Pour It Up In Singapore: A Local Band’s Ace Pub/Bar/Club Crawl Guide

PEDESTRIAN.TV has partnered with Tiger Beer to showcase its dynamic and raw birthplace, Singapore. To reflect the great ~cultural strides~ the city has been making of late, Tiger Beer has grabbed 20 barely-cooled woks from the streets of the locale, and beseeched talented folk to turn them them into Woks of Art on display in bars across Sydney. To celebrate this hella decent project (keep reading for more info or head HERE for the 411), we’ve thrown together a lil’ pub/bar/club crawl map for y’all. 


Singapore has evolved from an eloquent (but admittedly drab) Velázquez painting into more of a Pollock. She’s had a cultural facelift recently and the old girl’s looking dammmmnnn fine. One such personified-example of the city’s shift in the more progressive direction is the electro-pop band, Riot !n Magenta
Photo: Riot !n Magenta / Facebook.
The band, who just recently graced the stage of Singapore’s leg of Laneway festival, explained what the city’s all about. 
“It’s a one stop shop of old school and new world, eastern and western, liberals and conservatives, freethinkers and the religious, dirt cheap and obscenely expensive,” says Ritz, the band’s drummer.
They reckon the reason Singapore’s so ace is because visiting feels like you’re riding around the biggest continent in the world on a bike with training wheels.
“If you’d like a crash course on Asia, you’ll find everything here. What’s more, getting around is easy, language isn’t a big issue, it’s very safe, and Singaporeans tend to treat guests much nicer than we treat each other.” 
“We’d attribute it to the diverse cultures we have in a small island that has unrestricted access to the world. We’re tolerant people that don’t openly confront or condemn. Through education and interaction, old and ignorant extremist ideologies get replaced with respect and empathy.”
As mentioned earlier though, the city does have a lil’ bit of a reputation for being backward/rigid. Riot !n Magenta blame this perception on the location’s inability to grow out of the image it developed way-back-when.
“Yes, we have a one dirt track going round the island where famers and their bullock carts ply their trade. Put on a singlet and come visit.”
While still finding its feet, the cultural/artistic/musical expansion of the city is steadily popping off. 
“It is very much growing, and it should be allowed to continue to grow. We still think the music scene is in it’s early stages. Initially bands were using generic formulas because that was all we knew, now there has been a burst of experimentation as we move on to the next stages of artistic development. It could be crap, it could be gold. Whatever it may be, the important thing is to keep trying without fear of failing.”
Well it certainly isn’t crap, we can tell you that much. Check out Riot !n Magenta’s Soundcloud HERE (and while you’re at it, get around their Facebook HERE + Instagram HERE).
Anyway, without further ado, we’d like to present to y’all:

P.TV’S SINGAPOREAN PUB/BAR/CLUB CRAWL GUIDE

8PM: ICE COLD BEER
Photo: Ice Cold Beer / Facebook.
Vibe? 
“Straightforward go to place for the big chill. Sit, drink, pub grub, unpretentious.”
Why Ice Cold Beer?
“Friendly staff who gives you your beer quick. They know you need it. It’s an excellent place to start the night with.” 
Why 8PM?
“Happy hour ends at 9! This is the go to place after a work day.” 
What makes it uniquely Singaporean?
“It’s nestled in the middle of conversation shop houses. The area, Emerald Hill, is rich in Singapore history. It’s a heritage site.”  
9PM: BLUE JAZZ
 
Photo: Blue Jazz / Facebook.
Vibe?
“Featuring live music of various genres. A vibrant and eclectic joint.” 
 
Why Blue Jazz?
“For a dose of live music and chit chat, it’s a great place to hang out and check out the local music scene.” 
Why 9PM?
“That’s when the music starts.”
What makes it uniquely Singaporean?
“You have a mish mash of all sorts here. The area is also situated near Malay cultural centres. Drinking spots are a road away from the halal eateries.”  
10PM: CHIPS CAFE AND PUB
Vibe? 
“A hole in the wall that plays rock and serves cheap booze.”  
 
Why Chips?
“You’d expect the people to be Hell’s Angels bent on breaking a bottle on your head, instead you get great conversation over an affordable binge and cheap wings. The regulars are anyone from bankers to bikers who’d happily give you a hug.” 
 
Why 10PM?
“Most come at this time for a quick fix. They close at midnight.” 
 
What makes it uniquely Singaporean?
“With the horrid rental prices of Singapore, this hole in the wall makes everything affordable by being in one of Singapore’s oldest buildings. It’s rather run down and dodgy, but that only adds to the flavour.”  
11PM: SPIFFY DAPPER
Photo: The Spiffy Dapper / Instagram.
Vibe? 
“Mixologist bartender that serves up mean cocktails in a quaint indie type atmosphere.” 
 
Why Spiffy Dapper?
“The mixes are excellent, and the bartenders have lived up to many taste challenges. Ask for a drink that tastes like Roast Pork and they actually pull it off.” 
 
Why 11PM?
“Late crowd, it’s livelier at 11pm when everyone had their drinks.” 
 
What makes it uniquely Singaporean?
“You can sip (or down) your poison while looking out onto the Singapore River in this shop house. The décor is rather vintage, like an old Singapore home.” 
12AM: BK EATING HOUSE
 
Photo: BK Eating House / Facebook.
Vibe?
“It’s a coffee shop, not a pub. Local supper and cheap beer that opens late.” 
 
Why BK Eating House?
“Straightforward place to go have many cheap beers at any time of the night. Good spot to continue drinking if everywhere else is closed.” 
 
Why 12AM?
“A good stopover to tank up before a party.”  
 
What makes it uniquely Singaporean?
“Singapore street food and Tiger beer by the bottles. Very, very, Singaporean.” 
1AM: KYO
Photo: KYO / Instagram.
Vibe? 
“Time to party. It’s dedicted to the ravers inside us.” 
 
Why KYO?
“Excellent sound system and music, the team brings in what the clubbing scene in Singapore lacks which is non-mainstream DJs that actually have a strong following.” 
 
Why 1AM?
“The party starts late at Kyo, and it goes on into the early hours of the morning.” 
 
What makes it uniquely Singaporean?
“The crowd is anyone who loves good house music. You’ll see expats and locals all in the mix Located at the Central Business District, you’ll also get a feel of the surrounding skyscrappers sleeping while you party.”
If you’re experiencing an itch that only a Singaporean pub/bar/club crawl can scratch, then we highly encourage you to get on a plane ASAP. To get a taste for #SingaporeLyf in the interim, go check out Tiger Beer’s Woks of Art project. As mentioned earlier, the project has plucked several hot AF woks from authentic Singaporean vendors and distributed them to artists to have their way with them. 
Photo: Tiger Beer / Supplied.
Have a gander at how the project came to be by watching this vid:
If you want to check out these artworks IRL, you can do so (for the next two months) at:
Village InnEarl’s Juke JointSurly’sRoyal Albert and The Soda Factory.

For more information, head to Tiger Beer’s website HERE.
Photo: Attica.

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