BB's Blues Club

We finally got around to checking out BB's Blues Club on the weekend, after hearing a lot about how good a venue it is. There's little to go by on the web in terms of information or reviews, so all I knew before I went there is that it's a three level building with a bar plus a couple of different rooms that have blues, rock and reggae bands, and various people had posted good reviews online.

As it turns out, BB's is a pretty cool venue, nice and intimate (read: small), albeit a fire trap given the narrow staircase and lack of emergency exits. Cover charge was a tiny Rp. 25,000, which included a free Bintang. On the night we turned up, there was a duo in the downstairs bar, which looked empty, and the first floor room was locked and presumably not in operation, so on the top floor was a 7 piece "classic rock" band, with two male vocalists who split the set list between them. The smoky room would probably hold no more than 50 people, and seats around half that number. On this night there were maybe 15-20 patrons. The PA sounded pretty good and wasn't too loud that you couldn't hold a conversation. A couple of the guys (drummer and lead guitarist in this case) were excellent musicians, and the rest of the band were capable. The singers struggled to find songs that suited them, and the quality of songs after the first 2 or 3 tunes dropped off quickly, which was disappointing.

I'd be keen to go to BB's again when a top-notch blues act is playing, as the venue would have great atmosphere with the right band on stage.