Adrian's Nightclub
See and be seen
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Hidden behind unassuming office-style glass doors lay one of Northbridge’s most fashionable and stylish Nightclubs, Adrian’s.
Adrian’s opened in 1976 and you didn’t get through those doors unless you met the approval of the glamorous model, Tricia Gouldson, who ran the door.
The exclusive club attracted a big arts and culture crowd. During the 1978 Perth filming of Harlequin stars David Hemming, Paula Duncan and a young Robert Powell frequently relaxed at Adrian’s after shooting was over for the day.
Everyone was on show at Adrian’s. The way they strutted, the way they danced, even the way they held their cigarettes. - Adrian Rainsford
Adrian Rainsford engaging in characteristic high spirited horseplay with Solar Hot Water King Barry Ingleton (left) and Jon Sainken (right) in the late 1970s.
Courtesy Jon Sainken and Adrian Rainsford -
Furnished with cream carpets and curved lounges, studded with colourful cushions made from Indian linens, the club had an organic and vaguely far-eastern feel. No glitzy mirrors or muscle-bound Bouncers, it was more of a hidden private lounge than a traditional disco club.
With capacity for 500 people, it was intimate without being small, providing the perfect place for Perth’s most glamorous people to lounge and talk. Early cruisy tunes gave way to high energy dance music as the night progressed.
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Many of the DJs were talented friends and amateurs. The Club regularly hosted live musicians known to the Club or with some special quality. INXS, Australian Crawl, The Triffids and The Quick and the Dead punk band all played early gigs there.
Returning to Perth after studying psychiatry in London, Jon Sainken was looking to invest in a business. He met the enigmatic Adrian, a well-known personality in the hospitality industry.
With Jon playing the money man and Adrian the funnyman the decision to call the Club Adrian’s was easily agreed.
Adrian was one of Northbridge’s most colourful characters at the time. Well-known, well-liked, and entertaining….he was a very good host. - Jon Sainken
Perth punk band Confessions performing at Adrians in 1980. The club regularly hosted live music, with bands such as INXS and The Triffids holding early gigs.
Courtesy State Library of Western Australia b6362194_1 -
Adrian’s closed in 1982 when Jon decided to take a break from the nightclub industry. Some years later he re-invested, going on to co-own late night venues Club Bayview, Red Sea, Bad Habits, Underground, Silver Slipper and The Continental and Leederville Hotels.
A brilliant people person and host, Adrian continued managing a long series of successful entertainment venues.
Adrian Rainsford on piano entertains the crowd with his very convincing Peter Allen impersonation assisted by a spontaneous female gymnast in the early 1980s.
Courtesy Jon Sainken and Adrian Rainsford
Adrian's Nightclub
Originally at 164 James Street, Northbridge
With thanks to Jon Sainken and Adrian Rainsford