hine toyed with me. It poked me, and it prodded, and it played with my emotions. For such foreplay, I need to be primed. As it is set in the dark reaches of Gastown, a Vancouver borough known more for its heroine than its heroines, the priming is hard to come by. But I bequeath you, my congregation, heed this evangelical plea. Patience and faith are all that’s required for the good graces of Shine to behold themselves to you.

For those that crave the refinement that a little snootiness brings to a nightclub scene, beware. The omniscient light of Shine blankets all. You will be received in your jeans and sneakers. You will be received in large obnoxious groups, and you will be received on the promise that although your name does not appear on the guest list, it was simply an oversight on their part. Again, exercise patience. Patience as their novice doormen figure out how to handle themselves with charm, patience as they try to handpick a clientele that need not be handpicked, and patience in waiting for a drink that may never come.

There is nothing intriguingly stylized about the environs. Turn the lights down in anyone’s basement, string up the disco ball, and the love in mood would be the same as it is here. But should you crave to steal away to steal some time with your special friend, be they new or old, private crannies to cuddle up are king.

On the dance floor, baseball hats pepper the swarm, shamefully enough, but so too do beautiful twenty-somethings who take their aesthetic seriously. If you are lit up on E like everyone else in the rear house lounge, you’ll likely excuse the odour of whacked out sweaty dance kids on E. At its end, the venue is not the reason they brave Vancouver’s shadiest hood. The music at Shine is why they come to worship.

Unique to any other nightclub in Vancouver, there is a steady stream of rap and hip-hop artist that perform live with local DJ’s. New deals every night. They perform without a stage, and as they circulate, mix the crowd as they mix their music. They are the ambassadors of Shine. I don’t care who you are, slapping hands with ultra-energetic performers as they circulate the club on wireless mics is worth the price of admission. Give to the congregation. Give often. This message brought to you by the Church of Martiniboy Saints. - C.L.