is characterised similarly by metal jail bars and a cold, concrete interior.
As for the acts, well, the fat man has done nothing but impress us every time. Last week, we were surprised by special guest Tame Impala on the night of the launch who rolled in with an amazing DJ set after playing their official gig at Thebarton Theatre. Fat Controller continued to bring the goods throughout the weekend, offering the fat man’s passengers a taste of San Cisco on the Friday night and The Aston Shuffle on Saturday. This weekend will see Odd Mob, The Delta Riggs, Motez and Client Liaison hit the stage for a fat party. Also set to take off is the first of a series of nights Fat Controller will be hosting called ‘Cable Kidz’ on Thursdays and the respective ‘Derailed Sundays’ on Sunday nights. We cannot be more excited for ride number deux.
Fat Controller will be open Thursdays to Sundays until a late 5am, so you can definitely expect to get a little bit crazy. Tonight, the frivolous Fat Controller festivities reboot again for the opening of Cable Kidz ft. Odd Mob… Adelaide, lets get wild and have a dance with the fat man!
Gallery images credit: Fat Controller Facebook Page.
