Down the Rabbit Hole at LOLA: Inside New York's Trendiest Nightclub
"Well, we drank champagne and danced all night. Under electric candlelight..."
During a recent trip to New York I was lucky enough to be invited to a night at LOLA, the up and coming new club where 'Coney Island Baby' has been re-imagined by Travis Bass on Avenue A. I also got a chance to meet the effervescent Travis and pick his brains about how to throw a good party...
We started the night at St. Dymphnas, which was the closest thing to a London pub we could find and soon became our adored watering hole. Having spent the previous couple of hours drinking endless gin & tonics and admiring the crowds that entered with dazzled wide-eyes, we were ready for LOLA.
With no idea what to expect and heightened anticipation, we excitedly began our 2 minute (if that) journey down Avenue A.
It being my first time in the Big Apple, I had pretty high expectations and LOLA did not fall short in the slightest. The un-assuming white doors resemble that of a plain shop front, without any garish branding or logos, which gave off a very chic first impression. The outside didn't give much away. We hopped into the queue behind a bunch of kids uttering, "Dude there's no point, we're not going to get in, it's a waste of time". A reassuring thing to hear, just as you rock up.
Within the blink of an eye the kids in front of us had got cold feet and ran off - suddenly we were in.
Once you're in, you're in and you won't ever want to leave. Whilst it's intimate and feels very exclusive, like a ritzy after party, it also has the grandeur of a Gatsby affair. From the hanging head-shaped disco glitter ball to the sheer drapery curtains leading you into secluded hidden corners, it's impossible to be bored of LOLA. The place lives up to the name - it is SUCH a Lola. She's your friend's older sister who is depressingly cool without being pretentious. You're all equally envious and in awe of her and can't decide whether you want to be her best friend or just simply be her- this is LOLA.
Everything is just right: the music isn't made up of obvious overplayed go-tos nor was it trying too hard to be edgy and experimental - it sound-tracked the night perfectly. The lighting doesn’t give you a headache like most London clubs, but rather bounces off glitter balls, dances around the room and illuminates silk curtains and the occasional zebra-print wall. Everyone is painfully good-looking and fashionable, which made for lots of fun people watching while dancing. As superficial as I sound, the odd eye candy (or in this case overwhelming eye candy) always adds an extra element of fun, doesn't it?. To top it all off, if you get too hot, stepping out onto Avenue A for a cigarette feels like stepping out onto a movie set.
Travis Bass, the brain behind LOLA
Travis, what are you top three tips for hosting a killer party?
1."The key ingredient for a perfect party is the people in the room. "
"It has to be diverse. A mixture of people from different walks of like, different scenes ... sexy, rich, poor, scholars, drop-outs, skaters, bankers, penthouse projects, creatives, financiers, LA, Paris, NYC etc. Different backgrounds all at the party with the common interest of having fun. When these worlds come together it is a beautiful symphony of characters that inspire each other and make each other better."
2. "The space has to always change."
"It's got to be unpredictable rather than be designed once and get stale. This was the mantra of the old days of NYC nightlife as most of the great clubs had relationships with the downtown art scene. Keith Harring and Basquiat with Area and Keith painting a room at Paradise Garage. Michael Alig and the Club Kids at Limelight, Club USA and all Peter Gatien's clubs reinventing the space along with artists like Kenny Sharf and HR Geiger. I actually moved to NYC to install film loop installations for Peter at the Limelight and Tunnel. I will always be true to this way of throwing parties as it brings more meaning to a space, while supporting and promoting the next generation of artists. My new club, Lola, was designed by myself with the help of my artist friends Ace Aroff, Giselle Cheyenne & Marco Estrella. Lola is a malleable space and will always evolve and grow visually and will never be treated as fully completed... as then we will die."
3. "The music has to be amazing."
“Guests come to experience new things, meet new people and of course... listen to the music. It is the thread that connects all the people in the room. It has to speak to the guests in a language that they understand whilst also pushing the conversation forward. We hire DJs that don't necessarily play what you want them to play, but instead they play the music you didn't know you wanted them to play.”
Learn more about LOLA here.
@travisthebass @thenameslola.ny
Words by Lily Carr-Gomm
Photos by Travis Bass
