Nightclub owners have striped famed club name from Surfers Paradise

The future of the Gold Coast’s most infamous nightspot Sin City - which has hosted Usher, Amber Heard and Usain Bolt - has been revealed by its operator. Find out where to next

One of the most infamous nightclubs on the Gold Coast’s party strip has quietly disappeared - but the “craziness” of Sin City has not been lost forever.

The Surfers Paradise hotspot whose celebrity honours board down the years includes Justin Bieber, Amber Heard, Usher and Usain Bolt has been rebranded Tempo. It was once described by a hospitality worker as their favourite nightspot for the “craziness” as anything could happen in there.

SinCity relocated from its prime Orchid Avenue spot to a nearby laneway in early 2020 after a row with its landlord during Covid.

Operator Artesian Hospitality’s partner Matt Keegan confirmed the relocated Sin City had been renamed Tempo in June - but Sin City would not be gone forever.

Usain Bolt in Surfers Paradise nightclub Sin City in the early hours of the morning during the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Mr Keegan said the new laneway spot was not the right fit for Sin City: “To be honest it wasn’t very suitable for what Sin City’s reputation was, so we had always wanted to do more of an underground type of club,” he said.

“Tempo’s branding was always sitting on the shelf, so it just made sense for us, given the size and location to rebrand to Tempo.”

Mr Keegan said the new site’s reduced capacity and smaller dancefloor also contributed to the “tough” decision to remove Sin City.

“We’re going to be going into a much larger venue if it was to come back in the future,” he said. “The nature of the strip and the nature of the people that come here is they do change as well and it just made a lot more sense.

Sin City nightclub VIP host Ric Gibson with Aquaman star and Hollywood A-lister Amber Heard at the Surfers Paradise nightclub on the Gold Coast on Saturday night, June 3, 2017.

“I’ve met countless celebrities over the years as a consequence of Sin City, as have many of the staff – it was always a good time,” Mr Keegan said.

Artesian Hospitality will hold onto the Sin City trademark, Mr Keegan said it “won’t be popping up anywhere else” in the meantime.

Back when Sin City closed in 2020 and relocated, Melbourne-based landlord Bada Bing Holdings locked Sin City operator Rockbah Bar out during pandemic lockdowns despite the latter having paid $10,000 a week in rent for three months.

A venue with new operators called Fabric moved into the Orchid Ave site, with the Bulletin revealing its operator Adelaide businessman David O’Connell had previously stepped in to run three Adelaide nightclubs which had collapsed with multimillion-dollar debts.

Fabric, which opened to partygoers in May and has since posted pictures of staff with barely-there outfits and a packed venue.