Video: A promotional clip has been made to preview ‘Pryzm’
First pictures have been released of what Nottingham’s Oceana nightclub will look like after a £800,000 makeover which will create 50 jobs.
Building work has begun at the Lower Parliament Street club, which will open its doors on July 1 as PRYZM following an investment by Deltic Group.
Peter Tormey, manager of the new PRYZM brand, said: “Nottingham is a young city thanks to its growing and vibrant student population and deserves the very best we can offer in terms of a clubbing experience.”
Nottingham enjoys a fantastic reputation for nightlife
The renovations are designed to help the venue host international guest DJs and celebrities, with the main arena given the latest light and sound technology.
Mr Tormey added: “Nottingham enjoys a fantastic reputation for nightlife, PRYZM is an exciting concept and we can’t wait to reveal it to the public.”
PRYZM Nottingham will be the seventh of the brand to open in the UK, the first appearing in Bristol, followed by Brighton, Cardiff, Kingston-Upon-Thames, and Leeds with a Birmingham venue due to open in June.
New features of the club will include;
- Curve – a more intimate room with DJs playing the latest R&B chart tracks
- A disco room called Vinyl with a flashing dance floor
- Tiki cocktail bar named Lua Lalai
- A speciality bar offering a range of beers from around the world
The venue will remain open and continue to trade as the existing Oceana until SundayJune 19 when it will close to create six distinct rooms all offering a different genres of music.
But not everyone is convinced big-capacity clubs still have the pulling power in Nottingham.
Mike Knight, a previous manager of the iconic venue who worked there for 30 years from 1973, said: “The day of the large venue is finished, people don’t want flashy carpet any more – they want small individual venues.”
Mr Knight believes there is now less of a distinction between night clubs and bars and remains sceptical on the re-vamp.
He said: “Venues like the Hockley Arts Club are doing really well because they are different, but this club was built in 1925 and is a listed building so there’s little you can do to it after painting it to make it any better.”
Pictured: Artists impressions show what Oceana will look like after the Pryzm makeover
Compared to Oceana, the Hockely Arts Club only allows 250 people in at a time.
Matt Reynolds, supervisor at the venue said: “We are not worried about Pryzm because people come here for a different night, or even some civilized drinks before they go to nightclub. We are still fairly new and learning what we can do with the space that we have so that it can be the best it possibly can.”
Video: Oceana manager Peter Tormey explains why it’s time for a makeover
David Piper, a law student from Nottingham Trent University said: “I used to go to clubs like Forum when I started university but now I prefer to go to smaller places. I don’t enjoy big clubs like because everyone ends up crammed in inside.”
cheap and more affordable
But 20-year-old Jacob Lygoe from West Bridgford, prefers larger venues such as INK on Queen street, said:”With having more rooms and different genres of music the venue suits everyone, on some student nights at INK there are £1 drinks which as a student is cheap and more affordable.”
And Nottingham Trent student Chris Stokes said: “I would go to somewhere like Pryzm for a cheap night out but as I have got older I prefer the more chilled out places.”
