It’s been a while since I’ve ventured out onto the Bristol scene but I thought the opening of a new club would be a perfect time to get back into the fold.

For those of you not familiar with all things Southwesterly and gay; there are approximately two or three mainstream gay clubs and bars which is quite simply not enough... hence there should be plenty of room on the scene for a new club like Flamingos to succeed.

Having made the trek all the way to the Old Market area of the city, I was met with an ever-increasing queue of expectant clubbers stretching right round the corner of the club. Faced with an overwhelming sea of bodies I'm afraid I headed straight for the serenity of the VIP lounge - complete with ice sculptures and finger food... both of which, I must add, were spotted being licked at various points of the evening!

Exploring Flamingos felt at times like an upmarket clubbing version of Crystal Maze. Winding corridors and interchanging LED lighting containing interesting nooks and furnished with the odd pool table and seating area. I couldn’t quite decide if the frenzied clubbers I encountered were excited that Bristol finally has a flashy new gay club, or were just panicking because they were lost!

The anticipation of the crowd culminated in the appearance up high on the stage/scaffolding of the live PA: Uniting Nations, singing their big hit Out of Touch .  Flamingos promises many more big name acts on Saturday nights - and from my sneaky peek at the list when I was backstage, I saw there will definitely be a few worth checking out!

So all in all, despite being not entirely finished (but hey, we were quite willing to ignore a few bare plaster walls in the name of a good night out!), Flamingos has burst onto the Bristol scene with a bang. I really do hope the club proves to be the success that it deserves to be, providing some much needed expansion to the South-West's potentially diverse and dynamic scene.