Two Gigs. One Venue.

Venue Review: HQ. Adelaide

disclosure

There can often be a negative connotation associated with the two letters "HQ" in Adelaide.  Located a few doors down from one of the world's dirtiest maccas, HQ is arguably South Australia's largest night club, known for weekly dress up parties, burley bouncers, thumping beats and massive dance floors. Whether they are proud to admit it or not, most South Aussies have been to HQ at some point in their lives, and probably had one of the biggest nights they can (or can't?) remember.

As well as being a massive part of the weekend night life in South Australia, HQ has become a popular venue for concerts and gigs; from all genres from dance to hip hop to rock and roll.   Within the course of two weeks I was fortunate enough to attend two of these gigs and witness how the venue coped with different music and their respective audiences.

Foals. 24th September. 2013.

foals - sourced from the au review

Both concerts were spectacular in their own right.  Foals was a rock and roll concert unlike one I have ever seen before.  An all ages concert, the dance floor was a drink-free zone but this did not stop the fans from tearing it up. Front man Yannis Philippakis also go in on the action running around the venue and through the crowd all whilst playing his guitar.  The energy in the room was electric - this was possibly one of the best gigs I have ever been too.  And a fair bit could be attributed to the venue itself. 

The amphitheatre design of the HQ Complex means that short-asses such as myself have the opportunity to actually see a band in action, and not just dance facing friends accepting that the live music will just have to do.  Other venues in Adelaide such as the Gov and the Thebby Theatre do have outstanding acoustics and atmosphere, but there was something special about being able to see the main performance without being confined to seat 35E.

Disclosure. 3rd October. 2013.

Disclosure's performance was 18+ only and the alcohol was flowing.  There was no doubt a few people had already arranged the next day off work for a self-granted long weekend.  It did feel like the concert took a little longer than planned to get going but once the show was in progress it was one big party.  Credits to the lighting team who combined with the shows graphics took the performance to a whole other level.  There was no shortage of lasers at the Disclosure gig and it was the perfect fit.  There were those who tried to dance on the podiums throughout the concert but were quickly removed by security - much to the delight of those whose view were temporarily obstructed with an unwelcomed bottom or two.

Ultimately the staff at HQ are were great - and a lot more friendlier than I remember them being upon some earlier visits.  I thoroughly enjoyed the two concerts I witnessed at HQ and it certainly felt as though the audiences did as well.   Whilst HQ may get a bad wrap from time to time they certainly know how to run a performance smoothly, make sure everyone has a good night and that everyone makes it outside safely to get their late night dirty maccas feed.

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HQ Complex - www.hqcomplex.com.au

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