Singapore Gay Club & Disco of yesteryear

[GachiMuchi]

Was with a few old friends and was chatting about places we've been and missed.  A few names which pops up and some at the tip of my tongue but failed to recall.

 

LGBT Bars
Pebble Bar at former Forum. very rowdy crowds. not much impression.

Inner Circle at Tg Pagar.  A place where I ventured alone and later found that it was a place I belong. Had many great and happy times. Always remember the New Year Eve celebrations. Lots of fond memories and met many friends there.

Vincent's Lounge, Far East Plaza. Hardy been there but it's a place where the Ang Mo and the MB hangs out.

Xpose - South Bridge Road - Remembered that there were many singing competitions held there and the owner Alan.

MOX bar - Tg Pagar Rd - remembered this place as it's mostly white. don't hang out there much.

DYMK - Neil Road, been there a few times for gathering or someone's birthday

Locker Room - Neil Road. been there only a few times

 

Disco / Clubs

The Hangar - Opposite Bayshore park but the colonial building demolished to make way for condos.  Remember it as a a building up a slope. Sunday is where there will be drag queen shows. Rather happening but due to the location. don't go there much.

Marmota / Shadows. Kallang Leisure Mall.  Disco dancing only on Sunday

Niche. Far East Plaza level 5. First official gay disco club in Sg. Owner Bernard who later close Niche and open Inner Circle Karaoke. was one of the most happening gay disco bar of it's time.

Rascal - Disco at (can't remember the hotel). Only on Sunday

Studebaker / Venom at Orchard Pacific Plaza (building next to Holiday Inn)

Why Not? Tras Street The famous twins who owns the dance club and the Babylon KTV

Taboo at Neil Road which recently closed.

 

...and the rest and in between all forgotten.

What are the bars and the discos that you remember and the memories you had?

Edited October 31, 2020 by GachiMuchi

[Guest Remember & Fondle]

Sigh! Reminisce again. Get that box of tissues.

[fetish69]

On 10/31/2020 at 4:17 AM, GachiMuchi said:

Was with a few old friends and was chatting about places we've been and missed.  A few names which pops up and some at the tip of my tongue but failed to recall.

 

LGBT Bars
Pebble Bar at former Forum. very rowdy crowds. not much impression.

Inner Circle at Tg Pagar.  A place where I ventured alone and later found that it was a place I belong. Had many great and happy times. Always remember the New Year Eve celebrations. Lots of fond memories and met many friends there.

Vincent's Lounge, Far East Plaza. Hardy been there but it's a place where the Ang Mo and the MB hangs out.

Xpose - South Bridge Road - Remembered that there were many singing competitions held there and the owner Alan.

MOX bar - Tg Pagar Rd - remembered this place as it's mostly white. don't hang out there much.

DYMK - Neil Road, been there a few times for gathering or someone's birthday

Locker Room - Neil Road. been there only a few times

 

Disco / Clubs

The Hangar - Opposite Bayshore park but the colonial building demolished to make way for condos.  Remember it as a a building up a slope. Sunday is where there will be drag queen shows. Rather happening but due to the location. don't go there much.

Marmota / Shadows. Kallang Leisure Mall.  Disco dancing only on Sunday

Niche. Far East Plaza level 5. First official gay disco club in Sg. Owner Bernard who later close Niche and open Inner Circle Karaoke. was one of the most happening gay disco bar of it's time.

Rascal - Disco at (can't remember the hotel). Only on Sunday

Studebaker / Venom at Orchard Pacific Plaza (building next to Holiday Inn)

Why Not? Tras Street The famous twins who owns the dance club and the Babylon KTV

Taboo at Neil Road which recently closed.

 

...and the rest and in between all forgotten.

What are the bars and the discos that you remember and the memories you had?

If im not wrong Vincent bar is at sixthfloor and niche at fifth floor i come to know i read somewhere an article about early days in the 80s hang out and before Vincent Lounge there is another small dance club Legend at Lucky Plaza.

