It’s been a long three years for the owners and operators of HQ Complex. In 2014, the venue was notified it would be forced to relocate from the historic Newmarket Hotel with the imminent opening of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The old location of HQ Complex (formerly Heaven nightclub), on the corner of North Terrace and West Terrace, was an iconic Adelaide nightspot. The venue played host to some of the world’s biggest DJs, bands and even celebrities. HQ was an institution – there is absolutely no arguing with that.
With the purchase of a new location on the main drag of Hindley Street, however, the HQ family has been given a new home and, with that, a chance to breathe new life into their business – and they have done just that.
Spread out over two levels and an impressive mezzanine with its own bar and dancefloor looking over the main room, the new complex is truly a wonder to behold. The ground floor is The Hindley – a classy, understated and spacious bistro area with multiple bars and an elevated booth area which, we are told, will morph into an R&B lover’s paradise after 10pm on weekends. We are also promised the industrial-sized pizza oven will be pumping out cheesy gourmet goodness in a matter of days.
In complete contrast, HQ is a decadent, pull-no-punches nightclub. What the owners have lost in terms of floor-space from the old venue, they have made up for by building up, building bigger, and building better. Let’s put it this way – if Diplo walked in, he’d be impressed. The stage fronts a tri-levelled dancefloor area with a bar spanning the rear wall, and the room is cherry-topped with a Staples Centre-esque digital rotisserie. If they were going for the ultimate branding, they’ve certainly achieved it. Everywhere you look, it’s ‘HQ’, and rightly so.
Beware, Adelaide nightspots, HQ has resurrected, and with Hindley Street domination on its agenda, it’s there to stay.