After living in Dubai for awhile you definitely come to the conclusion that every experience will be scrubbed to perfection, albeit a little inauthentic. As an expat there is an admitted tendency to rely on the Marina side of town for your kicks. However, I've heard many a friend sing the praises of the dive bars on the other side of town heralding everything from cheap drinks, great live music, and (ahem) interesting clientele. A few weeks ago we decided to see what we were missing and set off to find one of the most highly recommended bars in Bur Dubai, the Marine's Club at the Seaview Hotel. They are legendary for the all Filipino cover band, who rock out nightly with the best that 80's hair bands had to offer.
The first challenge was finding the place. The bar is located out through the back of the lobby, through the service area and kitchens, and then up the fire escape and in through another back door. But what's a little walk through a hotel kitchen on the way bar? When we arrived we were informed that it would be a 50dhs cover change to enter. Well, this threw the group for a loop. I'm not sure any of us could remember the last time we paid a cover on the other side of town, so it seemed a pretty high price to pay, but we had come this far and our curiosity won out over our wallets. Once inside we were told that entrance came with an included drink, which helped soften the blow.
After arriving in the venue (and removing a stray hair extension from Matt's sole - yes really...) we were ushered to a table right on the dance floor and I was disappointed to be greeted with blaring techno music, and the entertainment of shall we say, many odd "couples" on the dance floor. With my watered down G&T and near asphyxiation from smoke inhalation I was beginning to give up hope on the live music scene when the band, coming back from break, took the stage.
And boy did they own it! The lead singer and bassist Cherie Garcia is a talent not to be missed. She started slapping the bass to the first few chords of Guns and Roses "Sweet Child of Mine" and screeched out a version that would have made Axl Rose jealous. She followed by playing the bass with her teeth and behind her head during a rendition of ACDC's "Back in Black". While most patrons were distracted by other "talent" she totally rocked the stage.
We're looking forward to our next visit to see what the new set list will be, but in the meantime I would suggest that Simon Cowell might want to stop by for a drink and the musical styling of Cherie Garcia.
The first challenge was finding the place. The bar is located out through the back of the lobby, through the service area and kitchens, and then up the fire escape and in through another back door. But what's a little walk through a hotel kitchen on the way bar? When we arrived we were informed that it would be a 50dhs cover change to enter. Well, this threw the group for a loop. I'm not sure any of us could remember the last time we paid a cover on the other side of town, so it seemed a pretty high price to pay, but we had come this far and our curiosity won out over our wallets. Once inside we were told that entrance came with an included drink, which helped soften the blow.
After arriving in the venue (and removing a stray hair extension from Matt's sole - yes really...) we were ushered to a table right on the dance floor and I was disappointed to be greeted with blaring techno music, and the entertainment of shall we say, many odd "couples" on the dance floor. With my watered down G&T and near asphyxiation from smoke inhalation I was beginning to give up hope on the live music scene when the band, coming back from break, took the stage.
And boy did they own it! The lead singer and bassist Cherie Garcia is a talent not to be missed. She started slapping the bass to the first few chords of Guns and Roses "Sweet Child of Mine" and screeched out a version that would have made Axl Rose jealous. She followed by playing the bass with her teeth and behind her head during a rendition of ACDC's "Back in Black". While most patrons were distracted by other "talent" she totally rocked the stage.
We're looking forward to our next visit to see what the new set list will be, but in the meantime I would suggest that Simon Cowell might want to stop by for a drink and the musical styling of Cherie Garcia.
2 comments:
Maybe next time you could just enjoy their CD at home... If you just have to have the smoky atmosphere, Matt could always set something on fire.
great band to bad thats its not really live but a recording
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