Tonight was the first of two press nights for Candy Bar Brighton's relaunch in it's sparkling new venue, drawing a plethora of local celebrities, scene press, and even wee Alex Parks.

Once Club Fuk, and before that Zanzibar, we've witnessed countless incarnations of this subterranean venue. This latest is so fresh you can still smell the paint dry and hear the echoes of gals in toolbelts beavering towards their deadline.

Gone are the crazy licensing laws of the old Candy Bar that allowed table service only (and being serenaded by tramps at the window), replaced by longer opening hours and a new door policy that lets gay guys in unaccompanied.

Candy Bar Mark 2 boasts a belting soundsystem, a more generous dancefloor space, and at last, a more sane distribution of toilets with five (count 'em!) unisex cubicles. New additions also include a pool table and a pole, around which Crystal nimbly demonstrated her speciality pole-dancing.

Those present seemed pleasantly surprised by the new face of the venue, though the proof of the pudding will be in Saturday's public relaunch. We at REALBrighton think it's going to be rather popular...