[amicablyalan]

Taboo! 

 

Where I met my first... 😭

[glowingember]

I was introduced to Rascal by my then-clique. Rascal was a relocation from Shadows. 

Rascal was a Sunday club for gays at Pan Pacific. I remember my friends telling me the reason for Sunday was because not many straights would want to club on Sundays as they still need to work on Monday. But gays then didn't have any other option so we still party and get real sleepy the next day at the classrooms. Also, the gay club has to keep moving as sometimes owners didn't want men to be dancing together. 

 

There were platforms (speakers?) and there was this young chap dancing on it. He kept repeating the same steps but he moved well and was good to look at. He didn't seem tired at all. The popular songs at that time was Erasure's Love to Hate you, Timmy Thomas' Dying Inside to hold you and Sandy Lam's 

 

Leon Lai's I was born in Beijing

To be at Rascal was happiness and we can be who we are, instead of the need to hide and be silent of our identity. Sometimes we have to be careful as there were police raids at the club and we didn't want our identity to be noted by the authorities. The rumours were the police were looking for drug users. However, we felt they were letting us know that they were aware of this gay hangout.

 

I only hooked up at Rascal once. Maybe I was too scared and too green or lol not attractive enough. I remember we used pig latin as we didn't want the straights to know what we were saying...and thinking back, some terms were not even Pig Latin. E.g. O-la (means un-glam). After the dancing, the only working friend in my group would bring us to Telok Ayer and have drinks and bread at the original Ya Kun from the man himself.

 

After Rascal moved to Heartthrob and Studebakers(?), the comrade feeling was different and I stopped clubbing for good.

Edited November 8, 2020 by glowingember

[glowingember]

I met a classmate at Rascal and he brought me to Raffles Place and Vincent's Lounge.

Didn't really like Vincent's Lounge as it was sitting and drinking at the bar counter. My classmate likes Caucasians so that's why we were there.

 

A decade later, I went to Mox. The owner or part-owner (Mox or Mok) is quite a suave-looking guy. Quite worldly and charming, but I got this hunch not to mess with him as he can be very very bitchy. The place above Mox was an acting studio. I saw a play there once about 2 teens from broken families and in love with each other. The leads were good-looking. I remember the doorman used to wear a PRC uniform and they play music loungy jazzy music. 

 

Been to Taboo a few times...but music was too loud and the dance-floor was too small. Saw the TCS actor there too (More than 10 years ago).

I went to Why Not. Not for me as it's a generation younger than me.

Visited Inner Circle, too bad I don't enjoy karaoke.

[Steve5380]

On 10/30/2020 at 7:18 PM, Guest Remember & Fondle said:

Sigh! Reminisce again. Get that box of tissues.

 

Much reminisce with tissues, is a sign of a life well lived so far.

[InBangkok]

I used to stay at the Pan Pacific Hotel and was at Rascals on several Sundays. Great atmosphere. Also visited Zouk sometimes soon after it opened In the early 1990s. Not gay but there was definitely a gay section. First time I had ever had Sex on the Beach!!

[doncoin]

I only remember Studesbaker. It was the first gay club I went to. Had so much fun. I think also the space is pretty classy for its time. Oh well, we live and moved on. 

[Guest Remember & Fondle]

On 11/17/2020 at 7:34 AM, Steve5380 said:

 

Much reminisce with tissues, is a sign of a life well lived so far.

A life revolved around gay bars, saunas, circuit parties, cruising in public places...fulfilling.

[Guest Loquacious Larry Laminator]

No mention of Happy or Play?

