Looking to get a bit more disco in our lives, we reveal the best evenings that play the guilty pleasures and genuine ’70s classics that still have us dusting off our flares and boogieing down today.
National Day gives us the chance to be a little more retrospective than we usually are in our day-to-day lives. We can reflect on a time gone by, and in particular an era that left us a trove of music – but depending on your preference, that’s for better or for worse. Hit songs – good and bad – continue to fuel ‘retro’ or ‘old-school’ nights around the globe, and Abu Dhabi is no stranger to the charms of a bit of cheese or a slice of nostalgia.
Even though the city is far removed from the big hair, flared trousers and dodgy dance moves of the ’70s (until this issue of TOAD is unleashed on the public at any rate), something about that time is ingrained in popular culture wherever you go and whichever dance floors you frequent. We’ve discovered the best places in Abu Dhabi that put on a regular nights that salute the ’70s – and other decades – just in time for December 2. Why try and just remember the good old days when you can relive them?
Harvesters Pub
Every Wednesday, the English-themed Harvesters pub in the Sands hotel throws their increasingly well-known ’70s and ’80s night, beginning at 9pm and finishing late. Very popular with expats not just staying at the hotel but around Abu Dhabi, it offers familiar surroundings while its ‘Seventies & Eighties Days’ transports its friendly atmosphere to another time.
Sands Hotel, Electra Street (02 615 6666).
Left Bank
The ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and ’00s are all taken care of at Left Bank, where the eloquently named ‘Smash Hitz’ takes over the dance floor with the type of cheese that ruled the airwaves for the last four decades. What’s especially good about this night is their five-hour long happy hour, meaning you can enjoy 50 percent off all beverages between 4pm and 9pm. The event itself, however, lasts from 4pm-8pm – so don’t get stuck in a time warp for those last sixty minutes while enjoying the last of your drink.
Souk Qaryat Al Beri, Bain Al Jessrain (050 561 1968).
Skylite
Every single Friday, the Skylite bar at the ever-resplendent Yas Viceroy hotel puts on the cheekily-named Culture Club. Between the hours of 4pm and 8pm, you can enter the bar either after enjoying brunch there, or turn up to begin your night out a bit earlier than usual. Culture Club serves up tracks as far back as the ’60s, dipping into each decade all the way up to the ’90s; the widespread retro mix means there’ll be something for everyone, in addition to the great offer of four selected beverages for Dhs100. Did we mention it’s also free entry?
Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi, Yas Island (02 656 0600).
Sho Cho
Part restaurant, part bar, Sho Cho defies being pigeonholed with its always-popular mix of sushi and blends. Every Friday, Sho Cho provides the UAE tradition of brunch, before following it with classics from the ’80s and ’90s. While the ’70s don’t get a look-in here, it’s nice to give the perms and glittery sunglasses a rest and trade them for leather jackets and baggy trousers for a while. So if you’re happy to party like it’s 1999 (or 1989) in a Japanese setting, you won’t get a more different retro night than this in Abu Dhabi.
Souk Qaryat Al Beri, Bain Al Jessrain (02 558 1117).
Staying in?
We’ve assembled the perfect ’70s playlist to accompany a nostalgic night at home by the vinyl player
Gloria Gaynor – ‘I Will Survive’ (1978)
Bee Gees – ‘Stayin’ Alive’ (1977)
Kate Bush – ‘Wuthering Heights’ (1978)
Donna Summer – ‘I Feel Love’ (1977)
Johnny Nash – ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ (1972)
Abba – ‘Dancing Queen’ (1977)
The Four Seasons – ‘December, 1963’ (1975)
Dianna Ross – ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ (1970)
The Clash – ‘London Calling’ (1979)
Bruce Springsteen – ‘Born To Run’ (1975)
