Entertainment

Sing without shame at Chasers Café

By NATHELIE TAYLOR, STAR Writer

HAPPY 2004 DEAR readers. I know this year will be a fantastic one for partying, so ya'll get ready to have some fun!

Now, after my 'karaoke baptism' at The Fashion Café late last year, I was itching to experience more. Chasers Café at 29 Barbican Road, St. Andrew satisfactorily scratched that itch when I visited on a cool Monday night in mid December.

And people, what a night! It was pure excitement. The screeching sounds of Celine Dion's Till The End Of Time welcomed me as I arrived. Ok, so it wasn't exactly the best rendition of any of Celine's songs, but I didn't mind too much. And obviously other patrons didn't either as they cheered her on. Like this 'singer', there was a constant stream of enthusiastic 'karaokers' throughout the night, who, with raucous encouragement from the crowd, belted out their favourite songs with much verve! Some even performed more than once. Imagine that!

A soul-stirring performance came from two handsome young men called Miguel Walters and Carlington Williams who sang Lately. It was a heart melting, knee buckling, spine tingling, toe curling and tear jerking experience for me. Believe mi, di bwoy dem can sing! And, the women seemed to have agreed with me as they screamed from the first 'ohhhhh' that Miguel crooned, their ecstatic cheers almost drowning out the lyrics.

The other performer who impressed was a guy simply called 'Royal'. After a string of oldies like New York, New York and My Girl, Royal increased the heat with his interesting twist of Shaggy's Mr Boombastic. This is a sexy song, but, by inserting some of his own suggestive lyrics, Royal made Shaggy seem tame in comparison. Trus' me, he had the crowd (especially the lasses) hanging on to his every word.

Now, just a little about Chasers Café itself. This popular night spot has been operating for the past 14 years under the expertise of Managing Director George McLeish.

Ironically, McLeish had no intention of entering the entertainment industry at all. However, fate dealt him what can now be considered a lucky hand, and he has nursed and watched his little cafe grow stronger through the years.

McLeish harbours no regret for his decision to purchase the club, (dat dey story too long, so I not going there) and he is actually very proud of the niché his 'investment' has carved for itself in the ever-growing, ever-competitive nightclub scene.

But, what are his survival tactics? Almost severely, he made it clear that he caters for a certain audience - the mature crowd. No apologies. He added emphatically that "I don't want the dancehall kind of thing. I have never catered for it and that has worked very well for me."

Because of this staunch reputation, he has built an elite and loyal list of mature clients that includes Health Minister, John Junor who passed through while I was there. McLeish also scoffs at competition. He totally ignores what other clubs and cafes may be doing and simply does his own thing - and that has obviously worked well for him also.

When I went, the cafe was under renovation as plans were in place to have by this year a chic European look with a touch of tropical ambience. In the meantime however, go check out this hot spot any night of the week - but especially for Karaoke on Mondays. Fun is guaranteed.