Are you ready for the 'STORM'??

Events: Soju Room - April's hottest DJ's

Soju Room continues to go from strength to strength as one of Penang's premiere night spots and the above 'flyer' provides details of some of the super-hot DJs that will be guesting at the club during April.

More details are available from Soju Room's Facebook Page and I hope to be able to shoot one or two of these guest appearances as part of the planned extended blog coverage of Penang's nightlife.

Keep watching this space :-)

Bagan Closing Down

Sadly, the relatively new Bagan in Macalister Mansion is closing down this month, the last day of trading in its current guise being 31 March.  I understand that this is largely to allow the prestigious venue of Macalister Mansion to focus on the core business of the hotel, restaurant and excellent cafe they have there.

While it is sad to see the passing of Bagan, for me the new venue never managed to capture the ambience and atmosphere of the original Bagan which was located in Jalan Bagan Jermal and up until it closed, was probably my favourite haunt in Penang, and likely one of my favourite clubs anywhere in the world.  It had just the right blend of lounge, bar, restaurant and patio seating with excellent live music and a great DJ.

The closure of Bagan is not all bad new however as it also brings some great news on the night-spot front in Penang, with what promises to be a very exciting new venue, the first of its type in Penang, planned by the owners of Macalister.  Bagan will also re-open as a different style of bar in the not too distant future, however, until official announcements are made my lips are sealed.

Keep watching this space for more updates.

CNY Events: Soju Room

Event: Black & White Magic - Soju Room (4 Oct)

A quick heads up for an event at Soju Room, Penang Times Square, Georgetown on Thursday 4 October.  Soju Room is one of Penang's favourite night spots and its combination of live acts and cutting edge DJs make it a real winner for Penangites.

This event promises to be a real winner and it's all about Black & White & Magic. Special guest Namewee( 黄明志) heads up the entertainment for the night with his guest performer Fa Chai Bao! If that's not enough, on top of that Soju Room is also presenting the INTERNATIONALl laser and magic show by famous Tarakardha laserman, ring and silk dances from European dancers 'Les Femmes WW' and the club's very own Crush Crew Project.  This should be a show to remember!

Details of the event can be found here and you can also Call/SMS 012-5565876 to book tickets and avoid disappointment, tickets are selling FAST!!!

Pick of Penang will be at the event and an album of pictures will be posted in due course.  Busy, busy week!!!

Johnnie Walker Black Circuit VIP Race Party

The time for this much anticipated event is nearly upon us.  Looking forward to shooting this event on Saturday 4 August at Penang Turf Club, more so because I will be with my good friend, KL based celebrity, Leng Yein.

In addition, former Formula One Champion Mika Haakinnen will be at Soju Room on Friday 3rd August publicising the Johnnie Walker 'Join the Pact' (don't drink and drive campaign).  I was invited to a press conference for this in KL on Thursday 2 August but prior commitments made it impossible to attend.

It will be a busy and enjoyable weekend!!!!

Night Club: Soju Room - Penang Times Square, Georgetown

Apologies for the lack of posts recently but suffice to say I have been absolutely inundated with photo shoots just lately.  One of the recent shoots was at Soju Room, Penang's hottest new night-spot in Penang Times Square. The shot to the left is of 'The Twins', a recent double act guest DJ team from Australia.




Soju Room is a welcome addition to Penang's night-life and features top DJs, live bands, singers and dancers performing nightly.  The club will, I'm sure, be a great success and I'll be posting a full pictorial review in due course.  Until then, more pictures can be found here.

New nightclub in Penang: Room, Penang Times Square

I have heard now from several reliable sources that a new nightclub, 'Soju Room', will be opening in Penang Times Square in the next month or so.

The new Room will be in a similar style to 'Room' in Auto-City, Juru and if that is the case it will be pretty spectacular. The laser light-show in Room, Auto-City, is outstanding and the owner did tell me that the same light system will be installed in Penang Times Square.  One expects it will follow the same theme as Auto-City too with DJs, live acts, occasional shows and a number of VIP rooms.

Soju Room will provide an exciting addition to Penang's nightlife and revellers will of course be able to grab a few drinks and something to eat at 'Overtime' and just walk to Room.  Watch this space for a full photo-review of Soju Room, Penang Times Square.

New Bagan!!!!

One of my favourite night-spots in Penang has opened at its new venue!!

