The boys behind Archie’s club house make a comeback

The team behind popular Riverbank Pontoon hotspot Archie’s Clubhouse are opening a new, permanent venue – this time on Hindley St.

Harrison Raphael, Danny Cooray and Dylan Auciello at the former Archie’s Clubhouse. Picture: AAP/ Keryn Stevens

• Divers unable to take out Riverbank pontoon before deadline
• Council refuses an application to keep Torrens pontoon
• Council will refuse request to keep pontoon in Torrens

The team behind popular Adelaide Riverbank Pontoon hotspot Archie’s Clubhouse will make a comeback to the nightclub scene, this time opening a brick-and-mortar venue.

Friends Harrison Raphael, Danny Cooray, Dylan Auciello and Jye De Zylva, all 24, will open their new nightclub, Loverboy, on Hindley St.

The venue, expected to open in early July, is in the former Arts SA building’s archive room.

This follows demolition of the riverbank pontoon.

Raphael said Archie’s Clubhouse was a huge hit, so opening a 200-capacity venue was the next step.

“We thought it was time to do a brick-and-mortar venue of our own, inspired by the ‘80s, in terms of the aesthetic, not the music,” Raphael says.

“It was the obvious transition from Archie’s, so we though we would become permanent.

“We are just going to design a place that we would like going to.”

The name is a nod to band Loverboy and Queen’s 1976 song Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy.

The club, which will have arcade machines along the back of the venue, seating and a dance floor, would be aimed at the 20-to-30 age-group.

Abut 20 jobs will be created, including bartenders and door staff.

“Anyone can come and have a good time,” Raphael said.

“It will have a great atmosphere.”

The operators last year transformed the pontoon into Archie’s Clubhouse – set up like a house, complete with bedrooms, loungeroom, bathroom and cubby, for a month of weekend trading in December.

When it was scheduled to close early this year, almost 1000 people presented a petition to have Archie’s allowed to extend its lease.

This resulted in an extension to January 22 before it had to close.