[groyn88]

A comprehensive and detailed compilation of all the gay bars, discos and saunas that have closed down:

https://the-singapore-lgbt-encyclopaedia.wikia.org/wiki/Singapore_gay_venues:_historical

Edited November 25, 2020 by groyn88

[mate69]

Soon Taboo next

[Guest Walking With Pink Panthers]

There was also Centro, which held Sunday night parties at One Fullerton, and was the site of a not-fondly-remembered police raid on 5 August 2001. My older cousin was there that evening, and says he and his boyfriend were threatened with immediate arrest if they didn't stop holding hands, which would have publicly outed them a long time before they were ready. He always tells me how he much envies our younger generations, because we don't have to endure such blatant indignities, even though we still have a long way to go as a society in general.

[mate69]

Ah yes I remember Centro and the hot bois

gosh...the memories....hahaha

[InBangkok]

39 minutes ago, mate69 said:

Ah yes I remember Centro and the hot bois

gosh...the memories....hahaha

Don’t we all have fond memories? I have written of my experiences as a regular visitor to gay haunts in Singapore in the 1990s and 2000s. I have many more of Bangkok as the gay scene expanded in the 1980s with the mushrooming of gogo bars and the first gay saunas. Similarly in Tokyo in the 1980s when there were already gay bars and a few saunas like Oban. But I sometimes wonder if these memories are tinted with rosy coloured spectacles. Was it perhaps just the newness if it all? Was it because we were all so much younger then? Were they really as exciting as we recall?

[wilfgene]

2 hours ago, InBangkok said:

Don’t we all have fond memories? I have written of my experiences as a regular visitor to gay haunts in Singapore in the 1990s and 2000s. I have many more of Bangkok as the gay scene expanded in the 1980s with the mushrooming of gogo bars and the first gay saunas. Similarly in Tokyo in the 1980s when there were already gay bars and a few saunas like Oban. But I sometimes wonder if these memories are tinted with rosy coloured spectacles. Was it perhaps just the newness if it all? Was it because we were all so much younger then? Were they really as exciting as we recall?

Other aspects of life somehow merge onto our view of the past.  By not deliberately forgetting, we live this life.

[Guest Loquacious Larry Laminator]

Our experiences are exactly as exciting as we remember them because they brought us joy at that time in our lives. People's perspectives change over time, as the freshness of various experiences fades away, but the initial thrill of whatever we did was real, and should be remembered happily in our hearts, rather than denied.

[wisely03]

I enjoyed Play very much in its hey days as well as Water bar

[mate69]

WhyNot

Lol

[Guest Me too]

Not sure if I am the only one but I always tot Mox guys are damn hot. I was 17 then. lol

[Guest Guest]

On 11/7/2020 at 9:46 PM, amicablyalan said:

Taboo! 

 

Where I met my first... 😭

 

I dun think Taboo fall under this category

[Steve5380]

New Fire DiscoEdit

After organising his initial Asian Men's Club Sunday parties at Studebaker's, Max Lim moved the parties to New Fire Disco, located on the 5th level of Orchard Plaza. They were unusually held on Fridays, from 9 pm to 3 am and called Torso Nite. It was popular in the early 1990s with many teenagers and young adults. Many of them were Malays. Dress code: rugged, singlet and leatherwear. Entrance fees: $13 for members (sign in 1 guest at member's price), $18 for non-members. All prices inclusive of one drink, exchangeable with coupon.

 

Max Lim...!   Colorful personality that I met first at Raw and then multiple times at Heater Room and Queen Resort.

 

I made good acquaintance with him. I didn't know about his extensive past in the Singapore gay scene,  Then, after 2013 I lost contact with him,  Queen Resort disappeared, and only recently I read that he had passed away.  So sad!  I really liked the person.  I wish to know what had happened to him.  

 

 

 

[mate69]

11 hours ago, Guest Me too said:

Not sure if I am the only one but I always tot Mox guys are damn hot. I was 17 then. lol

 

omg i love MOX...still remember those retro-looking interior and the 80s-90s color designs patterns, and those v narrow mini balconies overlooking Tg Pagar and the skyline

from 5 stories up....and the night sky and lights 

gosh i miss those days man

[Guest Hmm]

Funny story i bumped into my jc teacher at mox. Then on, he kept thinking I was a bad student!