Bagan has relocated to Macalister Mansion in Macalister Road (near to Perak Road) and while the new club retains the charm of the old venue (complete with performances from a live band and DJ) and thankfully, most of the original staff, new Bagan is a vastly different concept with the heritage mansion being tastefully re-designed inside to provide a charming boutique hotel and a very stylish and sophisticated restaurant serving fine cuisine prepared by Head Chef Lance and his team.

Words don't really do the place justice so I plan to write a more complete and pictorial review in the next week or so.  I have attached a map showing roughly the location of Macalister Mansion below

Night Club: Slippery Senoritas - UPR, Penang (Top Pick)

Few who stay in Penang for any length of time will not have heard of Slippery Senoritas, Penang's longest standing night club in Upper Penang Road. Set amongst the bustling bars of UPR, SS, as it is known locally, is without doubt one of the best night-spots in Penang. UPR is home to many bars, including two of my favourites, Monkey Bar and Zanzibar (photoreviews to follow), and also the clubs Voodoo and Mois. These clubs are also popular with Mois being particularly busy BUT, they cater for a different crowd. Stand outside Mois on a Friday night and you will see that it is definitely frequented by a very young clientele. So where do the '30 something' crowd in Penang head for when they want to party? Simple, SS, and it's easy to see why.

I have now been to SS numerous times on differing nights of the week and can honestly say that it's easy to see why SS is so popular. Firstly there is the layout. The main area is arranged around a large, nicely lit central bar where the bar staff pull-off some superb juggling acts with bottles while mixing cocktails for the revellers. Tables and comfortable stools are laid out on a variety of slightly different levels in this main area which opens out just in front of a large stage to an area that often doubles as a dance floor when the mood takes. On the next floor up an all round balcony with yet more seating, another bar, and a large floor area provides further space for party-goers when the club is particularly busy, like Halloween and like it most certainly will be tonight!!!!

So what else has SS got going for it that makes it so special? Well, it's really the complete package that it offers. Throughout the evening the club is cascaded in various arrays of lights from a superb light system ranging from swinging beams with all colours of the rainbow to the black and white contrasts of high speed strobes. Then there is the entertainment. A superb Philippinno band 'Elevate' play a number of sets each and every night from around 9:30 pm onwards, starting of with some outstanding ballads and set pieces to get the mood going. As the first set progresses, and certainly in the subsequent sets, the stunning singers Joan, Rose and Reema really up the tempo and belt out some outstanding rock numbers both contemporary and classical. They clearly enjoy what they do and their voices, drive and energy really get the crowd going. They are a real pleasure to watch, nice people too :-)

The DJs (Chan and Menu) and the sound system are also outstanding. One of the owners is a DJ of 25 years or so experience and it's clear that this experience, together with a lot of thought and effort, and also expense, has gong into to making the sound system in SS something to be proud of. The sound from the vast array of speakers that surround the club is monitored throughout the night by the sound and lights engineer, Mark, to ensure it's not too loud, too much base etc etc. It's a pity some other clubs don't do this. The result is well balanced sound throughut the evening and some truly exceptional music.

On the music front, you should also try SS on a Thursday night. Thursday is retro night with the Retrokillerz as guest DJs, Retrokillerz being none other than the owner / DJ I mentioned, Harry, and my good chum and manager of SS, Jack. A great night out with a difference and a change in music theme.

The range of drinks on offer at SS is also staggering and prices are very reasonable IMO. There is also an extensive menu available and many people dine just outside SS in a courtyard which is shared between SS and a few other bars that surround it. And of course, what finally makes a club is the crowd and the crowd in SS tends to be more mature, fun and friendly with many being regulars.

So there it is, SS. If you are in town either as a resident or as a visitor you should definitely give SS a try, and preferably more than once. Wednesday is ladies night with free entry for the fairer sex, Thursday for Retro and of course the weekends are very popular. But just about any night at SS will be enjoyable and for that reason alone SS gets a well earned 'Top Pick' from me. Below are a few pictures to give some idea of what SS is like. More pictures can be found here.





My chum and manager at SS, Jack, prepares for another busy night.

Hostesses Irene and Sally at reception.

The band 'Elevate' in action, features three of my fave singers in Penang......

Rose........

.

Joan......

and Reema.

As the night goes on the band ups the tempo....







and SS gets busier as it gets later....








but the crowd is always good and just out to enjoy.






