Around mid-October, I visited Grace Loudon’s Full region, which was (and still is) operating under the name of Boogeyman’s, and I had a great time exploring its haunted and mysterious locations (see: Boogeyman’s: spooky woods, mysterious places and music in Second Life).
In particular, the region is home to three venues for music – Boogeyman’s itself, on the ground level of the region (and which I covered in the article in the link above); together with the Groovy Girl Café and Sound Control, each of which occupies its own skybox over the region, and both of which I said I might cover in my Coffeehouses and Cafés series. Well, guess what? 🙂 .
Designed by Grace – with the support of her partner, Ray Dash -, as a place featuring bi-weekly live music sessions featuring SL’s female performers, Groovy Girl is a bright, easy-going space where coffee is self-service and seating is primarily “communal” via two big semi-circular couch sets.
This is a place where the décor is instantly engaging and fun. The main floorspace offers plenty of room for dancing, live performers have a “backing group” in the form of three cool cats and a rabbit and the LP is properly celebrated. There is even a literal swinging 60-something up in the rafters!
There are other, more subtle references to the era as well. On a table sits a book of poetry by “Pete Livestock” (a nod towards Woodstock?) topped by a Warhol-like pair of glasses. Alongside these sits an old dial-fronts, blocky Bakelite telephone. Elsewhere an old mono record player sit inside of a suitcase converted to carry it, flanked by two tongue chairs which might have had a certain M. Jagger, esq., model that part of his anatomy for them. Meanwhile, a small snack of magazine which include Harper’s BAZAAR and Vogue both span the ages and bring things up to more recent times – two of them having bar codes for scanning.
For my part, I like the faux “mirror floor”, complete with windows, rafters, lighting and ceiling apparently “reflected” in it. Nothing unusual in this where SL is concerned: many builds have used a similar trick of duplicating walls and ceiling under a transparent floor to give the impression of a reflection.
However, the large bass guitar occupying the centre space under the floor intentionally breaks the illusion – although I wonder how many people instinctively look up to see if a similar guitar is suspended overhead. Either way, it’s a nice touch in what is an attractive venue.
Sound Control, meanwhile, is altogether different; so much so, that if I’m honest, I’m stretching boundaries a little by including it in a “Coffeehouses and Cafés” article, as it is far more a nightclub than either coffeehouse or café, but it is so attractive, I’m sneaking it in here.
Occupying a larger space than Groovy Girl, Sound Control is built within the superb Cabaret Skybox by MINIMAL, a design I much admire, together with furnishings from the same set, and additional dressing by Ray and Grace. The result is a shadowy, sophisticated setting, one reached by a long entrance hall (part of the overall skybox design) and within which it is hard not to escape the feeling you’re not so much a visitor as you are a a character in a book or film.
I don’t mean this to be disparaging – or to suggest Sound Control is in any way a role-play environment; it’s just that the entire club exudes a sense of life and mystery. Where Groovy Girl is rooted in the 1960s and evokes the brighter carefree times of festivals, flower power and all the rest which so readily spring to mind when picturing that decade; Sound Control easily spans a period of around 100 years, with – to my eyes at least – a focus on America somewhere between the 1920 and the end of the 1940s, the core of the era of the Great American Songbook and American Film Noir (so maybe edge a touch of the 1950s in there as well).
This is a place where – at first glance – it would not be surprising to see a young Sinatra standing before the microphone – or Ella, or Julie London, or Mel Tormé – or half-a-dozen others I might name, singing to a small gathering. At the same time, elements of the décor suggest more recent time and take the imagination in other directions such that one might expect the spirit of Eva Cassidy to be on stage, picked out by a spotlight singing with just her guitar for accompaniment.
The main club area is very much of two halves: just through the doors is what might be regarded as a foyer area; a place somewhat physically separated from the main club by balustrades, plants and furnishings. whilst also flowing into the larger space. Despite the presence of the British telephone box in one corner (neatly converted into a vertical aquarium), it’s hard to escape that feeling of American noir here; the entire space is suggestive of mystery and even a touch of menace.
Looking a little like a gentleman’s study, a sofa to one wall, bookcases (albeit with interesting displays!) to another, it is marked by two large wingback armchairs, both turned slightly towards one another whilst facing the entrance. Maybe they are there for bouncers (or should I say “heavies”?) to keep an eye on the entrance and the club, allowing patrons to see their presence without them being too obtrusive. Perhaps it is simply a place to retire to for conversation away from the music or to be occupied whilst awaiting a table.
However, a small table sits between the two chairs, a single lamp casting a circle of light on its surface which encompasses a compact automatic pistol and a box of .25 ammunition. It’s a little vignette which so easily brings to mind an image of Mitchum or Ladd in one of their gritter noir roles, sitting in one chair, eyeing both the man occupying the chair across from him and the automatic as their conversation see-saws. Given it is a smaller, dark space within the club, it might be easy to pass through this foyer area and miss all it has to say, so I urge anyone visiting to pause before going any closer to the stage area and taking a careful look around and appreciate how all the different elements flow together and add a sense of life to the club.
This attention to detail and providing subtle touches flows into the club proper. Care has been taken with the positioning of the tables and seating, together with the artwork on the walls behind each seating area. Whilst there is no actual alcoves within the club, the positioning of the sofa and chairs around their tables, each little group back by a piece of art and primarily lit by a small table lamp, the seating with the use of lighting of shadow suggests the privacy of alcoved seating where quiet conversations might be held without risk of being overheard.
Overall, the décor in the main club area is an eclectic and mixed as the foyer area. The paintings of RCMP officers seems a little unusual for a nightclub, but at the same time, they fit in with the red colour scheme, the low lighting and so on. Similarly the choice of ceiling lighting is just ideal for the space, which each of the tables has been individual dressed using elements from the MINIMAL Cabaret fatpack, giving it a personal feel.
These touches encourage us not so much to visit the club, but inhabit it; in fact – and while there does not appear to be an enforced dress code – its entire richness of detail and ambience is fully deserves visitors dressing for an event when visiting. Sound Control is very much a place of music, but it is also a place which tickles the imagination and the desire to dress the part.
In atmosphere and presentation, Groovy girl and Sound Control are very different – but both are attractively and uniquely framed. Details of events at either can be obtained through the Boogeyman’s in-world Group and via the ShowRadar system. Enjoy!
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