The Duke of George

Housed in the heritage-listed Brush Factory building, dating to 1901, Renee’s connection to the site makes what she's created all the more special.

"My father did his first-ever work experience in this building when it was a broom factory," she recalls. "When the building was up for sale 10 years ago, my father asked me, 'what would you do to the place'? I said, 'I'd turn it into a jazz bar.'" And that's exactly what Renee did.

Entering the basement venue through an enormous bright red door, you arrive at the club decorated with an eclectic furniture collection. Elaborate gates from Turkey add character to the indigo-coloured walls of Ruby Blue music. Original seats from the Regal Theatre in Subiaco now fill the Jem Lounge, reupholstered in Renee's favourite indigo blue shade.

Ornate gold picture frames adorn the bar, framing the extensive range of liquor. The charm of the venue comes from Renee's dedication to maintaining the original fixtures of the building. "We kept all the original jousting, ceiling and stone and then added bits and pieces to give it a really nice blend between modern and old," she reveals.

On stage, local bands and artists perform jazz, blues, soul, folk and even a little bit of pop, with punters coming for the allure of live music and stay for the table service, seasonal menu and classic cocktail list. Live music is performed every Thursday to Sunday.

"Jazz and blues are where the heart is," Renee says of The Duke’s performers. "Take a seat, be entertained, be served beautiful food! The only thing I look for is quality," hinting visitors can be reassured of a good time on any given night.

Although music is the main event, food also takes centre stage.

In the kitchen, Head Chef Ben Boisdevesy injects his years of working in five-star restaurants in London and Perth's Cottesloe Hotel and Rottnest Hotel, into a New Orleans inspired menu. Expect po-boy chicken sandwiches, Shark Bay crab with chilli creamed corn and 36-hour roasted WA Cajun pork belly. "The music dictates what happens [on the menu], to the point where the chef will say, 'what do you think we're going to sell tonight', and I'll say, 'well who's playing?' We'll often create a menu that way," Renee says.

At the bar is a curated menu of classic cocktails. "We don't use blenders because it's too noisy, so a lot of them are just really well-shaken classics. We might put a twist on the classics, like turning an espresso martini into a mocha martini, using jack apple bourbon for a whiskey sour." All food and drink can be ordered and sent directly to your table by waitstaff.

A night at The Duke transports you to a jazz club in the heart of New Orleans of a bygone era. Expect blues with Michael Vdelli and his 10-piece band, Music Direction. For the jazz-lovers, the Sassafras combine “toe-tapping swing, breakneck gypsy classics, wistful French ballads and re-worked jazz standards”, says Renee. Plan ahead and book tickets for Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham (from The Waifs) presenting The Song Club in October.

Photo credit: Main image - Anthea Elsner. Others - Dan Grant / Matt Reed