Auckland men’s bar Urge may have closed four months ago, but its owners are keeping the party going by holding events around the country. The first post-closure dance party Urge Phoenix sold out in three days. Urge events cater to bears, leather guys and men who love men. This weekend, Urge Black returns to Wellington for the fifth time, this time as a joint venture with Ivy Bar. Organizer Alan Granville is predicting a steamy event at the James Smith Basement, despite the wintry weather. "We will have the heaters on full blast, but I suspect 200 sweaty men will help keep the temperature high,” he says. On August 1 a new party will be held at the Dog’s Bollix in Auckland, Urge Sports. Granville says tickets are already in hot demand. “The party was only on sale for 2 hours, and already over half the online tickets have sold. The team at the Bollix are so great and chilled and we couldn't be happier teaming up with them.” Granville says he wants to keep the scene “kicking” and says people should watch out for more events. While all guys who love guys are welcome, Urge has always catered chiefly to the bear and leather crowds. The K’ Rd bar closed earlier this year, after 17 years of operation. That was for a mixture of reasons, including increasing rent, insurance and music licence costs, low supermarket alcohol prices – and possibly less need for gay venues due to the ease of online hook-ups. Details for Urge Black can be found here Urge Sports details here
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 10th July 2015 - 12:15pm