The fate of this home-grown jazz venue hangs in the balance. All we can do now is sign a petition and wait…
Monday blues hit the roof on 15 October when everyone’s fave live music haunt Blu Jaz Cafe’s Facebook post showed up on our timelines. The words ‘Don’t Let The Music Die’ splashed across our screens; our hearts sank. Turns out, this Bali Lane landmark, which has given us 13 years of countless memorable nights of live gigs, dance classes and open mic and stand-up comedy sessions, is losing its entertainment licence. As of 22 Oct, Blu Jaz Cafe won’t be able to host any of it.
The first appeal was rejected on 10 October and the team is filling the last appeal on Wednesday, 17 October by noon. To rally support from the community, Blu Jaz has created an online petition to save the iconic establishment from losing its rhyme. If you’re a patron, you could even pen down a support letter and hand it over to them.
The legality of it all
Yes, Blu Jaz Cafe has made some mistakes and they admit it in the petition. In July 2016 and Nov 2017, they were issued offences for keeping the windows and doors open and causing noise pollution. And April and May this year, they were awarded demerits for overcrowding by over 20% above the capacity. That totalled up and exceeded the maximum demerit points allowed by the law, leading to the cancellation of the entertainment licence.
We chatted with its director Aileen Tan who informed us that the open doors and windows offence was fixed back in 2017. “We have to respect the law and we have already put remedial actions into place,” she said. They got a security guard to crowd control a year ago but since June, they have been making extra efforts to manage the crowds. Their licence allows for 73 pax (including staff and band members) over the two-floor area of 3,200 sf and they will stick to that.
In the meanwhile
Blu Jaz management is also in the midst of gathering quotes to soundproof the space with the hopes that the final appeal comes through. “We’re putting all our energy in the paperwork and hope to gather more support with our petition. We haven’t really thought about our next steps post 22 October yet. We’re really hoping our appeal gets accepted,” adds Aileen.
Click here to sign the Blu Jaz Cafe’s petition to restore its entertainment licence
Like this story? Check these out
Jazz clubs for the coolest cats
You can still catch these concerts this year!
These are the best music festivals around Asia
The party doesn’t stop here; it continues at these clubs
Need more Honeycombers in your life? Invite us into your inbox!