Face of nightclubs
up the town. I thought it was great. No one wants to go out if they don’t feel safe when partying.”
He still sees a bright future for the Surfers Paradise bar scene despite competition from more venues citywide and the rise of social media – in particular dating apps like Tinder.
“With social media, people contact other people without having to go up and talk to them – rather than having to put in some actual hard work and going up to someone and buying them a drink and saying ‘Hi my name is ...’.
“Everyone knows each other now before they’ve even met. Whereas people used to come to nightclubs to pick up – they don’t have to do that any more.
“Plus the fitness industry – so many people don’t want to go drinking any more and want to be in the gym. They want to be fit and put their photos up on Instagram.”
It’s one of the biggest changes he’s seen: “People still want to go out and have a good time but they are picking their times.
“People used to come out four, five times a week. You see less of that now.”
Mr Embley, a keen gym goer himself, says he’s getting married next year and is quitting the bar scene because it’s “time to sort of grow up”.
NIGHTCLUB LIFE “I loved it. I had the power to give you the best night of your life. I had people come in for hens, birthdays, after funerals ... whatever, I’d made sure you had the best time.
“But I made a lot of sacrifices – I’m the guy in early setting up the club. I’m missing birthdays or doing things early in the morning. If someone was asking me to go climb Mt Tamborine early, well, I would love to but I’m working until 5am.”
DIFFICULT PATRONS “It doesn’t have to be someone from a gang for it to be intimi-