By Andrew Bansal
Located in the busiest part of Hollywood on the intersection of Hollywood Blvd and Las Palmas Ave, Whiskey Blu is the newest rock bar/lounge in town, and following a couple of soft openings in its first few weeks, it held its grand opening last Friday July 18th, with all-female hair metal/boogie rock quartet Glam Skanks as the featured performer.
Entering the venue for all events is free of charge for anyone and everyone over the age of 21, an important aspect in these times wherein rock/metal fans are either strapped for cash or simply not sufficiently interested to pay to see local bands, and it’s one of the Whiskey Blu’s features that will undoubtedly attract sizable turnouts on any given night, specially considering its convenient location. But in addition, with $2 beers and $5 shots, the place beats the competition and offers the cheapest rates on alcohol, potentially making themselves the favored hangout spot for locals and tourists alike.
The bar is positioned in the left side of the room, with the stage on the right, along with a small standing area and a spacious lounge filled with couches and tables. Glam Skanks hit the stage at 10:30, and this side of the room got appreciably filled as people made their way over from the bar to enjoy the live music. The band put on a typically entertaining performance playing a 30-minute set of music that fits the Hollywood rock vibe to perfection and were an appropriate choice to grace the grand opening of this venue. In an effort to spread the word on their upcoming album, they stuck mostly to their original tunes this time, and got a generous applause from fans and first-timers in equal measure for doing so.
Glam Skanks links: website | facebook | twitter | instagram
Having said that, the band did seem slightly restricted in their movements due to the size of the stage, and it’s perhaps one aspect of the venue that certainly will see an improvement down the line as there’s unused space on the sides of the stage for it to possibly expand. Sound-wise, the quality of the mix and the volume levels were solid for a rock bar setting, but a heavier band would give us a better idea of what the sound system is really capable of. Regardless, the rock scene in the city should welcome the arrival of this new venue which should serve as a great setting for several local bands because of the potential guarantee of huge turnouts due to their no cover, cheap alcohol policies.
Whisky Blu links: website | facebook | twitter