Thugshop opens new venue Exit Reality on Singapore’s Boat Quay

Thugshop is set to open Exit Reality on July 17 at 66B Boat Quay.

The launch comes less than two months after the collective closed Headquarters (HQ), its ten-year home on May 30.

Exit Reality is a 100-capacity room that runs on a Funktion-One soundsystem. Overhead, a grid of geometric LED panels by Layers of Time cuts high-intensity visuals through the haze.

An open-air terrace offers views of the Singapore River and Marina Bay Sands, giving the venue both an enclosed main space and an outdoor extension.

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Describing the venue's intent, the Thugshop team share: "The moment you cross the threshold, the real world ceases to exist. The sound, the lights, and the community on the floor pull you into a collective consciousness. Inside, you exit reality, and only when you leave do you re-enter the chaos of the real world."

The venue's visual identity and logo come from anonymous British artist Foka Wolf known for work in political satire and subvertising.

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Timing of the venue opening follows closely on HQ's closing night in May; a ten-hour, two-room set run entirely by the venue's resident DJs.

Thugshop shared with Mixmag Asia that closure was a deliberate decision rather than a response to rent or licensing issues, and the team is staying put on the same stretch of Boat Quay it has occupied for a decade.

Doors to Exit Reality officially open this Friday at 10:30pm. Line-up details for the night are still to come.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.

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