And finally, two shots from Halloween. Nights like this can be very busy but luckily SS has the capacity to cope......

New Bagan

Another quick update as I have had several contacts from readers asking about the opening of the new Bagan (see previous posts), mainly about when and where.

The new Bagan (although it's name will change) will be in Mcalister Road, Georgetown. The slightly bad news is that the opening will now not likely be until March 2012. It's a shame as there are no other venues like Bagan in Penang and it is missed by a lot of people. I also hope the format of the new place doesn't change too much, but we shall see.

Great Music / Great Atmosphere!!!

Followers will know I am a fan of Bagan bar and restaurant but even more so now!!! My friend and outstanding DJ Jey from Pitchwizard DJ Academy now has a permanent slot at Bagan every Friday and Saturday night. If you fancy hearing some great sounds in a place with great atmosphere I would suggest checking out Bagan on a Friday and Saturday as this DJ will enhance further the cracking entertainment provided by singer Roz and the band. Great decision Bagan!!! This Top Pick just got even better!!!

Labour Day Party - Bagan

Well, what a night!!! Got home at a rather late 4:30 am and thanks so much AGAIN to my wonderful friends William and Xi Xi for getting me back to the hotel in one piece. I only hope you got back OK. It was a really really good night at Bagan and I must send out a really heartfelt thanks to all the people I have met here that have made my stay here so memorable, people that I will be thankful to have as good friends in the years to come.

This post is nothing more really than an opportunity to show just how hospitable and welcoming Malaysia and the Malays can be and also an opportunity for me to flash some pictures of some of the nicest people I have met having fun and enjoying this time of celebration!!! I apologise that the shots are not as good as I would like but that is a result of having to leave professional equipment behind - for now. Once Bagan relocates, and I get back to Penang, a number of new sets will be taken. For me, I only hope the people in them remain the same, truly wonderful friends. I hope you like the pics!!!!

Just a quick pictorial trip this time around and no pictorial reference of Bagan would be complete without a picture of the charming and delightful manager Xi Xi who always goes out of her way to make people welcome and ensure you have a pleasant time!!



So, for all the sports enthusiasts out there, 10 points for guessing the identity of our dancer in the black top. Give up??? Ok lah. Squash followers will of course have had no problem in recognising Nicole David, World No 1 women's squash player. What a pleasant surprise that she is so friendly and down to earth. Jumped up soccer players please take note!!!!






Cocktail anyone?? My friend Bob rustles up another tantalising cocktail at Bagan. He does a wicked Mojito!!!






Just Dance!!! The renowned Lady Gaga track belted out as other friends I met at Bagan enjoyed the celebrations. Centre pic is Elise, school chum of Xi Xi!!






The man himself!! DJ Rey. And a top guy he is!!! Having listened to numerous full sets of this excellent DJ's sessions tonight he just gets better and better.






And finally, for now, no pictorial account of this night would be complete without a pic of my two really good friends Xi Xi and her husband William. Their friendliness, warmth and hospitality is truly overwhelming even though you make me stay out MUCH later than I intended!!

Penang Nightlife - Bars

Straits Quay

Starting off on what will be one of the ongoing topics of this blog I will return to the previously mentioned Straits Quay (SQ) and the Healy Marc and Finnegans bars. As has been mentioned this is an up and coming area and while it's not quite there yet I am sure it will develop further and pick up in terms of customer numbers and outlets, especially as the local population swells and also when the new Tesco opens.

Both Finnegans and Healy Marc are good sized premises with ample outdoor seating, both stocking a range of beers at reasonable prices and, not surprisingly, Guinness. They offer a reasonable range of food but as an example a simple fish and chips at Healy Marc will set you back around RM50 which is pretty much twice that charged by the 'Top Pick" Blue Reef restaurant just a few doors away. Whether the portions are considerably larger or the taste considerably better (which I doubt given the excellent standard in the Blue Reef) I don't know and am not overly inclined to try. When I get chatting more to people there I will ask those who eat about the quality of the food. Price wise I suspect you may be paying a little more to eat in that pub environment, saving you the trouble of relocating during your stay, or allowing you to eat and drink with others who may just wish to drink.

