Bloom: A new nightclubbing experience in Geelong

For about a year now there have been rumours circulating Geelong about a new club opening; a club that’ll be the answer to the currently bored clubbers, a safe place for everyone, a place called ‘Bloom.’ “Man they are going to play full underground tunes”, “it’ll actually be so sick, it’s run by Aaron from Chow and Luke and Adam from Uno”, “apparently they have Funktion Ones..”
Well, it turns out Bloom isn’t a myth and the gossiping club kids weren’t wrong.
Don’t believe me? See for yourself this Saturday night when Bloom opens up on Moorabool Street.
With an experienced crew of Aaron Cashion (Fake Chow, UNO, Ain’t No Siesta,) Luke Jeantou and Adam Metwally (both having previously run the likes of UNO and Sundae) as well as venue owners John Kennedy (Frankie/Ain’t No Siesta) and Ayman Muhor (The Lord Nelson, Customs House,) Bloom is set to become Geelong’s first ever “world-class nightclub.”
“We want to create an institute for music. We want to keep it running as long as we possibly can and hopefully for it to be renowned worldwide,” remarks Cashion, before expanding. “We don’t want to just do the same old thing that everyone is doing in Geelong, we want to actually take it to the next level through booking acts that are world class.”
This opinion and desire is mirrored by venue owner, John Kennedy. “We feel that clubs that are innovative last for longer than clubs that aren’t; those clubs seem to go stale very quick and I feel that is why a lot of nightclubs in Geelong haven’t lasted,” he says.
With long term plans in motion, the guys have already gone above and beyond in terms of innovation by installing purpose-built Funktion-One speakers. On top of that, they have also become the only live music venue in Australia to utilise a ‘playDifferently Model 1’ DJ mixer, which are designed by Richie Hawtin and used by esteemed acts such as Carl Cox.
With speaker installation undertaken by Full Throttle (the guys who set up sound arrangements for the likes of Rainbow Serpent, Strawberry Fields and Let Them Eat Cake, as well as providing a focus on international acts), it’s fair to say that Bloom will vastly differentiate itself from what is currently on offer around Geelong.
With a focus on underground electronic music, the guys hope to unite a community of music lovers in Geelong.
“I personally come from a very underground background, but, we are trying to meet at a middle point where the music is underground but is still accessible for everyone,” Cashion explains.
“In Australia outdoor festivals have shifted to a lot of countryside festivals and have become a lot more ‘doof’ orientated in a sense and that’s something that I have personally been involved with for quite a while. I think it will work well for us being able to book that style of music while it is still up and coming and exciting in Australia. Ultimately it would be educating as well, people start to see what we are doing and start to be interested in it, so hopefully that will create a better nightlife as a whole,” he says, before Jeantou continues.
“There is a big community of people looking for somewhere to go to experience something different and at this point there is no where for them to go. So, that’s where we come in,” he says.
Taking over the previous venue of Toast (or if you’re a bit older, Dirty Dutch), Bloom will eventually open up to be three huge rooms.
“The main room has been completely renovated and re-modeled from our previous venues. That will be mostly a techno and house focus, which will be played through our brand new Funktion One rig,” Jeantou explains.
“We have some subs in the ceiling, which are pretty cool. We have a big side room which will be open in about a month or so, and that’ll be mainly for functions and then there is a back room as well which is a smaller room which will be used for private functions as well and a different musical option,” he says.
“We would like to use one of our off-nights to really push live music as well, across all styles; electronic, pop, punk, whatever people are wanting. We just want Bloom to be a safe space for anyone to enjoy,” elaborates Metwally.
With over five international acts already booked for the next three months, Bloom’s opening night will consist of a stacked local line-up (including the beloved Baby Goggles) to perfectly introduce Geelong’s newest offering.
“We started off with all locals for the opening to start it off right,” Cashion concludes. “All the main players who will be a big part in what we are trying to create, they are complete professionals in what they do, so it’ll be really top quality and a really fun party.”
Bloom takes over 114 Morrabool Street, Geelong which was previously Toast, Dirty Dutch and Club 4 Play.
Written by Alex Callan