How Does Singapore’s Nightlife Crisis Compare With Other Club Scenes In Asia?

Jeff Mills in Seoul’s Faust taken in November 2019 (Credit: Faust)

You can raise your fist at the state of things as angrily as you want, but it’s not going to loosen the noose around our local nightlife scene. The sluggish developments over the months have shown that when it comes to reopening our clubs and the resumption of partying, the authorities will stick to their conservative inclinations for the overall safety of the community.

A giant, hideous question mark looms over the fate of our overlooked culture, and frustrations are starting to bang against the boiling point. The only thing abating the total collapse of our infrastructure is the innovative optimism shown by those willing to adapt and endure, whether it’s a shift in business model or expression on a new medium. Still, these can never replace the magic moments that we’ve lost.

When can we ever go back to this? (Credit: The Council)

As a first-world country, shouldn’t we be equipped to allow nightlife to return safely? Where are we compared to other clubbing communities in Asia? Are we in a better or worse position? To put things in perspective, here’s a rundown of our scene’s counterparts across Asia to see how they’re holding up (*all information is accurate as of this feature’s publication date).

In Bangkok, parties are ending earlier at nightspots like Glow (Credit: Glow)

Let’s start with countries with a more balanced approach in their transitions. In Thailand, where the current seven-day average measures at 89* cases (Singapore is currently at 10*), nightlife has gradually returned. Since 23 February 2021, bars and nightclubs have been given the green light to reopen with alcohol service until 11pm. In Bangkok, Studio Lam was one of the spaces quick to jump onto this, with live DJ sets in full swing from 7pm to 11pm. Major institution, Glow, has also opened its doors with techno and bass music shindigs, and Mustache Bangkok will even be having a launch party for its new digs later this month. Meanwhile, BEAM will be staying up later with its Beambar concept, a limited-capacity cocktail experience with its resident selectors.

Contact Tokyo in its prime with Boys Noize in 2018 (Credit: Contact)

Despite having a staggering seven-day average of 1,240* cases, Japan’s club owners still have some leeway in keeping their activities open. After enduring a shutdown that stemmed from an issued state of emergency, several clubs are now beginning to reopen with shortened operational hours. For underground Tokyo clubs like solfa and Contact, and even titanic ones like WOMB, they’ve been throwing events that shut off by 8pm. Another respected venue, VENT, remains closed while continuing to plan for the months ahead, already booking the likes of DJ Nobu and Soichi Terada.

Despite its large following, Club Octagon in Seoul has decided to remain closed (Credit: Club Octagon)

With a smaller seven-day average of 452* cases, South Korea has allowed bars and clubs to reopen with a later closing time of 10pm. Operating in accordance with government guidelines like mandatory mask-wearing and limited capacity, clubs in Seoul are willing to make the compromise. After a three-month closure, Faust shifted its entertainment back into gear at its Tanz Bar area, with events that wrap up by 10pm. Other performance venues like Concrete Bar and vurt are also letting their local talents shine on the decks with similar cutoff times. On the other hand, Club Octagon, a superclub with an EDM slant, has decided to remain shut to prevent further infections.

In Ho Chi Minh, institutions like The Lighthouse are unable to open (Credit: The Lighthouse)

If these developments are making you envious, rest assured that Singapore’s not the only one missing out. Even with a current seven-day average of seven* cases in Vietnam, a low figure similar to ours, the clubs in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are still barred from opening; this is in contrast with Quang Ninh, where bars and clubs have reopened as of 11 March. Savage in Hanoi had its last string of parties in the end of January 2021. And in HCM, The Lighthouse keeps its musical ethos alive with its podcast series, while The Observatory has been rolling out an online magazine with featured articles from members of its community.

During closure, Oma in Hong Kong decided to give itself a facelift (Credit: Oma)

Hong Kong hasn’t been looking too good either, with an ongoing ban on bars, clubs and live performances since 26 November. It seems like the city’s not taking any chances despite having a relatively low seven-day average of 26* cases. Once bustling with underground raves, nightspots like Oma and Social Room are dormant while waiting for the tide to turn. Other establishments like 宀 (Mihn) club are using the lull to focus on their other initiatives, like its new record label and mix series. 

