GBTL x Sparkling Aurora

Reporter: GBTL - Daiyu Tang
Dates of Photos & Interview: 10th September 2022

Posted to the Observer Forums due to the Print Edition still not able to be produced.

Note that the author, wishes you to know that she is the General Manager of a linked business to CLub Aurora. She attests that her work relationships have not had a bearing on the article. Additionally, neither she nor the Observer have been paid for this review.

Hathian's new 24x7 party venue.

So dear Reader, much in the way I reviewed Rough Ryders, or the Hathian Sinners Club (now deceased) or even The Wrong Hole (new owner in the wings yet?), I turned my attention to one of the hottest new venues in Hathian, Club Aurora where already events organised by BIX Sorority as well as other Hathian luminaries have taken place.

So, as well as the chance to have a few free drinks, what made me pick Aurora? Well, the options for nightlife (for those of us who are sane and moral) are fairly limited. Yes, we can get our fill of pure adult entertainment, but what about a chance to dance the night away without a stripper pole in sight? You know the kind of place you might actually meet a date, rather than a one-night stand at? Well, that's my impression of Club Aurora where owner Liz Evans is providing you, Hathian citizens with a place to party, drink, hire out and generally have a great time. So, what are we waiting for? Let's get into the view... (after my free drink of course!) and let's start with that, the bar scene.

Drinking

So, the good news is that Aurora has two distinct bars, both with different ambiences and options. The first, accessible from the ground floor is the main bar and it's here that a wide variety of drinks including cocktails, beers, soft-drinks and so forth are available. The bar staff are known to be able to mix some pretty wicked drinks, with a few 'flaming cocktails' among their repertoire. GBTL vouches that things tasted pretty good! With seating and standing space as well as booths and other areas to take your company (and your drink) you are assured of being able to both have social and private conversations. Now, this is slightly dependent on the sound system, which can be a bit LOUD, but then again, it is a dance venue, so I think you should come prepared!

The second bar is more 'specialist'. Accessed via a separate VIP area fee (See the club signage for details) this bar focuses on cocktails, but often with a twist, i.e. bodyshots. Whether balanced on your head, chest, butt or elsewhere, the bartenders will do their best to make you as embarrassed as possible while your fiends cheer on your balance skill, or the suggestive positions you're forced to undertake. Refusing to hit some of the more... extreme positions, never-the-less... just for you my lovely readers... Daiyu a la cocktail. I hope to see some of you there doing this!

It's also possible to be slightly more dignified and just enjoy a drink. You can take your drinks to 6 or more booths upstairs, where this is also space to host events, as well as some entertainment such as a dart board.

I've seen this space be put to good use, so as you'll see in the interview with Liz below, do speak with her if you need an event space on the relative safety of the Campus! As well as the location being more secure, Liz has hired security and there are pretty strict body searches for weapons as well as further security at the VIP area. I think it's fairly safe to say that the local Rejects aren't likely to come in guns blazing, but as usual Citizens are advised to take their own precautions, the scrouge of drink spiking, badly made drugs and knife crime is present everywhere, despite responsible owners.

So, drinking is well covered, what next? How about partying!

Dancing, Music, outdoor event space...

Aurora has a great dancefloor. There's great lighting, including strobe, laser, smoke, spotlight and other effects. It's a great accompaniment to the array of high-quality speakers that produce a thumping bass track when requested, but also give clear fidelity to even the cheesiest Chesney Hawkes song; "I am the one and...." you know the one I mean....

The club is home to a range of DJs with live music from the futuristic DJ booth setup on the raised forward stage. As noted there are not the usual stripper poles or other bits and pieces and this makes a refreshing break from most other venues in Hathian. With a focus on good drinks, good music and enough space to really dance, this is what sets Aurora apart!

I actually do a little bit of music work myself... I guess it comes with the territory of working in media and while I'm not going to be selling out, it was fun to get asked to try on the kit and spin a few of the tunes. As you'll see in the interview below, Liz is always on the lookout for talent, so what are you waiting for if you've got DJ skills?

So, inside is great, but if you've been the way of CU, you'll also have seen the giant outdoors area. Previous events have included a massive birthday party featuring dunking machines, hoses, pools and more. However the heart of the place is in providing live music through a large outdoor sound system, dance area and stage for any size band. While I was there, sadly, the space was not being used, but when it is, drinks can be bought outside and the club arranges with local Campus Police to block roads and really make it a street party.

Overall impressions

You can probably tell that GBTL dear reader loves Aurora! Not only do I feel safe here, I also enjoy what Liz has built in terms of style and substance. There's a few things I'd address which include perhaps changing the rather old-timer activity of darts for something a bit more fun, (I have a DDR mat if they want!) and I'd also suggest a bit more of a display around the VIP area bar and what they can offer... it's amazing how when you tell people there are bodyshots, they pay the VIP fee... Other than that, it does what it says on the tin... provide a dance and entertainment venue for Hathian. Is it as quite as well themed as the old Hathian Sinners club was? No... But overall, does it do more for Hathian? Unequivocally yes. Totally giving Aurora a 9/10!

As well as my business review, I also conducted an interview with one of the owners and general lead, Liz Evans. She and I discussed what the club means to her, what she plans for it and of some details of her event that's occurring in just a few hours after publication of this article - Sinful Sundays!

Interview with Liz Evans
Held: 10th September 2022

GBTL - Daiyu: "Liz, thank you for giving me this time and I'd like to say thank you for the warm welcome at Aurora. Please treat this as an interview and don't worry, I'll still do the odd shift for you even if you chew me out... Not that it should be that kind of question line! So, why don't we start with the lead in for the event tomorrow, what's Sinful Sundays and what are you running?"

