Five years ago Michael Sweenie, owner of Ciao Edie, purchased four massive ‘70s-era mosaic lamps that would be perfect for the window ledges at the Clear Spot Pool Hall next door to his lounge, knowing in his heart that eventually the location would be his.
These days, Sweenie is strutting about as the “Spot remover,” as that day has finally arrived. Taking possession in May, he gutted the corner pool hall, redesigned it and gave the baby a name. Andy Pool Hall it would be called, happily reuniting Andy (Pool hall) Warhol with (Ciao) Edie Sedgwick
Andy Pool Hall is now a world as groovy as any lounge society Blake Edwards could''ve dreamed up, but with more legroom. The colourful subterranean setting is a Pop Art gem. Maybe it''s the illuminated space-age furniture that really puts it over the top, but the front lounge scene is so cheeky, you feel as if you''re in a Peter Sellers screwball comedy and everyone''s part of the set.
Capitalizing on the novelty of the elements that fill the room, the lounge offers a wacky setting for the cocktail circuit in which to play. Those familiar with Ciao Edie next door, or Airport Lounge across the street, will find Sweeney’s propensity to primary day-glo colours, retro furniture and mod lighting fixtures familiar. But this version is four times the size with an equally magnified vibe.
Perhaps your reward for dressing the part and coming early is the chance to secure a seat in one of the Technicolor lounge chairs that were once in the Concorde waiting area at Kennedy Airport. Or maybe it''s the exotic BD Love Bench (which, by the way, isn’t as comfortable as you might think) from Void.
Much of electroclash played here borrows from the late ''60s to more ‘80s archives of bands such as Soft Cell, the Cure and New Order. You can almost hear the ghost of Human League - or wait, that''s a remix! Sho'' nuf, it''s Human League''s "All I Ever Wanted''s" alter-ego remix - even the baddest hipsters can get down to that.
Upshot: Oh yeah, they have pool tables. - Don Ellis - www.martiniboys.com
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