Bar Dubai

It’s only rock ‘n’ roll but we liked it…….

Following the demise of “The Usual Suspects” and subsequent replacements from “Dubai’s only speakeasy”, just where can Dubai’s party people go for good night of old fashion, kick arse, live rock ‘n’ roll music? Back to the place where, in Dubai, it all started I guess, that den of inequity that is Rock Bottom Café. The café bit has always puzzled me although it does serve excellent cheap steaks early doors.

But what is going on with Dubai’s celebrated nightlife?

In Jimmy Dix and Rock Bottom you had the only two bars in Dubai that had “European” style live bands entertaining the masses. Now that Jimmy Dix has decided that the masses will descend on them whether they invest in quality entertainment or not, it leaves us with just the Café then?

It’s all well and good listening to the talented Philippine bands out there, but just how many high-pitched renditions of Hotel California or Bohemian Rhapsody can we stand in one night out?

The other option for the big night out are of course the clubs, the swanky, trendy, overpriced and dare I say it, somewhat racist venues that have marketed themselves as the place for “the beautiful people”.

A quote from http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/dubai/ sums up the majority of these venues and their “entertainment” offering:

“Never will you find a more wretched hive of scum and vanity. Over-priced drinks, men with bad attitudes and stuck up punters.”

It is an embarrassment, but this comment could justifiably be targeted at any club in Dubai, which is a great shame as the nightlife in Dubai has always, been one of the things that we do, “write home about”. That and the weather…

So what has happened over the last couple of years?

Pretty much the same thing that has happened across all aspects of our lives here in Dubai. People have gotten greedy.

How much do you think it costs to have a 6 piece professional band from the UK play your venue against a 12 strong South East Asian offering? Bigger is not always better folks.

The clubs could improve by recruiting professional dj’s that can not only mix, but also mix up the music offering occasionally. Dubai seems to be a training ground for young inexperienced dj’s, again, this is purely down to cost and the venue not willing to invest in talent.

OK, so the bars and clubs are still packing them in you say? If only this were the case.

The dj from Jimmy Dix, now without the support of the live band, has seen numbers plummet over that last couple of weeks. “People just don’t seem to go out so much these days” he is quoted as saying.

This surely should not be the case. Dubai is growing and growing, the number of bars and clubs grows weekly; if there were no demand, there would be no supply.

It’s all well and good Dubai seeing the top name acts arrive on these fair shores, (we all look forward to Robbie Williams) but it’s the grass roots entertainment that need surgery.

The current offering, apart from a few “top name” dj’s, kudos Peppermint, Deep et al, are as follows:

Professional Bands from the UK: one?

Russian “acts”: dozens and all the bloody same.

Bands from South East Asia: as above.

Schoolboy wannabe dj’s attempting to “mix”: everywhere.

The Dubai nightlife entertainment scene needs investment and variety, and soon.

To expect the punters just to turn up whatever the entertainment offering is naive in the extreme.