Nightlife

Body English picks up right where it left off

Image
Fans of the veteran nightclub won’t be disappointed by the new incarnation’s experience.
Bryan Schnitzer
Jorge Labrador

Let’s clear things up: Body English isn’t going through an awkward reacquaintance phase with Las Vegas. The recently reopened nightclub at the Hard Rock Hotel has the same decadent party vibe it had when its original incarnation closed in 2010.

Last Friday night’s birthday bash for Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi served as a fair showcase for the club, whether you missed it the first time or were a regular back in the day. Valensi spun an indie- and electronic-laced set for the crowd, with DJ Christopher Kennedy (the DJ nom de guerre of actor Christopher Masterson) putting on the follow-up.

Nick Valensi of the Strokes, who spun at Body English last Friday night.

Nick Valensi of the Strokes, who spun at Body English last Friday night.

The venue remains pretty much as you remember it: two stories, with a bar and swanky VIP booths taking up most of the top level and the club’s iconic staircase guiding your descent into a hedonistic rockstar’s personal party den, the dancefloor.

The floor is surrounded with plush leather booths and jet-black Greek columns, with crystal chandeliers above and dark wood flourishes on pretty much anything that can take it. Even the dancers and cocktail servers are a bit … extravagantly done, clad in spiked leather bikini tops and big feathered shoulder pads that must have been left over from an unauthorized X-rated version of Mad Max.

Off in one corner of the downstairs is the Parlor Room, equipped with its own bar and DJ booth for private VIP events or a more intimate DJ set as an alternative to the main room. On Friday night, that meant hip-hop cuts in contrast to EDM-heavy main sets, but you never know what you might encounter.

The cool factor doesn’t feel stuffy or forced, and the crowd, so far, seems to be going along with it. Effortless excess is the name of Body English’s game, and that rakish charm is infectious. If the club can keep this up, it might just become a local favorite once again.

Tags: Nightlife
Share

Previous Discussion:

Top of Story