From two-piece bands and Chinese opera to busking in the streets, here are three venues we hope to catch live music at in the coming months.
By Agnes Chin
Apart from its gastronomic delights, unique cultural heritage deeply rooted in history, and its captivating street art, Penang has also been considered by many as the country’s hub for live music. Sadly, but not unexpectedly, this reputation is suffering a dip, no thanks to the current pandemic. As the country is looking to reopen its economy as early as October, here’s where you could possibly catch live music in the new normal.
Manchu Bar 满族酒吧
Where culture complements modern art and East meets West
Live performances at Manchu Bar.
Photo courtesy of Manchu Bar.
One of Manchu’s core attractions lies in its unique live performances. Pre-MCO, the bar offered daily 2-piece (guitar and keyboard) or 3-piece (guitar, keyboard, and saxophone) live band music, performing English and Chinese songs. It gets even more interesting on Fridays and Saturdays when the live band is joined by a Chinese Opera to create a fusion of modern music and traditional opera. While the bar is currently open only for takeaways, dine-in is tentatively expected from mid-September. Performances, however, are unlikely until phase 4 of reopening comes into play.
In the meantime, once it reopens for dine-in, the bar is set to maintain compliance with MySejahtera check-ins, temperature taking, sanitiser dispensing, and verification for proof of vaccination (2 doses). Masks will remain compulsory upon entry while the venue capacity will be reduced by 50%. Apart from table turnover sanitising, the venue will be turned down for cleaning and thorough sanitisation at the end of each business day. Follow Manchu’s Facebook page for updates on the much-missed live performances that blend traditional culture with modern art.
Tel.: 60 12 500 7588
Facebook: @manchupenang
Address: 38, 40 Jalan Pintal Tali, George Town, 10100 George Town, Penang
Hutong Music, Restaurant & Bar 小胡同音樂乐餐吧
Variety of live music themes throughout the week
Live band at Hutong Music, Restaurant and Bar.
Photo courtesy of Jason, Hutong Music, Restaurant and Bar
Prominently tucked within the 5-star Vangohh Eminent Hotel & Spa is the Hutong Music, Restaurant and Bar that offers live music while you feast on local and international cuisines. Pre-pandemic, the venue offered daily live band performances in English and various Chinese dialects, some of which are theme-based depending on the expected crowds and on-going festivities. For instance, Thursdays used to be known for reminiscing the 80s and 90s pop eras, Saturdays for rock ‘n’ roll, and Sundays for more soothing tempos that cater to families. The occasional theme-based performances came in the form of Pajamas Night or Halloween Night. Currently catering to only takeaways, the venue is expected to open for in-house dining from 15 Sep. All performances, however, have been put on hold until further confirmation from the authorities.
Being a PPV centre, the hotel and all its outlets maintain strict safety compliance with MySejahtera check-ins, temperature taking, sanitiser dispensing, and compulsory mask wearing upon entry. There will also be double check points to ensure entry only for those who are fully vaccinated (2 weeks after 2nd shot depending on vaccine type)—once at the hotel main entrance and again at the outlet entrance. The outlet capacity will be reduced to 30% i.e., maximum capacity at any one time will be reduced from 200 pax to 60 pax, to observe the required distancing between tables and generally the standard 6-seater tables will be reduced to 4-seaters. There will be two thorough cleaning and sanitisation efforts at the end of each business day, once internally and the other done officially by the Fire and Rescue department. The venue can be contacted for updates on live music performances once the state gears towards phase 4 reopening.
Tel.: 60 4 548 6868
Facebook: @vangohheminent
Address: No. 3406, Jalan Machang Bubok 2, Taman Machang Bubok, 14020 Bukit Mertajam, Penang
Auto-City Juru: Busking Spot
Family-friendly music on the go
Buskin Musicians in Auto-City Juru. Photo courtesy of Gini, Auto-City Juru.
If you chanced upon the ‘Lover’s Bridge’ in Auto-City Juru on a typical pre-MCO weekend, the sound of nearby music might have pricked up your ears. Typically, throughout the week, though more commonly on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between 7pm and 11pm, busking musicians could be found entertaining passersby at the entrance of the night market, Shop-In d’ Park. The performances were usually family-themed and catered to a more relaxed and family-friendly crowds that frequented the place. Performers usually submit their busking request to the Auto-City management, some with as little as a week’s notice. Should there be multiple requests, they perform on a rotation basis. From 2-piece bands to 6-piece bands or musical instruments made from recyclables, the performers change from time to time.
As both the night market and busking are prohibited for now, the place has quietened. The management is hopeful that with the reopening of the economy on the horizon, the place may soon buzz with activities again, under the new norm of course. The management noted that a more tedious SOP will need to be in place for street performances where distance among individual musicians, distance between passersby and the performers and even the distance among passersby who stop to watch the performance will need to be marked on the street. For now, we can only wait in anticipation for further announcements and guidelines from the authorities. Follow Autocity’s Facebook page for further updates on reopening.
Facebook: @ShopIndPark
Facebook: @AutoCityJuru
Address: Jalan Perusahaan, 13600 Perai, Penang.
Under normal circumstances, these upcoming months would have been the liveliest months of the year for live music and street performances in Penang. The hungry ghost month which spans into early September is usually celebrated on a grand scale in Penang with Chinese opera or ‘getai’ on makeshift street stages. Towards the end of September is the Mid-Autumn Festival, followed by the Oktoberfest and Halloween, all of which would have made Penang’s nightlife even more colourful and musical than usual.
However, as live performances are understandably not considered essential services and remain prohibited, even with the climbing vaccination rates, venues that offer live performances remain dormant. It is comforting however to know that most venues would rather remain closed voluntarily, offering only takeaways until the situation improves or at least until they are better equipped to ensure safety. We are comforted knowing that once these places awaken once more, we’ll be in good hands while we enjoy the live music Penang has to offer. So long as we play our roles as responsible patrons, we can adjust to this new norm.
Cover image by Magnus Lunay on Unsplash.
A self-proclaimed writer cum entrepreneur with corporate background in strategic management and operations efficiency, Agnes Chin enjoys living in her fairy-tale bubble where she envisions a world of happy endings.