[TopChinese]

Studebakers was wild on a Sunday night during my NS days.

 

We used to preload at Vincent's at Lucky Plaza, then walked over to Pacific Plaza around midnight.  Our group always score free Long Islands - just smile at Max a lot.

 

Us boys will then hang around in Orchard (or if lucky at someone's hotel) until book in by 0600 on Monday. 

[earth_tone]

-

Edited September 12, 2021 by earth_tone

[Guest Guest Curious]

 

On 12/7/2020 at 4:36 AM, Steve5380 said:

Max Lim...!   Colorful personality that I met first at Raw and then multiple times at Heater Room and Queen Resort.

 

I made good acquaintance with him. I didn't know about his extensive past in the Singapore gay scene,  Then, after 2013 I lost contact with him,  Queen Resort disappeared, and only recently I read that he had passed away.  So sad!  I really liked the person.  I wish to know what had happened to him.  

How strange. Colourful personality first met at a gay sauna and then multiple times elsewhere. Made good acquaintance with him. I'm curious. How could anyone reading this believe that he did not know Max Lim had an extensive past in Singapore's gay scene? He had been heavily involved in that scene since the late 1980s. Maybe not such a "good" acquaintance after all.

[Steve5380]

10 hours ago, Guest Guest Curious said:

 

How strange. Colourful personality first met at a gay sauna and then multiple times elsewhere. Made good acquaintance with him. I'm curious. How could anyone reading this believe that he did not know Max Lim had an extensive past in Singapore's gay scene? He had been heavily involved in that scene since the late 1980s. Maybe not such a "good" acquaintance after all.

 

Strange.  I knew nothing of Singapore in the late 1980s.  What I knew of Max LIm is what I observed and talked with him in person.   And why you care about that?

[Guest Guest Curious]

13 hours ago, Steve5380 said:

 

Strange.  I knew nothing of Singapore in the late 1980s.  What I knew of Max LIm is what I observed and talked with him in person.   And why you care about that?

I don't. But if you really "made a good acquaintance" with Mr. Lim, it is incredibly strange that having met him in a gay sauna he never once even mentioned that he had been involved in the sex industry for some years. 

[Guest Meanly Preacher]

Please don't try to ruin this thread with unimportant quibbles about semantics or syntax. I have an older acquaintance who told me that Max was often talkative with customers who wanted to engage in conversation with him. Whether that means Steve or anyone else knew him "well" is left to their own thoughts. Steve was obviously aware that Max was the owner of that particular sauna, but I highly doubt that Max was rattling off his resume to him, so obviously Steve didn't know him as "well" as a local might have known him. That doesn't change Steve from remembering some pleasant conversations with Max. Every little thing on this forum doesn't need to be a starting point for an asinine argument. So in the famous phrasing of @G_M ... get back to topic ... LOL.

[ahben94]

hey guys, i'm just gonna side track a bit here. I worked on a short story about how this Malaysian had to go back home because of his HIV-positive status. It's set in 1999, and there's a scene where he met his lover at a club. I'm wondering if you guys would be open to share some pictures of the club scene back then so I can use it on my story?

 

You can find the story here: https://thenational.space/1999

 

thank you!

[Guest Emo kid]

I remember as a teen going to gay club is both frightening and liberating at the same time. 

 

I remember going to buy alcohol from 7-11 cause its cheaper than buying drinks in the club.

 

I remember meeting up with gang of friends. 

 

I remember feeling high and drunk walking into gay club. Feeling like every eye is looking at me. Judging me whether I'm good enough. 

 

I remember dancing with my shirt off. 

 

I remember always feeling sad when they play the "superwoman" when it's near to closing time and feeling damn emo.

 

I remember feeling disgusted and relived that I have finally accepted that I'm gay. Back then according to society I'm a sexual deviant. I'm a pervert. 

 

But in here, just at this moment right now. I'm normal. I feel normal among people like us. I feel valued.

