Once upon a time the term "alternative" hadn't yet been uttered, and a very special nightclub opened. Actually, what made this club so special is that it opened at all -- defiantly founded smack dab in the middle of the hypno-conservative Albertan wilderness.

The year was 1984. The place was Calgary.

"Different Enough to Entertain"

The clientele was speedily built largely due to word of mouth. Since they played the best new music in town, everyone there was reliably interesting (although disinterested in you) and it carried an enigmatic reputation for being the favoured "alternative lifestyle" club in the area. The latter element kept most of the moronic testosterone-frenzied club-goers squatting nearby on "Electric Avenue"¹
from ever wishing to step foot in the place -- even though it was no secret that straight/hetero club-goers predominated anyway!²

All in all, an atmosphere grounded in tolerance, open-mindedness and indulgence in non-conventional culture was suitably encouraged. Because it "dared to be different", this club is known to many locals as the most influential nightclubbing experience in recent history. For some time it's been the known inspiration for other near-as-successful bars that followed. In standard keeping with the non-conformity of the place, the front door is located in the back alley where a mural-painted loading dock door is the billboard advertising the entrance to this private club.

The club owners were well aware that the secret to making a nightclub successful was having a kick-ass sound system (people DO go to dance clubs to hear the music don't they?) Dutifully, they recruited the local telecommunications giant (Alberta Government Telephones) who then sent in their engineers to tweak the space with the most advanced audio electronics and speaker technology of the day. The system was so effectively installed that it wasn't altered until nearly 15 years later when the obsolescence of the equipment forced their replacement.

Known for playing classic alternative tunes and progressive dance music upstairs, the main club is also connected to The Underground Pub³ in the basement level. The Warehouse has featured 10-cent memberships on the 10th anniversary (they added a cent for every year
thereafter), fashion shows⁴, nude raves, "BritPop Thursdays", free 8-ball pool on Mondays, and a personal favourite: five-dollar jugs of draft beer on Wednesdays (on both levels).

Unfortunately, Go-Go dancers surged back into fashion during early 1990's and temporarily made an appearance here. The clientele was scrupulous enough to observe that everyone at The Warehouse dances anyway and didn't need a go-go dancer to rev them up.⁵

Memberships are valid for a six-month or one-year duration (lifetime memberships are known to exist) and in some circles are occasionally a well-recognized symbol of your indie-alternative credential. Prizes have been awarded at the annual anniversary party for the oldest membership card in the possession of an attendee that evening. The Warehouse has enjoyed fellowship with "Flashbacks" in Edmonton (now defunct), "Luv Affair" in Vancouver, and other innovative clubs in Canada through the Plexis Paternal Society. One should know that this private club has outlived EVERY other local nightclub of its era by maintaining its commitment to its patrons. Also note that they do allow non-members to enter by paying a cover charge in off-peak hours and if you are a guest of a member or present an out of town driver's license you are always welcome.

Previously co-owned and operated by a legend of personality, a man called "Ed"⁶, it was sold in the late 1990's to three of the veteran staff. These folks are legendary in their own right: Danny Bartender and DJ), Eric (Head DJ) and George (Manager). At present, the first two still run the club however they darn well please, forcefully bucking or setting trends as they go. It stands as a testament to enduring good taste in the city that every generation of music lovers will still flock to it's "we're here ALL week, why aren't you?" atmosphere. Others who have noticeably passed some time here as members and/or staff are Marcel, Karen, Tara⁷, Achin' ⁸, and your faithful guide researchers.

What You Can Expect Inside

Expect to see an eclectic mix of people here -- from the coffeehouse, the modeling agency, and some wannabe goths and punks, but look out! The gyrating ravers will proliferate when the music changes. All this is tossed together with artists, writers, musicians, drag queens, and the odd suit from the downtown business sector. If you don't fit into any of the above categories you will still be welcome here -- since everyone is gonna make room. Heck, we've even seen cowboys in there, newlyweds with formal wedding party in tow, and the spring-heeled elderly. This really depends a lot on the night of the week as well.

You'll dance, typically in free-form groups without a specific partner. Dancing alone is often encouraged, even if you are the only one on the dance floor. Drink. A lot. And look around -- the lightshow is a killer companion to the music, even if you've not included beverages on your sojourn. More often than not you can hear a tune or two by bands like The Smiths, The Cure, Depeche Mode, New Order, Love and Rockets, The Pixies, The Stone Roses, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Sisters Of Mercy, Nine Inch Nails, or Skinny Puppy. This is what the club is famous for ("the standards") and everyone else inspired by them since. On the other hand, the club leans towards a nice balance with emphasis clearly in support of underground dance and rave music as the night wears on. You'll recognize music from The Age of Love, Underworld, Curve and The Chemical Brothers.

What else? Have your mind expanded. Get hit on by a member of the same sex. Get your butt kicked on the cigarette-butt stained pool tables. P**s into a shiny stainless steel trough. Have a married couple ask you home with them. Have your uneducated music requests ignored. Stomp. About the only thing we've never actually seen happen inside the club is a fight.

