Number56 In Sydney Review

Forget your small bars, rock and roll dives and beach-view cocktail lounges – Berlin has come to Sydney for four special nights, and this is the place for me.

The infamous Salon-Zur Wilden Renate underground Berlin nightclub has brought Number56 to town for four nights of debauchery, delusions and decadence to Sydney’s nightlife, but only for the lucky few who get in.

I wasn’t even one of those lucky few, as this is ballot email only. Fortunately, my friend was and so I tagged along as the obligatory plus one.

First, you are sent a set of riddles and clues, before you head to a venue to look for the “star”, who happens to be another person sat in a dark corner handing out further clues, which also happened to be incorrect. Was this a bluff, a double-bluff? Who cares, I liked it.

Next up was to head to a “glowing red door” along the street. From here, the perversions and naughtiness begin.

With deep, dark, Berlin beats being spun by DJs from the city’s famous club scene, you only wished it wasn’t 7pm on a Thursday night, but rather, 3am on a Sunday morning. You get the drift.

With no cameras allowed (hence no pretty pictures – sorry peeps), there were shows put on by Sydney’s very own alternative crowd. Think blow-up apparatus being sucked on, transvestites rubbing down mannequins, larger-than-life near-naked men and women gyrating in an old living room – it had to be seen to be believed.

The space itself was almost a replica of my grandparents’ front living room. From the worn, dark carpet, to the endless amount of sofa and tea tables to prop your alcohol on, plus the endless pictures adorning the walls and 1970s-inspired lightshades, this just added to the weirdness within.

Here’s hoping I get my hands on another invite to the remaining two events. But even more so, here’s hoping they bring it back in all its glory, only this time in a warehouse and with absolutely no lock-out rules… Just the way Berlin would like it.

There are two remaining Number56 events in Sydney, on 25th June and 9th July. Tickets are free, but hard to get. Try your luck at Number56.com.au

By Ashley Leszczuk