Liz: "So tomorrow is the start of almost weekly Sunday events. They will be every Sunday unless Spanky's is running something or there is a someone renting out the club. It's just a variety of music; could be rock, could be pop, really whatever the DJ wants to play. DJ Koix is going to be running them every Sunday twice a day. Noon and then 6 in the evening. Sinful Sundays. It's a pretty general title people can sort of put their own take on it, but it's not a nude event... We're not going in that direction!"

GBTL - Daiyu: "Music is good, since a few other places closed, this is probably the only good music venue in town, so can you give me the pitch for Aurora? I've got photos of your main features and well, will give them my spin, but as you're the owner, what might I have missed, what do you want to highlight? Also, can you tell me anymore about DJ Koix and well, Sinful Sundays sounds like it requires an interesting take on clothing!"

Liz: "Dj Koix is new to the team but has already spun the tunes several times already and her music is varied and she seems to really enjoy it. She has brought quite a bit of life to this club even in the past couple weeks and for that I am glad. We also just got another DJ called DJ NIAX. I will occasionally DJ but I much prefer to leave it to others who want to do it."

I nodded, it would be great if I could meet these DJs... perhaps even get a few tips...

Liz: "So, Club Aurora main thing is it is LGQBT+ friendly... Pride friendly is easier to say since I don't want to exclude anyone. Aurora is not just a club. It is an entertainment venue. You see that courtyard out there? That stage? That is intended for life entertainers and musicians. Whether it's a theatre troupe, a band, a comedian, you name it, its open for it. The space inside here as you see also has a stage and can be used. People can rent the place out for a few hours, an entire day, an entire weekend."

GBTL - Daiyu: "That sounds great, tell me a bit more about how the rental might work?

Liz: "We will help them decorate as far as spacing goes but the rest is their choice. It would be their event, so its their decoration. It could even be a wedding, or a senior prom, or an all ages dance or something. In fact because I also work with the youth of this city I intend to make a youth specific Halloween party in the near future, as well as an adults only. I like to try to be inclusive to all types of interest and people. The club has themes if its a themed event but the music choice and dress attire is not specific for any given day. The only thing we ask is you wear something over your bits"

Liz was laughing at this point, and I thought it was quite funny, seeing as how she also owned and worked closely with Saedi 'Spanking' Sullivan at the next-door Spanky's Fetish Club. Never-the-less, it was really great that Aurora had its own identity.

Liz: "Of course themed events and attire may vary from event to event. The main thing I want to highlight is we are always hiring, and we are an overall entrainment venue that is open for people to rent out and use for their own interests. It's a casual atmosphere and we just want people to feel welcomed. No weapons of any kind are welcome in the club or club properties, however."

GBTL - Daiyu: "Send me the price list, I'll see if I can include it... getting close to advertorial, but... nevermind. Ok, now... let's do a bit on you, don't take this the wrong way, tell me how you did it - got this place, set it up and moved forward to these cool events? Then, I think people would want to know a bit more about you, who you are, likes, interests... that kinda thing. Let's put a 'face' to the place and make you linked to here clearly in the minds of people in Hathian. So, give me the 'real Liz'...!"

I wanted to get an insight myself, but I also think Liz's story must be quite interesting due to her investments at her age and her links with Saedi and some others who support her. There's always angles, so I was keen to see what she would reveal or conceal!

Liz: "The real Liz... well, my name is Eliza but everyone calls me Liz, so I am pretty much always going by that. I am and always have been an entrepreneur. I started when I was a teenager. I got some help of course working with the other kids in the city, trying to raise money for them. you know that sort of thing, charity stuff. I ran events at Seaside with the ones in charge of that place at the time. I spent my entire life pretty much under state care and in the foster care system. Those troubles at least started to change for the better around the time I hit 15, but since then I've been here in Haitian. I did charity events, got myself a job, finished school, graduated high school at 16, and pretty much worked, saved up some money. It's been a pretty up and down life but nothing interesting enough to be detailed in an article about Aurora..."

Well, I didn't know about that, but I wasn't going to poke much now was I reader? I might lose my precious drink that I was still cradling! GBTL is a poor intern!

Liz: "So, life kind of went from there. Course most look at me and are like well hey you don't look very old how do you own a club. Well, that's just it. With a lot of saving up, some help, some new additions in my life I was not aware of, and a co-owner... Saedi Sullivan. Could not have gotten this far without her being a part of it. So yes, I am the owner but there are the more silent owners as well. I have never said I was the only owner!"

GBTL - Daiyu: "Oh secret owners, tsk, you always give me new stories to work on!"

Liz: "Hah... no digging! So anyway, as far as coming up with cool events, that's just planning and creativity and luck. I like planning events. I brainstorm with others and if they have an event idea it's pretty likely it's going to happen. I like doing different things that are fun, dancing, playing music and so on. I was fortunate to find Koi and her expressing interest in joining the team as my new manager. She has great ideas and it has been a great creative process, that is still ongoing. Aurora will keep growing and expanding! As for as my other interests, I like to sketch, I like to keep busy, I like to have fun, meet people, keep my mind busy and learning something new. Right now, I am a sophomore at Columtreal University."

GBTL - Daiyu: "Well, thank you Liz, I think that gets us to a good closing point, I really appreciate your time!"

And I did readers, we got a god insight into her, her plans and as noted from my review, I love the club. I hope you will as well, give Liz a chance and get your dance on tomorrow at 'Sinful Sundays!'

Wishing all my readers the best - GBTL