Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Singapore’s vibrant nightlife scene was one experience enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Some of the best spots in town include (in this writer’s humble opinion), Zouk, Yang Club Singapore, Marquee and Ce La Vi at Marina Bay Sands, the former The Butter Factory and some of the rooftop bars along the city’s CBD, Boat Quay and Ann Siang Hill.
For some locals, turning 18 and hitting some of these spots was a rite of passage. While some eventually got tired of partying quickly, others never quite weaned off the heady and freeing experience of partying till the wee hours with good music and strangers they’d probably never meet again.
In a bid to curb the pandemic, nightspots, bars, and so on were told to shut with effect from March 26 2020.
On April 19, more than two years on, the curbs were finally lifted, pre-entry tests required before revellers can dance the night away.
The news of the reopening of Singapore’s nightlife establishments was met with cheers from revellers and the owners of these establishments themselves. Some nightclubs opened within the first few days of the lifting of the ban, while others took on a wait-and-see approach.
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Zouk Singapore
Zouk at Clarke Quay was one of the first establishments to open its doors. On April 20, the iconic institution saw all 500 tickets sold out, with excited party goers waiting to enter its doors. Pre-pandemic, the club could host up to 2,000 people.
Zouk Group CEO Andrew Li says that the group is considering the situation before increasing to the club’s full capacity. “Our guests’ safety continues to be our utmost priority,” he says in an interview with The Edge Singapore.
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On May 1, just days after its grand reopening, Zouk announced that it will be closed till May 10 due to a breach of safe distancing measures. The club reopened its doors on May 11, again, to a sold-out crowd of 500. Li and his team can’t wait to get back into the action. “We will be bringing in top-tier international DJs and dynamic club nights,” he says, adding that details will be revealed on the club’s social media platforms.
After all, when it comes to parties, Zouk has always aimed to “go beyond pushing the boundaries of entertainment”. “The latest relaxation of measures on nightlife in Singapore will enable us to push forward the next stage of Zouk Group’s development. We will continue to offer unique, relevant experiences that will resonate with consumers as the world reopens and we seek to reconnect in person,” says Li.
ZoukOut, a popular large-scale outdoor music event, is also slated to make a return. Li is already promising to make “long-term” investments to ensure this event stays on the map. “With more large-scale music events returning with the easing of social distancing measures, we are looking to bring back ZoukOut as it has grown to be a rite of passage for many of our youth since it began more than 20 years ago in 2000,” he adds.
Li’s ideas for the outdoor music festival, traditionally held at Sentosa’s Siloso Beach, sound exciting already. “We’ll be bringing in new partners that have a plethora of experience, in festivals like Coachella, which will only strengthen the experience. Expect new acts, an elevated VIP experience, and family friendly activities — a bigger, better ZoukOut than ever before.”
Timbre Group
The resumption of having live music at venues after experiencing over two years of hiatus was music to the ears of Danny Loong, CEO and founder of Timbre Group. “We swung right back into action!” he says, when the group first received the news of the relaxed measures. “We were one of the first few live music venues to be back with a band schedule.”
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During the pandemic, Loong, like many others, had to find ways to cope with the measures. Dinner remained on the menu but live music was not. To cut costs, operating hours were shortened and The Arts House, the landlord, agreed to a more “viable” rate.
To Loong, the relaxed measures not only saw the return of “an influx of customers [who were] starved over the years from the experience of live music thumping against their skin”. It also helped positively impact the group’s hawkers and small F&B business owners, who are now seeing increasing sales. “The lift of seating capacity regulations [have also] brought business opportunities back to before the pandemic,” he says.
“We are also thrilled to see our musicians back on stage, lined up for our venues’ weekly live band schedule. But unfortunately, many of them had to pivot to find other jobs to sustain their livelihood. So we need to be able to continue providing a sustainable opportunity for them to come back to music,” he adds.
With live performances now making a return, the group has partnered with beer brand Tiger to organise Tiger Crystal Fire Stages. The event will be held from April 30 to June 26. According to Loong, this is the first beer and music festival in Singapore to bring together the best local music bands on “such an epic scale”. The event will host some 25 local acts and 20 shows, including some of Singapore’s best acts such as Benjamin Kheng, Jack and Rai, 53A and The Souls of Singapore.