Scenes from Classixx at the Manila club in 2018 (Credit: XX XX)

Things are equally grim for our closer neighbours in Southeast Asia. Clubs like Fable and BLOWFISH in Jakarta, Indonesia (seven-day average of 5,844* cases); XX XX and XYLO at The Palace in Manila, the Philippines (3,639* cases); and kyo and Zouk in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1,519* cases) have currently ceased party activities while waiting for the high numbers to dwindle. 

Hosted in Omni Taipei, the recent basika techno event was a success (Credit: basika)

So is there anywhere in Asia that’s doing just fine, raving as if the pandemic didn’t exist? With a low seven-day average of two* cases, Taiwan is a place of envy for starved partygoers. Universally admired for keeping the pandemic at bay, Taiwan’s being rewarded with a lively nightlife economy. In Taipei, B1 has remained active with its parties, culminating in a series of farewell gigs before vacating its original premises. Omni recently hosted a massive techno event called basika that went on till the wee hours of the morning. CÉ LA VI Taipei has been going strong with its day party series. And it even had mega festivals like Road To Ultra that attracted thousands of ravers, although more recently, Creamfields Taiwan was postponed indefinitely to play it safe.

Amelie Lens taking a selfie with ravers in Kitty Su in 2020 (Credit: Kitty Su Mumbai)

In India, several of its major nightlife hubs have been revived, in spite of its high seven-day average of 21,178* cases throughout the huge nation. Bars and clubs were allowed to reopen in Delhi in September 2020 with several guidelines in place, including temperature screenings, mandatory masks and limited capacity. Club BW Delhi is one such venue that’s faring well under these circumstances, with consistent parties that run till late. For the Kitty Su brand, its Mumbai outlet could only reopen in February this year. And it looks like the party island of Goa is completely unfazed by the pandemic, with clubs like SinQ firing on all cylinders. In contrast, the state of Karnataka was recently issued a ban – effective March 11 – on late-night parties to curb the spread in its cities like Bengaluru.

Elevator in Shanghai has played host to selectors like Tim Sweeney (Credit: Elevator)

And finally, while it was the source of the pandemic, China has recovered significantly with no signs of slowing down its nightlife. Throughout the country, the nocturnal festivities are very much alive in its numerous cities. In Beijing, techno club, Zhao Dai, has a stacked lineup of acts all month. Elevator in Shanghai is ascending vigorously with its entertainment, and OIL over in Shenzhen is running its operations smoothly. Even music festivals have returned in Wuhan, signalling an optimistic upturn for a city that’s suffered so much.

So evidently, the circumstances surrounding the nightlife industry are all varied throughout Asia. While other nations are doing much better than us where the rejuvenation of party culture is concerned, there are several others that are in the same boat as us, if not in worse waters with more distressing numbers in cases.

Studio Lam in Bangkok has resumed its listening sessions with early cutoff times (Credit: Studio Lam)

Perhaps, we can analyse how countries with low case numbers have been throwing parties safely – like in Taiwan and Thailand – and push for events to start and end earlier. It’s concerning to see the parties still going on, albeit with earlier cut-off times, in countries like Japan and South Korea with astoundingly high numbers. But unlike those nations, Singapore’s successfully stabilised its low numbers, so the notion of having earlier events should, logically, be deemed less risky and impractical.

With that said, there are countries that are, like Singapore, adopting a conservative approach in reopening nightlife despite having low numbers. Hong Kong is our closest counterpart in this aspect. But in the meantime, our community should look at how their music scene is staying vibrant in these tightened times; maybe, we can learn a thing or two.

A shot from Delhi’s Club BW in 2020 (Credit: Club BW)

It’s also pertinent to note that while countries like India have opened the door to parties, we have to take all of this with a pinch of salt. In cities like Delhi and Mumbai, the numbers are still very high and the government is constantly looking out for venues that flout the rules. So while nightlife there is seemingly flourishing, there’s a lingering sense of endangerment that hasn’t been completely rectified. As much as we want parties back here, we don’t want a situation where safety is ultimately compromised.

All we want is Taiwan’s secret to success (Credit: basika)

Who knows if our scene will reach the greener pastures of Taiwan anytime soon? Ideally, the incoming rollout of vaccinations evens out the playing field as the year progresses, and we can soon join our more successful counterparts in bringing back the rave. But until then, we have to keep on enduring to keep our scene safe, and continue staying positive till the powers that be finally resuscitate our club culture. Hopefully, it doesn’t take them too long to catch up.

*These findings are accurate as of this feature’s publication date.