Entertainment
14 June, 2024
Playpen memories are back
A TRIBUTE to Cairns’ most iconic and beloved nightclub –the Playpen – is certain to get you grooving to the best 80s and 90s hits for free this weekend at The Reef Hotel Casino.
Focused on honouring the music scene that represented the best years of the Playpen, Cairns’ most popular cover bands Mr President and Big Noise are bringing their original line-up back tonight (June 14) and tomorrow (June 15) at BAR36 to play the hits that had people grooving at the Playpen 40 years ago.
Mr President frontman and drummer for Big Noise, Adrian Cartwright, said it was an opportunity for many Cairns residents to relive the glory days of the acclaimed nightclub.
“We’ll have the original lineup of Big Noise that used to perform in the early 90s and until the Playpen’s closure around 1998, and six-piece band Mr President which used to play around 1987,” he said.
“What we mean with ‘back to the Playpen’, we’re not trying to recreate the venue but we’re trying to recreate the theme, the music, the songs and bring back that atmosphere. So we have bands that played in that era and make it just a big reunion.
“It’s about remembering those days where it was all about the music. We used to play the top 40 hits, always bringing new songs on stage, so it’s about appreciating that music.
“We want people to get back together, party together and talk about what they did when they were young.”
Mr President and Big Noise singer Tracey Osmond said there was no place to be like the Playpen back in the 80s and 90s.
“I just feel really grateful we got to experience those years, there will be no other venue like the Playpen,” she said.
“It was brilliant to perform there, big crowds, amazing energy and full dance floors, it was such a great era to be part of the music. We stayed true to the top 40 hits and what people liked about us is that we kept learning new songs, it was a full-time job and we were very well received, we used to play Alanis Morissette, Tina Turner, Prince, Madonna, George Michael, Janet Jackson and more.
“It was some of the best days that we all had, so it’s really exciting reading the comments and see people reminisce about their Playpen years. We’re excited to bring these songs back.”
The Playpen Reunion was organised by bands Mr President and Big Noise while The Reef Hotel Casino facilitates the venue.
The show starts at 9pm and will feature three hours of classic 80s and 90s hits. For more information, visit BAR36’s Facebook page.
