Karaoke spots

Think you can sing? It's time to prove it people 1 Comments

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Tambayan

Where: Al Ain Palace Hotel (02 679 4777)

When: Daily, noon-2.15am

Licensed? Yes

The garish spiritual home of Filipino karaoke: where else in the capital would you find a giant lava lamp behind a licensed bar and all-day karaoke from noon until 2.15am every single day of the week? Not even the house band can stop the customers bellowing. After 9.30pm, every 45 minutes the musicians have to give way, leaving the floor open to the public and yet another version of ‘Unchain My Heart’ belted out over a video of a koala bear eating eucalyptus leaves. Colourful, kitsch and slightly mad.

Selection: The staff must want to burn that machine, or at least incinerate one of the three hefty tomes of songs, largely culled from the ’60s, ’80s and ’90s. We can’t imagine any human being wanting to sing Phil Collins’ ‘Groovy Kind of Love’ (Phil included), but retro kids and divas are a law unto themselves.

Most unexpected song: Stone Temple Pilots, ‘Interstate Lovesong’