 

I feel young. Hot. Virile. Sexual. Desirable. Everything that society say I'm not. 

 

I also remember friends breaking down and emo outside club. Their crush don't like them la. Or their ons don't love them back la. Very teenage high school haha. 

 

I remember sitting down outside the club just chit chatting. 

 

I remember supper in maxwell and looking at the other clubbers and see how drunk, red, messy everyone look without sleep. 

 

I also remember feeling ashamed again. 

 

I also remember "can't wait to do this all over again next weekend" 

[Jonathandliai]

I remember back in NS days when we had big Sunday night gay parties at St James. 

 

Lots of booze, platform dancing, kissing a cute guy on the dance floor, and maybe some company in the taxi home... Good times

 

 

"Do you wanna dance?"

 

 

[superflawless]

My time is in the 90s. Disco at Studebaker club in Pacific Plaza,

That was probably not the first time.

I remember various locations like Odean Katong cinema also had Sunday night gay disco.

Also Tornado.

and at disco in Clark Quay.

Fire too.

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by superflawless

[riverrobles]

I still remember the following bars and clubs where most PLUs go and have fun early 2000 onwards

1. A bar in Mohamad Sultan Road - I was still living in Batam that time , I forgot the name of this bar , help me guys but it was memorable
2. Happy - was just brought here by my friends, I was still living in Malaysia then
3. Play - Tanjong Pagar, famous one, there were hot go-go boys and famous DJs from around the world
4. Rewind - just beside Play
5. Ministry of Sound / Zirca - before. MOS in KL, there was MOS in Sg, huge dance club
6. Avalon on Sundays - Sunday for the gays - expensive but still good to meet happy people here
7. Backstage bar in Chinatown (Terengganu Street) - now has been replaced by Dorothy's - moved beside Tantric Bar - lots of memories here because this is where I do meet-ups, hook-ups from craigslist etc. I miss the botak Malay manager, I met a lot of friends here, brought alot of foreign PLUs here. I start here then walk to Tantric or Taboo then once drunk either we eat at the kopitiam eating eggs, rice and luncheon meat or to McDonald's in Chinatown again or sometimes sleep in Shogun hahaha

Edited August 21, 2021 by riverrobles

[hal2]

Really enjoyed reading this thread. Madonna's 'This used to be my playground' plays in my head like an accompanying soundtrack. When it was released I was only 21. Enjoyed the song. Hearing it now at 48, the lyrics cut deep. 

[riverrobles]

Me too I also enjoyed this thread. I miss those days too, friends and acquaintances have come and gone, we've gone old, bars that we know have closed. I am happy I enjoyed  my teens and 20's and this song is appropriate for this thread about nostalgia.

 

As long as we are still alive, we still can make memories and always live the present. If there is no present then there will be no past.

 

 

[TopChinese]

On 8/21/2021 at 9:26 PM, riverrobles said:

I still remember the following bars and clubs where most PLUs go and have fun early 2000 onwards

7. Backstage bar in Chinatown (Terengganu Street) - now has been replaced by Dorothy's - moved beside Tantric Bar - lots of memories here because this is where I do meet-ups, hook-ups from craigslist etc. I miss the botak Malay manager, I met a lot of friends here, brought alot of foreign PLUs here. I start here then walk to Tantric or Taboo then once drunk either we eat at the kopitiam eating eggs, rice and luncheon meat or to McDonald's in Chinatown again or sometimes sleep in Shogun hahaha

 

One of my fav memories from Backstage is to welcum CNY from that balcony. Sipping their double strength G&Ts while taking in the crowds at the CNY bazaar. At midnight we would all kiss and huat together. The people downstairs must be wondering about all these hunky men hugging and screaming above them..  

[repressednerd]

Was fun to hit Backstage/Tantric/Nirvana then to Taboo, and then One Seven sauna on a Friday night.

[mate69]

Mox, Tantric then sauna 

[Copper2b]

The box I like that.