One the subject of food at SQ, should you wish to eat before or after a few beers there is also the excellent new Papa Rich eatery in the mall at Straits Quay serving a variety of food at very reasonable prices including a very popular Asaam Laksa which is well spiced, very tasty and served in good quantity. You will likely not want a starter!! The drinks are also very varied and reasonable with a good selection of coffee/tea variations and some excellent blended bean, herb and vegetable drinks. I ate there the other day and would certainly go back. When I do I shall publish a more complete review.

Back on the bars, I have been there a couple of times now and it has to be said they were quite quiet. Once was Sunday afternoon and once on Tuesday early evening. I had tried the Tuesday as it has been said that the places get quite popular with the local office crowd and have a clientele that reflects this. It does seem to be popular with local office staff indeed, they both turned up about 6:30pm and stayed about an hour. So, at least on Tuesday, there is now mad office turnout or upsurge in the 'buzz' there, just the rather quiet business as usual. I also visited the bars on the following Friday and have to say they were considerably busier. Not full but busy enough, most outside tables were taken at about 9pm. I had to leave at about 9:30pm and it may have got busier still. These are not music bars though and while music is playing it is more background. Those expecting to rave the night away to loud music will need to head off towards UPR. Worth a visit though, especially if you are with a crowd at the weekend and fancy a quieter watering hole with the marina outlook.

Penang

Most of the activity in Penang takes place around the Upper Penang Road, or UPR as the locals call it. It is a stretch that runs from just opposite the E&O Hotel and anyone taking a bus into town may be able to get the driver to stop off outside the E&O to let you off (as I did with the 103). In any event, the terminus on Pengk Weld (Weld Quay) is not much of a walk away. Taking a taxi to the area from Gurney Drive should be about RM 15 and coming back after midnight, somewhere between RM 18 -20. The drivers will try it on and try to talk up the price, especially after midnight but sticking to your guns, often accompanied by a feinted walk away normally brings them round.

So, what's it like there. Well, experience so far is that I strongly suspect that Friday and Saturday are the main nights it takes off as visiting earlier in the week thus far has proved somewhat disappointing .

The area is broadly split between a range of bars with seating outside and inside and the clubs such as Mois, Voodoo and Slippery Senoritas, or SS as it is known locally. The bars, frankly, are nothing special, and the insides of some are actually quite desperate!!! They all charge roughly similar prices for drinks with a bottle of Tiger at around the RM 13 mark. Many also do Happy Hour deals with a bucket of beers (5) for RM 55 or even two buckets for RM 100, depends on how thirsty you are or the size of your group but the savings are OK. Many also do food but it's fairly bland pizza/pasta fare from what I saw. Most also have large TV screens outside where they will show sporting events or whatever. Of these bars Monkey Bar, Zanzebar and D-Joint are considered popular by the local Chinese with D-Joint considered to have one of the better sound systems. I visited on a Monday night and also Wednesday night which is promoted as ladies night and I have to say the most appropriate song for them to be playing was an 80's hit by the Specials called 'Ghost town'. Unfortunately it was just that, dead, both nights, with Wednesday being marginally better. I found ladies night here like ladies night the world over. Bar owners trying to convince people that mid-week is a good night to go out, trying to entice the few girls that fall for it with free entry, with loads and loads of guys who think that ALL the girls will have fallen for it stalking the bars in search of prey. Think again. The outside areas of the bars I would say were still 90% empty and the insides, totally and this was between 10:30pm and 12:30am. Hmmmmmmmm, so far not so good.

Another place I was suggested is Soho. This is a bar which is across the road from the main cluster but still in Jalan Penang. It is a short walk down and opposite the Malaysia Hotel. Now this place really WAS desperate. Entering downstairs it was a bit like looking for a black cat in a coal bunker, it was SO dark. On this occasion, said black cat had decided to wear a black eye-mask making it even less easy to spot. A few die-hards were seated on the limited exterior seating near the windows and inside was much more quiet. Dreary was a word that doesn't do it justice. I checked the place out upstairs as it is said to have a more sophisticated appeal with music, better lighting and more comfortable seating. It was better but the Specials were being played here too, in fact the staff outnumbered the customers by 4:1 and again this was at about 10:30 pm and 12:30 am.

So, there you have it, or at least the early week view. I suspect that Friday and Saturday will have a better buzz and I will return to check it out as time goes on and publish a further update. As it stands so far though I can't really say I was that impressed. And on that front, on to the next review, Slippery Senoritas (SS).

NB: The first in a more in-depth series of articles covering Penang's nightlife can be found here.