Not so long ago, karaoke bars were regarded as something of a last resort; a place to go once everywhere else had either closed or thrown you out for warbling at the waitresses. These days, though, a little bar-room sing-song is very much at the heart of the social zeitgeist, with karaoke nights springing up at various venues across the capital.
Even Sax, a late-night spot at Le Royal Méridien hotel, which has for a long time considered itself one of Abu Dhabi’s most stylish nightclubs, is getting in on the act, with a weekly karaoke night hosted by Lebanese entertainment specialists My Mic. ‘This is the place where serious karaoke singers come,’ bar manager Elias Saad told us. ‘In the coming months, we’ll be picking our best singer and giving them the chance to attend the Karaoke World Championships.’
With glory at stake, the punters perform accordingly. Though almost completely empty when we arrive at around 11pm, by midnight the venue is suddenly buzzing with people. And, while a few shy participants remain seated, craning their necks to read lyrics from one of three plasma screens, most milk their three and a half minutes in the spotlight for all they’re worth, sauntering through the dimly lit bar with the wireless microphone in their hand, clicking their fingers along to tunes such as Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ and Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’.
But does the singing quality justify the showmanship? Mostly, yes. As the evening presses on, song choices include No Doubt’s ‘Don’t Speak’, Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’ and an almost note-perfect rendition of Leona Lewis’s vocally acrobatic ‘Bleeding Love’, performed, we later find out, by someone for whom English isn’t a first language.
Suddenly, following a particularly strong version of Whitney Houston’s ‘Greatest Love of All’, the diamante-studded mic is placed in our gently trembling hands. It’s our moment, and we set about delivering a terrible, tone-deaf reimagining of ‘Lola’, The Kinks’ classic 1970 ode to an ambiguously engendered love interest. Things don’t go well. Having stumbled through the first verse and butchered the chorus, we brace ourselves for the imminent impact of rotting vegetables. But, to our surprise, the crowd greets our climactic ‘la-la-la-la Lola’ with applause and whooping that’s too emphatic to be mocking. Despite the generally excellent calibre of participants, this is a night where karaoke newcomers and musically deficient, slightly fat journalists are made to feel extremely welcome.
We will air a couple of gripes, though. Firstly, there’s the song list which, for us, is a little too heavily geared towards ’80s power ballads and the sort of sickly sweet stuff you tend to hear in the latter half of your average wedding reception, with little in the way of modern chart hits or classic rock tracks. Meaning those looking to wheel out their Johnny Cash impression (us, for example) will be left disappointed. That said, appeal is broadened by the inclusion of a thick wad of French, Italian, Spanish and Arabic songs, all of which were taken advantage of by the diverse crowd on our visit. There were also a couple of logistical problems, especially towards the end of the night, with serving staff apparently oblivious to what was going on around them, meeting our repeated requests for more song slips with expressions of utter befuddlement.
Still, minor teething problems aside, Sax definitely seems to be leading the way in Abu Dhabi’s steadily mounting karaoke revival. So steel your vocal chords – this is a stylish, refreshing and highly enjoyable night out. Although we’d like to apologise in advance if we’re on the mic when you drop by.
Karaoke Night takes place at Sax every Tuesday from 11pm. Entry is free. Le Royal Méridien (02 674 2020).
