THE NEST opened in Dalston last weekend, enticing huge crowds of clubbers with divided opinions on how welcome it is in the area.

Kitted out like an early 1990s Arnold Schwarzenegger film set, with brash neon signs and cheesy guitar riffs spiking from electro beats, the Nest has set out its stall as the area’s de rigeur venue.

Flight Facilities from Australia headlined expertly on what must have been a high-pressure gig while C90s and Kid Who deputised well.

But despite The Nest’s seemingly auspicious opening weekend, will it share the prosperous fortunes of bona fide supra club Fabric or demise spectacularly like Matter?

Certainly, there were instant fans. James Palmer, from Brick Lane, said: “Because it’s a Fabric owner who’s opened the place, I thought it wouldn’t fit in with the area’s image, but it does.

“It’s different from other places like Dalston Superstore and Alibi – you can tell a lot of money has gone into it – but that can only be a good thing.”

But others were not so impressed with the club’s flashy decor.

Angie Gale, from South Hackney, said: “This looks like the beginning of the commercialisation of Dalston’s nightlife, although arguably that’s been happening for a while now. The Nest completely goes against the pop-up shabbiness of the area.

“It’s so commercial-looking, like another chain of Fabric, and that’s going to inspire moneymen to invest in the area but ultimately destroy the character, just like they’ve done in Brick Lane and Shoreditch.”

Whatever initial opinions suggest, the Nest has certainly achieved what it set out to do: ruffle feathers in the continually shifting nightscape of Dalston.