In 1990 I had just got the Lizard Lounge started. At first, numbers weren't all that impressive. It was enough though to buy more records for the club. We even tried bands and one night we had Captain Cocoa play. I was managing them at the time. Their bass player Dave O'Neil later went on to appear on just about every comedy show ever made in Melbourne. However, that was the future. Right then we couldn't seem to over get more than 60 people through the door. On a good night. We even tried Beehive like specials bringing back the dreaded ABBA special. It looked grim.Three things came together to put us on track. I went to a nightclub at the Continental in Greville street and was like wow to the sheets of material hanging from the roof with light displays bursting over them. I grabbed that idea and put sheets up and used coloured wheels and slides from old movies. Maybe not as artful but still effective.
Even more importantly the pub gave us a happy hour from 9-11pm. That was a huge thing. from the first night, they piled in for those drinks.
And thirdly music began to change. Stone Roses and Happy Mondays were the new kings. The sound was disco meets sixties pop and it was glorious. It was a big happy vibe. Much of it chemically induced. Almost hippy. We gave out lollies at the door. We mixed new and old songs and all different styles based on what we read about the Balearic sounds of the UK summer. And we played Happy Mondays to death. The good times had begun. And the club numbers went through the roof.
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