Tommys maintains the feel but improves the essentials
By Kara-Leah Grant
Its been a long 10 days for the bar rats, but last night for Halloween, Tommy Africas finally unveiled its new look.
Theres a new lighting system and a new audio-visual system. The DJ booth has been ripped down and a brand new plexi-glass booth sits in between the go-go podiums, front and centre of the dance floor. (Theres even a bench behind the booth for all the groupies to hang out on.)
Serious cash has gone into a new sound system, including a permanent four-turntable set-up. The old coat-check has moved to the old front entrance and in its place is a funky alcove and cushy seating.
Gone are the bamboo walls and most of the tiki lounge decor, with the exception of the area around the washrooms, the beer pit and the coconuts by the pool tables. And the entrance is now beside Affinity Sports, putting the bar right in the visitor eye.
Welcome to the new Tommy Africas, completely re-done, revitalized and revamped.
"Its been a massive undertaking," said Alastair Gregor, general manager. "This is the biggest change the club has seen since it opened in 1987."
The changes, prompted by a desire to keep Tommys at the cutting edge of nightclub entertainment, streamline the décor of the bar and up-grade its look while retaining the flavour of the tiki lounge.
"We wanted to dress the club up a little because the younger crowd is more sophisticated than they used to be. So weve got new granite bar tops and new granite tables," said Gregor.
"People are more high tech now and they know what is cool and looks great in dance clubs. We want to keep our young crowd but as they mature we want to continue to appeal to them. So now the bar has the sophistication to cover the full spectrum."
Lorne Brownmiller, co-owner of Tommys with Warren Gabriel, has headed up the renovations.
"The renovations are all about improving the sound, the lighting and the DJ booth," said Brownmiller. "Entertainment in clubs is so much better than a few years ago. DJs are specialists and they need a platform to show what they can do. Weve provided them with that platform."
Gregor concurs.
"Before wed have great DJs come in and they couldnt see the crowd and the crowd couldnt see them. Now the DJ can see the whole breadth and width of the club and there is total interaction between the dancers in the bar and the DJ. This is the best place to dance period in Whistler."
And the word is DJs are already calling, asking to play, wanting to experience the new equipment and soak up the new energy in the club. But Tommys has always been about the music. It was the first club in Whistler to feature house music and Soul Kitchen is the longest running night in town. DJ Czech, who continues to book headline DJs for the night, started his DJ career at Tommy Africas and is now one of the best DJs in Canada.
Local DJ Milton, who used to fiddle around on the turntables after hours at the club back when he worked as a doorman, is steadily building a solid reputation in Vancouver and across British Columbia as a DJ to watch.
Plus the bar continually features a revolving roster of Whistler DJs like DJ Erin, DJ Foxxi Ozzie, DJ Ghetto Boy, DJ Shandy Rae, DJ Tone, DJ Logic, DJ Plastic Surgeon and DJ Jungle Soldier.
"A few years ago Tommys was rated #1 ski club in a North American resort to shake your booty. We didnt have that last year so we want to get that back," said Gregor. "We want people to walk into Tommy Africas and know every time they walk in the door they are going to have an amazing show."
Gregor promises to continue the nights that have made Tommys popular, like Retro Mondays and Soul Kitchen, while introducing new nights to enhance the line-up.
"Weve got DJ R3 on board for Thursdays, which are called Eye Candy," said Gregor. "Hes an excellent asset for the bar. Weve also hired a new manager, Jon Tischuk, who was the teaching director of the ski school. Thats going to make a significant change for us in dealing with the ski and snowboard crowd and catering to their needs and wants"
Gregor says he expects the bar to be busier this year and is introducing a VIP card so locals are taken care of.
"Weve got VIP cards free during November for all the locals," said Gregor. "They can choose whichever night they like, except for Mondays, and the card gets them in free and past the lineup on that night. After November the VIP cards will be available for $35 and include a free Tommys T-shirt."
Tommy Africas opened in 1987 and despite seven previous bars failing in that location, the bar proved a hit. It has been featured in many magazines and over the years a lot of Whistlers finest bartenders have done time there. Its unquestionably the bar with the best flow in Whistler, and the only bar where its easy and enjoyable to do the lap.
"Weve added a few more nooks and crannies for people to explore but weve kept the flow going," Brownmiller said Wednesday as he paused for a moment in the middle of directing the renovations.
"The flow has always been fantastic, people love doing the lap at Tommys."
And that is exactly where the renovations have succeeded the most. Those things that make Tommys what it is, the dance floor, the flow and the tiki feel, are all still there. But those things that could have been done better, the location of the DJ booth, the surface of the bar, the entrance and the bamboo walls, have all been changed, moved or up-graded. Its definitely still the same old Tommy Africas but there is no doubt it is also a brand new Tommy Africas.