Eve Late Night Bar: New Albany entertainment venue the realisation of a 50-year-old dream for Forgione family

A new late-night entertainment venue aiming to attract a mature crowd is set to open in Albany in November. Eve Late Night Bar will be the realisation of a 50-year-old dream for the Forgione family in the basement of their Middleton Loop building. Robert Forgione said his father, Francesco, had long held ambitions of establishing a venue like the one he remembered from his childhood in Italy. “He remembered that there were buildings with basements that use to have clubs where they played cards, drank vino and listened to music,” Mr Forgione said. “Due to running a very successful hairdressing salon he became a property developer and he had in mind a vision to always have this type of venue. “Really today, what we have created for Eve Late Night Bar is a vision of what my father had in mind 50 years ago.” The basement previously operated as Bourbon Bar and most recently as Club Rumours until its closure. The Forgiones then decided to take control of the venue instead of leasing it out. Venue manager and promoter Brad Hopperton said there had been discussions for several years that the space had been underused. “It’s always been on the radar that it needed to be done,” he said. “I think we’ve talked about it a number of times that the family potentially needed to move in to do it and take over to maximise the venue itself. “It’s going through a rebirth, really.” Renovations have unveiled murals that acknowledge the Italian heritage of the venue’s owners. Other aspects of its history have also been incorporated into the revamp. Once the bar opens, it is expected to have a capacity of 250 people for events featuring live music and comedy performances, and anything else that “entertains a mature, respectable crowd”. It will be open until 3am on weekends. Mr Forgione, who is venue director and used his experience as an architect in the revamp, said there was a huge demand for such a venue. “I honestly believe Albany has been craving for something like this. I know personally that I have,” he said. “We want this to be a venue where we show respect to our patrons, and in return they show respect to us.” Mr Hopperton said he wanted the venue to be a place where families and friends could continue having a great night out. “That’s the market we will cater for — those who have been out and about entertaining their family and friends, it’s gotten to 9pm or 10pm, the restaurants have wound down to finish, and the pubs are also winding up a little bit,” he said “It’s for that more mature crowd that doesn’t have many options to go to afterwards.” Mr Hopperton said he would use his experience in the hospitality industry to ensure patrons always felt welcome and respected. “It always comes down to one thing, making a venue build its own ambience and there is a hidden aspect in the ‘game’ that you’ve got to have the right vibe in the venue,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a restaurant, a club or a pub — people don’t even know what it is most of the time, but they just know that it feels good.” Mr Forgione said the venue would promote local products and a mix of local and national live music. “Because we’re opening in early November, it’s difficult at that time of year to get acts from Perth down, so we’re going to focus on local acts,” Mr Forgione said. “Then come the new year, we’re talking to people like James Reyne, Daryl Braithwaite and Johnny Diesel — serious and well-respected names, but in an intimate setting.”