“Timbre has always been championing local musicians; thus, this is the perfect partnership with Tiger to communicate the shared vision of encouraging everyone to pursue their passion fearlessly,” he enthuses.
In the post-Covid-19 era, Loong is exploring improving the group’s processes to understand their customers better. This will be done with technology, he shares.
“[In addition], we will be refreshing our brand to be more energetic, vibrant, and expressive to communicate that our brand is not just about driving an experience but also a culture and purpose to reach out to the Gen Z demographic,” he says.
Loong is also looking to provide reskilling and career development support to help his team grow, improve and “fit into new roles”.
Timbre Group currently operates in three locations: Timbre x SEA, Timbre+ Eastside and Timbre+ One North. Timbre x SEA will be rebranded to Timbre @ Arts House in the fourth quarter of the year. “We will bring the menu’s focus back to Singapore flavours, and we will be relooking at how we can accommodate a larger seating capacity where possible,” says Loong about the change.
Moving forward, Loong hopes to continue being a “platform and voice for all local food concepts, hawkers and musicians in Singapore”. “We are providing them a safe space not just to survive but thrive and ensure that the value is fair for them and the customers,” he adds.
Lumo
Lumo, a modern European restaurant and cocktail bar located at the junction of Carpenter Street and South Bridge, began its business operations just days before the “circuit breaker” began in April 2020.
“We had a huge PR campaign going on during that time, but it all came down during the circuit breaker,” says Andrew Chok, director of Hyacinth Concepts, the company behind Lumo.
During the two years, the restaurant-bar had to pivot and add more items to its menu.
When the announcement came that nightlife establishments were allowed to reopen their doors, Lumo wasn’t fully geared up. Nevertheless, they were elated by the news. “We had tears in our eyes after we heard the news,” says Chok, who now faces a new set of challenges — specifically, a shortage of experienced staff.
As Lumo moves forward into a post-Covid-19 era, Chok is focusing on dishing out “great food, drinks, and [our customers] having a great time together”. “In a post-Covid-19 era, I feel like we all really yearn to re-connect,” he shares. “We will [also] be updating some parts of Lumo... akan datang.”
Muddy Murphy Holdings
While some establishments are looking to reopen with a bang with new plans on the horizon, Muddy Murphy Holdings is content to maintain a steady state. “A home away from home for both Singaporeans and expats alike, the infectious atmosphere of a classic pub is what people miss, and it cannot be replicated in a home environment,” says Bjorn Seegers, director of Muddy Murphy Holdings. “However, we will remain cautious as [I feel] we are not yet out of the woods.”
Upon the news of the nightlife industry reopening, Seegers says the group moved “swiftly” to reinstate its quiz nights, bands and sports within the first few days of the announcement.
“We were able to capture the pent-up demand and the excitement of the return of live sports and entertainment. It was a weekend I won’t forget soon! When the first whistle blew, when the band played the first note people stood up clapping and had tears in their eyes! This made the battle for survival all the more worth it,” says Seegers.
Muddy Murphy Holdings operates four venues: Muddy Murphy’s, The Penny Black, Scruffy Murphy’s and beGIN. “Muddy’s, Penny’s, Scruffy’s and beGIN...are more complex concepts. The community spirit of the concepts combine music, live sports, events, tourism and a sporting-club post-match venue, working in unison with the F&B offerings to be all-encompassing, so to speak,” says Seegers.
He adds: “So it was truly detrimental to us to lose the synergies of all these aspects. We had little choice but to scale down rapidly and operate on a ‘cash flow breakeven scenario’ to survive through a period in which we had no visibility of a normal operating environment.”
With the ongoing global situation of rising inflation, shipping and other factors that are affecting raw food materials, Seegers says the group has raised its food prices.
In terms of making up for lost revenue, he adds that it’s a case of “adjusting the operations and welcoming people back as best we can”. “I foresee a six to nine-month surge in business especially with growing tourism numbers… of course, barring another variant of concern.”
