Luz de Gas – once a theatre and nowadays a fun club with live music

The club was once a theatre and its original seating has been turned into different areas each with its own bar. The place itself is a turn-of-the-20th-century delight, with coloured-glass lamps, red drapery, and other details, but it’s also a world-class live music venue. One may also probably say that it is the most classically decorated one in Barcelona.

Luz de Gas is one of those clubs that caters for a specific crowd and does not waver from its objectives. I would like to say only great things about the club but I refuse to simply due to the attitude of the security staff. It is not an ultra cool club and definitely not the place to meet hot young people but their door policy is rather odd and it’s a shame as it is a nice club with a good atmosphere.

As I’ve said, the club itself is great. Just have a look at the photos on their website and you can see what a spectacular place it really is. Once inside, the main floor is right in front of you. There is a huge rectangle shaped bar with 4 or 5 bar staff working overtime to serve you drinks and they are quick and efficient.

Then we have the main dance floor which is packed by 3 A.M. Suspended over the dance floor are 6 elegant chandeliers which add an extra touch of class and warm light, and are actually originals from the time when the club was a theatre.

Next to the dance floor is the stage which again is full of people dancing the night away and one can find another bar if the main bar is too busy. There is a third bar on the left hand side of the room next to the toilets.

Being an old theatre, a balcony is also present. It’s a good place to start of the night, to have a few relaxed drinks and look over the main dance floor to see who’s coming into the club.

Red is the predominant colour here, with all tables covered with red clothes and of course the stage curtain is a deep blood red colour also, there are also golden decorative elements and in general the decor of the place is spectacular.

Luz de Gas works as a club first and foremost. Normally every week-end before the Dj starts to do his stuff a live band plays until 1.30 A.M. This is a good idea and adds variety to the night. I’ve seen 2 different groups playing. One group mainly played rock hits (Living on a Prayer - Bon Jovi) and the other played more dance hits and funky tunes. Both were great, very tight and the female singer in the funkier band had an excellent voice and bucket loads of energy and enthusiasm. The music on each given night can be rather different - jazz, pop, soul, rhythm and blues, salsa, bolero, whatever.

The Dj comes on and starts playing around 1.30 A.M. He generally plays fun music and hits from the 80s to the present day however for about one hour he does play only house music. The combination of the live band and Dj works really well and the dance floor is packed with happy smiley people very early on in the night.

The clientele is very specific and obvious. The club only caters for 25 years and up. It’s very probable you will see more 30 and up to 50 years old, mainly divorced people looking for a night of passion. It’s really one of the few clubs in Barcelona that caters for this type of clientele. Though there are of course younger people too.

Now to the most important thing - getting into this club. I don’t understand why but in this area the door staff can be often arrogant, pretentious and ignorant.
Admission is very difficult. If they do not recognize your face you will not get in. If you are foreign you probably won’t get in. You can get invitations from bars near the club which may help you get in however try to get to the club before 1 A.M. If not they will use the old excuse that the invitation is not valid after 1 A.M.

Standard dress code of shirt and shoes for guys is essential ( no sneakers, no T-shirts). So you’d better dress well to avoid problems.
If you do manage to get in the cover charge is 15 euros with a free drink. There prices for drinks are 10 euros for a long drink and 5 for a bottle of beer.

Luz de Gas is a fun place. I did manage to get in when my friends from overseas came to visit me and they had an excellent time there; they knew all the music, found the crowd really friendly and responsive and ended staying until light up at 6 A.M. So yes, if you can guarantee entrance, Luz de Gas is a cool place if you are looking for a simple fun night out. I’ll be back once I figure out how to avoid the bouncers!

Address: Muntaner Street, 246

How to get there: by metro – Green Line L3 Diagonal, by bus Nº 7

Webpage: www.luzdegas.com

Phone: (0034) 934 143 325