The Metropolis building is a classic turn-of-the-century Australian watering hole with a huge first floor balcony. It’s an integral piece of Fremantle history, just a stone’s throw from state capital Perth, in one of Western Australia’s main tourist attractions. It’s a thriving deep water port and was home for Alan Bond’s defence of the Americas Cup.

But venture inside Metropolis and you quickly realise that this is no sleepy pub that time forgot. Instead, managing director, Mario Madaffari, is slowly metamorphosing Metropolis into one of the great Australian clubs — both technically and architecturally.

The club features five chambers each representing elements of life: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Air. The chambers revolve around the concept of providing alternative spaces with their own unique style and atmosphere. Patrons have the luxury of choosing the room that best suits their mood and personal taste.
The most recent space to benefit from the refit is ‘Chamber 5’ — or Air. C5 features the club’s main dancefloor system as well as the spectacular Art Bar, the equally spectacular Blue Bar and the fully restored traditional first floor balcony. C5 is a dual-use space, providing high level dance music most nights and doubling as a live band venue when required. Consistent with the venue’s ‘no compromise’ philosophy Mario wanted an extremely high quality audio system and TAG’s technical director, Anthony Russo, was on hand with a number of Martin Audio system options.

To get the best from the system a series of specially designed acoustic ‘clouds’ and wall panels were installed to control reverberation. The audio arsenal that Mario and Anthony settled on included two Martin Audio W3 (15" 3-way) and six EM56 (12" 2-way) speakers along with two Blackline S15 single 15" subwoofers. The W3’s were located at left and right front of house with the EM56’s around the dancefloor and the subs fitted under the stage. A DX1 digital controller gives the system the flexibility to blend to either FOH or dancefloor surround role — or full-tilt mode, with both synchronised and running together. The whole system is cleanly driven by QSC, with four PLX and one four channel CX Series amplifiers. The DJ booth is also luxuriously equipped.

Having comprehensively analysed the room during the design stage, after final system sign-off — including precise speaker angling, tuning and equalisation — there was full agreement that that system in that space was absolute magic.

Meanwhile, activity in the other chambers includes a cocktail chill out space in C2 (Earth) with an independent DJ, booth seating and an unobtrusive low level compact audio system comprising of six C115 speakers and two EM150 subwoofers. The C2 refit is also new and serves as a welcome oasis for reinvigorating the hard charging clubber, for those engaging in the gentle art of conversation or for those just seeking some privacy and solace.

C3 (Metal) remains a mystery! Its theme has yet to be revealed but it promises to be altogether different.

Mario is building Metropolis into something of a Fremantle institution where patrons can come over many years and still find the music and the atmosphere that suits them. They may need to move from room to room as they mature but they will always be able to call Metropolis home.