Whatever you do, don't ask the bartender to fit every kind of hard alcohol together into one glass so you can get drunk quicker. He or she will have no problem doing it, and laugh their ass off at you afterwards. It's generally difficult to order anything that is more than a syllable or two anyway, partly due to the fact that the club has an unbelievable sound system but largely due to the crowd at the bar and the haste with which you are served.

Interesting WWWNews Tidbit:

"January 26,1998 - Carlene Petch of Canmore is suing an Alberta numbered company and the Plexis Paternal Society, operating as The Warehouse Underground Pub, both of Calgary, for $23,000. The suit alleges that between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on December 22, 1995, while climbing scaffolding to one of the pub's sitting areas, Ms. Petch slipped on a rung and sustained serious injury to her pelvic area.⁹
"

¹Electric Avenue was a section of 11th Avenue SW that had accumulated approximately 25 streetfront bars its glory days (i.e. The Calgary Flames win the Stanley Cup) all within a melee of two city blocks. Eventually voices of complaint about the evils of this civic anomaly were raised louder than those of praise. (Noise violations, pedestrian lunacy, stabbings, and gangland fatalities had already forced a near-police-state environment thus sending a once hedonistic teenage enclave to its ruin.) The nightlife is effectively extinguished now due to the current refusal by City Hall to allow any new permits for licensed establishments there. As fate would have it though, a similar stretch of nightclubs went ahead and opened somewhere nearby (1st Street SW, mere blocks away)... but the continuing saga detailing the history of Electric Avenue is almost worthy of a whole other Guide entry itself, isn't it Marduk? --Meta4
² When I was a scrawny young lad (all of 18 years, and finally of legal drinking age), I was an unwitting victim of a "Fag-Bashing" one late night. In the well-lit and well-traveled back alley some meatheads from Electric Ave put the boots to me for merely for having a long-hair-in-a-pony-tail and dressed-all-in-black trenchcoated appearance while exiting this notorious bar at closing time. --Meta4
³The Warehouse successfully pioneered the "many bars in one" phenomenon in Calgary. This hard-core bar was situated in the basement while playing industrial, punk, etc. to an intentionally poorly lit interior (more about that later), a minuscule dance floor that was always packed, and ferociously competitive pool tables (they were better maintained, surprisingly). Being joined by a stairwell allowed patrons of either bar to flow freely from either of these popular spots depending on mood. Often enough, The Warehouse would be packed to the brim and a line-up for admittance upstairs would begin by the stairs in The Underground. Many many hours have been spent in this line up, especially in the cool dark winter nights that Calgary is famous for. (Now is later: Drug usage, raucous impulse sex and genuine undesirables all found refuge in the dim nooks and caverns of this basement.)
⁴Typically leather, S&M/B&D, drag, or otherwise "non-mainstream" fashions by local designers.
⁵A good thing to mention about the go-go dancers was the fact that they would typically come out of their cages around 12:30 or so and dance up a storm on the floor with everybody else. Typically they were veteran ravers with Herculean dance endurance so their style was at least palatable, even more so if they were drop dead gorgeous (this is of course a subjective assessment around 12:30 in the morning). Occasionally, they would even let you hit on them. Even less occasionally, they would even allow some unnamed Guide Researcher to sleep with one of them on the dance floor after closing time.
(Eloquent thanks to Marduk for disclosing this helpful pearl of reconnaissance MANY YEARS TOO LATE, darn it. --Meta4)
(Hey man, I think you need your diapers changed. --Marduk)
⁶As an old friend once said about the charismatic yet outrageously gay Ed Southern... "If you haven't been hit on by him, you are either a woman or damn ugly. And I mean damn ugly." --Marduk
⁷Marcel single-handedly and globally pioneered the wedding-dress drag look (well okay ...maybe just in Calgary) all the while serving the masses with a rare magnetism. Karen has managed the door for a glorious eternity and always recognizes the familiar faces. Tara, once a server turned bartender turned indie fashion designer extraordinaire, now runs her own boutique and shows at the club! --Meta4
⁸ Actually, I never knew her name, but she was a regular there before I ever arrived. I
continued an across-the-dance floor unrequited love/lust fantasy relationship with her over the years. She has a near perfect resemblance (and still does, saw her there last year) to the beautiful Toni Halliday, the lead singer of the band Curve.


[ Pictured: Toni Halliday ]

She always dressed the same: a classy black skirt or dress, her hair in a shoulder length bob, Cleopatra style eyeliner and usually a cigarette in her hand. Typically, she would be found dancing alone near the subwoofer speakers. I nicknamed her Achin' for two reasons -- one: that I never had the courage to actually speak with her and find out her name, and two: she always reminded me of the lyrics to The Replacements song called "Achin' to Be". --Marduk
⁹Having done an unintentional flip off one of these myself (to avoid an uncomfortable situation with an ex), you must attempt to keep a good footing at all times. If under the extreme influence of alcohol or other substances (which is common) please take care. --Marduk