[cowie]

I worked part time at Inner Circle. Those were the days....

[Guest Play]

I recall going to Play and Happy if I recall at Tg Pagar around 2008/2009. Back then only the AJ clubs allowed guys in shorts compared to straight clubs.

[randomdudez]

Besides tantric that has survived, are there anymore aj bars left 

[mate69]

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/9-suspected-secret-society-members-nabbed-nightspot-taboo-breached-covid-19-measures

 

The Secret Societies Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department and the Police Land Divisions carried out a series of raids at nightlife establishments, food and beverage outlets and shopping malls between Nov 12 and 28.

During the operations, the police conducted checks on 254 people and arrested the nine men.

In one of the joint operations with safe distancing enforcement officers from the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Taboo Singapore, a nightlife establishment in Duxton Road, was ordered to close for 20 days from Nov 27 after it was found to have breached safe management measures.

[fitcubsg]

Rascals, Studiobakers which became Venom.

Happy which became Play, Mox

Sugar - (that was at Mohd Sultan Road)

Actually I remember the revolving Gay Sundays at many clubs, cant recall but remember having fun when I was in NS etc.

Guess I was more of Zouk, Velvet Underground and Wine Bar person where everyone just mingle regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation.......the hotdog stand outside Zouk......full moon parties at Towel Club....I disappeared in the most of the 90s to find myself in usa for college then remerge back in the early 2000s to find the scene changing.....was not into water bar or taboo much but i did make some visits.

 

Nice walk  down memory lane........now to enjoy my mid life crisis haha

Edited December 7, 2021 by fitcubsg

[Guest Guest]

On 11/18/2020 at 2:08 AM, doncoin said:

I only remember Studesbaker. It was the first gay club I went to. Had so much fun. I think also the space is pretty classy for its time. Oh well, we live and moved on. 

Had a great fun there too.

[Eugene.Sim]

Those Days were damn fun !

[singalion]

On 11/8/2020 at 8:58 PM, glowingember said:

I was introduced to Rascal by my then-clique. Rascal was a relocation from Shadows. 

Rascal was a Sunday club for gays at Pan Pacific. I remember my friends telling me the reason for Sunday was because not many straights would want to club on Sundays as they still need to work on Monday. But gays then didn't have any other option so we still party and get real sleepy the next day at the classrooms. Also, the gay club has to keep moving as sometimes owners didn't want men to be dancing together. 

 

There were platforms (speakers?) and there was this young chap dancing on it. He kept repeating the same steps but he moved well and was good to look at. He didn't seem tired at all. The popular songs at that time was Erasure's Love to Hate you, Timmy Thomas' Dying Inside to hold you and Sandy Lam's 

 

Leon Lai's I was born in Beijing

To be at Rascal was happiness and we can be who we are, instead of the need to hide and be silent of our identity. Sometimes we have to be careful as there were police raids at the club and we didn't want our identity to be noted by the authorities. The rumours were the police were looking for drug users. However, we felt they were letting us know that they were aware of this gay hangout.

 

I only hooked up at Rascal once. Maybe I was too scared and too green or lol not attractive enough. I remember we used pig latin as we didn't want the straights to know what we were saying...and thinking back, some terms were not even Pig Latin. E.g. O-la (means un-glam). After the dancing, the only working friend in my group would bring us to Telok Ayer and have drinks and bread at the original Ya Kun from the man himself.

 

After Rascal moved to Heartthrob and Studebakers(?), the comrade feeling was different and I stopped clubbing for good.

 

You should mention the years when talking about those places.

 

Here is a link to the raid:

https://the-singapore-lgbt-encyclopaedia.fandom.com/wiki/Rascals_(disco)

 

Wasn't there something near to Ngee Ann city in the mid to late 90s?

I was taken to a place on a Sunday which was near Ngee Ann City.

 

That Sunday party thing was quite thriving, haha.

 

Did actually any straight guys go to these Sunday parties? I don't think so.