A Little Bit Of Irish Goes A Long Way!!

A little bit of Irish goes a long way!!

Being from Irish decent I must freely admit to gravitating towards Irish pubs wherever I happen to be in the World. Just like Irish emigrants around the globe you are never far from an Irish Pub. If you have ever been to Ireland then you know that the majority of pubs are old small and shabby with clutter in every nook and cranny.

Sláinte! "To Your Health!"

 
The Irish Pub as a global concept however, tends to be more like an American Irish Bar with open plan dining and drinking tables scattered over the ubiquitous wooden floors.
To be honest, as much as I love the tiny claustrophobic Public House of Ireland it does not translate that well to warmer climes where you need higher ceilings and large opening doors to get the air flowing and to make the most of the warm weather.

Anyway, a real Irish Pub transplanted to Penang would decapitate most of the revelers once the ceiling fans were installed and that just does not go down well with the locals, it's normally the morning after the night before that you need to be decapitated.

What really sets an Irish Pub apart is the atmosphere (and of course the Guinness!!) and on Saturday night this was most definitely evident at Finnegan's Irish Pub and Restaurant located at Strait's Quay, Penang.

The large open bar could have been purpose built to host bands and as it seats close to 350 people inside and out the atmosphere is created and builds the busier it gets.

On Saturday night the revelers started arriving at Finnegan's as the band was setting up at 9pm and by the time they were ready to start their first set the place was starting to Buzz and by the time of their first break there wasn't a free table in the place.

The able staff were kept busy not just serving food and drinks as they also turned furniture removers when they had to bring most of outsides seating, inside as a little bit of Irish weather descended. This was handled smoothly and efficiently under the watchful gaze of Manager, Derrick Gomez.

You know it's summer in Ireland when the rain gets warmer.

Derrick is quite new to Finnegan's Irish Pub but comes with a wealth of local experience gained in some of the most well known nightspots in Georgetown. Most of his staff have been here since the opening back nearly one year ago in November,2010 and are super friendly and they very professionally keep the craic going.

"craic", pronounced "Crack" is a Gaelic word meaning..... well, it has no exact English translation. The closest you get is "fun." There's the expression "ceoil agus craic," meaning "music and fun" but it is more, much more than this. It is only really found in a social setting where men, drink and woman are at the same time. It is more readily found when there are all three of these ingredients as well as Music.

The holy grail for any 'night owl' on Penang is finding the best places to eat, drink and listen to good music. Food is not a problem to find nor is just a watering hole but finding good live music to listen to as well is more of a challenge.

I grew up in London where pubs were a plenty and band nights were scattered around the larger pubs where live performances could be found varying in quality from world class to bloody awful.

So when I moved to Penang a year ago I set myself the quest in a half-hearted manner to find the best of Penang's live music scene. After tentative searches and long walks around town it was almost impossible to find bars and pubs that had honest to goodness live music.

Now I know that there is great music played in the Hotel bars and that Hard Rock Hotel has a reputation built on their association with music and justifiably so, they have the best of bands. But where else can you find good live music? OK, 'G' spot at the 'G' Hotel on Gurney and you have Slippery Señoritas and Uptown Bar. The trouble was knowing anything about the events in advance, the bands that were playing and how to get there and back again.

When Strait's Quay opened at the end of last year I saw huge potential in this integrated development with apartments, yacht marina and the shopping and entertainment mall. To think that this is only the opening phases of a much larger vision is inspiring.

The Band Begins To Play

Finnegan's Irish Pub and restaurant was one of, if not the first, establishment open at Strait's Quay and has been the trend setter there ever since. Finnegan's is the only venue to have regular live music at Strait's Quay, with them starting out hosting Acidic Bunch, a new collection of tried and tested talented musicians Every Friday & Saturday night from 9.30pm to 12.30am.
Formed as a group in the last year they have showcased at Hard Rock Hotel where they have just finished a run of shows. Acidic Bunch, which numbers 7 members in its full lineup, comes from different musical backgrounds.
1. IZWAN (vocals) is an ex-PAKU member, a local rock outfit who toured London & Ireland with several hit songs and nominated for Best Rock Song in local music awards. He possesses powerful rock vocals and has been singing locally at the Hard Rock Hotel & Golden Sands Hotel.
2. RAY (vocals/rap) is of mix Thai & Chinese origin. He has a smooth voice & is versatile in singing English, Thai, Malay, Chinese & Spanish songs. Ray also raps to the latest hits and often performs in Bangkok, Thailand.
3. JASMINE (vocals) has a sexy, powerful & husky voice. She is a great dancer & performer too. She's an experienced singer who is often in demand for corporate functions.
4. AARON (guitar/vocals) loves to play funky riffs & hard rocking grooves. He has a sweet voice that will melt the hearts of those who listen. Aaron's a seasoned performer as seen at functions like Gurney Plaza's Annual New Year's Eve Countdown concert and other notable corporate functions.
5. ALWYN (drums) is the youngest member of the band. He plays powerful rock beats & grooves. He's currently a drums instructor with House of Drums. He performs regularly in Hard Rock Penang with his acoustic band.
6. CC (bass) comes from a jazz background and he has been playing in music venues like 'G' Hotel, & 32 The Mansion. He played mainstage for the 1st Penang Jazz Festival.
7. EZEKIEL (keyboards), the latest member, is a talented musician with a background in music production & recording. He is also a freelance sessionist & produces music gingles.

They may all come from different beginnings but they sure do blend together in one tight group with vocals and musical ability at the top of their game. The problem for all new bands is finding their sound and as the majority of gigs on offer call for cover songs that is what Acidic Bunch provide for now.

When I spoke to the band at the start of the evening I asked where the name of their band came from and Aaron told me that they gravitated together around acid jazz and the name grew out of this association. They are still finding their own sound but it won't be long before we hear some new and original music from these guys and we at 'What's On Penang' will keep you updated.

The guys also answered a few questions that had been burning in me for the last year. Namely, why were there not more live music venues? They put it down to the fact that most places feel that they cannot afford to have a band. This is a little like saying that a business cannot afford to advertise, if you do not advertise you will never have the money or trade to keep going or expand, the same with a live band. There is no denying that a live performance, coupled with promoting the fact, will bring you more customers and once customers come and like the place you can start to build a loyal fan.

'What's On Penang' Gig Guide

'What's On Penang' has was started a year ago as a website to put all this information together for local Penangites and tourists (domestic and foreign) to this great island and State of ours, Penang.

In the last couple of weeks we have decided to put all this together in a monthly magazine printed and distributed free of charge to our readers. We will give you gig guides, restaurant reviews and let you know the best pubs, clubs and venues to head off to each and every week of the year.

We need help from business owners and readers to keep the information current and up to date. We need to know about events well in advance so that we can inform our readers in print monthly and online instantly with any alterations or adjustments to any schedules.

So if your business has any event planned let us know at the planning stage and we will keep in touch to get the updates as they happen.

'What's On Penang' is organising a Bloggers Meet kindly hosted by Finnegan's Irish Pub and Restaurant and we invite all Bloggers to contact us for details and invitations. Click Here for Invitation request.

May your glass be ever full. May the roof over your head be always strong.
May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead. Sláinte! "To Your Health!"