A R O U N D T O W N 發光的城市 15 TAIPEI TIMES • FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2009 BY Alita RICKards NIGHTLIFE Break on through to The Other Side Roxy has expanded its nightlife empire with the recent opening of VENUE NOTES: three new venues: The Other Side, Roxy Rocker and Roxy Roots WHAT: The Other Side ADDRESS: B1, 20, Songshou Rd, ick-up joint Roxy Vibe closed because frequent clubgoer and part-time promoter: popular dance club Room 18, which already Taipei City (台北市松壽路20號B1) it was only busy as an after-hours “[A] sub-basement club, small two-stall has a loyal clientele, the future of Roxy TELEPHONE: (02) 2723-3257 venue from 5am to 7am on Friday bathrooms, and mostly loud hip-hop and Roots still seems a bit touch-and-go as to OPEN: Wednesdays to Sundays from Pand Saturday nights, which the owner Top 40 mixed in with a bit of indie, rock whether it can attract a regular crowd to 9pm to 7am said didn’t provide enough revenue to and electro, though in a much newer sustain its 24-hour bar and menu. Having a ADMISSION: Women always pay cover expenses, never mind turn a profit. location with great sound.” live band playing appears to be the greatest NT$300, except Wednesdays, when Although The Other Side, Roxy’s newest With the green lasers speckling the draw at this point. they get in free. Men pay NT$400 venture, also stays open until 7am, the maze of people into a soft anonymity, the Though Roxy Rocker, the first to open, on Wednesdays, Thursdays and management, through its public relations venue does feel a bit like a time warp, often has more staff (eight to 10 people) Sundays, and Fridays and Saturdays staff, adamantly claims that the club is not despite its private booths and fancy decor. than customers, it is slowly building a before 1am. After 1am on weekends the new Vibe. So much so that the cover Mike Tennant, who plays in BoPoMoFo clientele. The ambient lighting and excellent men pay NT$500 charge was originally set on a sliding (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ), High Tide and New Hong Kong music selection are only part of the appeal. scale that made coming late increasingly Hair City agreed: “Between the hip-hop and It’s also becoming a neighborhood pub WHAT: Roxy Rocker expensive — with the entrance fee starting band scene [it] gives you something in the of sorts for those looking for a slightly at NT$400 and rising to NT$700 by 5am. middle,” but he also said the music had “a more upscale hangout in the Shida area, ADDRESS: B1, 177, Heping E Rd Sec 台北市和平東路一段 That plan, however, has been scrapped, greatest hits” feel with classic “Vibe” songs one in which you can select an album from 1, Taipei City ( 號 with the new cover reflecting a door policy such as Blur’s Girls & Boys. the more than 10,000 Roxy says it has on 177 B1) that employs more honey than vinegar: “It’s still early in the game,” said Roxy offer and have the DJ play your own tunes. TELEPHONE: (02) 2351-8177 NT$300 for women all the time, and no promoter Alyson Schill, “and opinions An evening spent perusing the new OPEN: 9pm to 4am more than NT$500 for men. about this club will be changing, I’m very editions of music magazines on offer ADMISSION: Free The opening of The Other Side on July confident about this.” (Revolver, Rolling Stone, Spin, Uncut, 31 was the final in a series of three club Schill says The Other Side will no NME, Mojo) is a relaxing way to unwind, WHAT: Roxy Roots openings in just over a month following longer play Vibe music. Weekends will pint in hand. This is the bar dearest to ADDRESS: 90 Songren Rd, Taipei the closure of Vibe on June 20. Roxy be a mixture of rock, reggae, punk, owner Ling Wei’s (凌威) heart, he says, and City (台北市松仁路90號) Rocker debuted on June 19 and Roxy alternative and indie, with theme nights the one his group is most counting on to TELEPHONE: (02) 2725-3932 Roots followed on July 8. throughout the week: Indie Wednesdays, have staying power. OPEN: 24 hours a day It was a throw-down good time, although Metal Thursdays and Punk Sundays. Ling’s other ventures, Roxy Jr and Roxy ADMISSION: Free to echo a sentiment heard during the Roxy Roots, which opened as a reggae 99 — which plays mainstream hip-hop and DETAILS: 24-hour Western menu. opening night and after: If the club owner bar, now plays blues and occasionally is often so packed that young clubbers Chinese menu available from 11am didn’t want to associate the place with Vibe, Latin beats as well. Also in the trendy Xinyi spill out onto the street — are as popular to 2pm and 5pm to 9pm why does it play the same music? District (信義), it recently hosted blues band as ever. But other Ling-run venues, such as “On first look, The Other Side had BoPoMoFo. Hopes for the Chinese and Roxy Wave, have come and gone. ON THE NET: www.roxy.com.tw Middle right: ��������������������������Marika McTague goes cuckoo f������or clubs. PHOTO: ALITA RICKARDS some of the same characteristics of Western menu to gain a following have yet So, will the three new ones work? Only Other photos: Scenes from Roxy’s new dance club, The Other Side. pHOTOS COURTESY OF ALYSON SCHILL the old place,” said Marika McTague, a to come to fruition. Located next door to time will tell. EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE VINYL WORD BY TOM LeemiNG online at www.artsticket.com.tw TSO and Per Poc (偶！羅密歐—北市 交VS. Per Poc偶戲團) brings together Theater Billed as a return to the golden age of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (臺北市 UPCominG 立交響樂團 theater-based glove puppet ) with the Per Poc puppet BY DiaNE BAKer K. Lear by International Visual performances, Wu Zhou Yuan Glove company to present Prokofiev’sRomeo Theatre from France combines sign Puppet Theater Troupe’s (五洲園掌中劇 and Juliet. The production will also feature Ballet dancer turned teacher Tzer-shing language, glances, gestures and 團) Conquering All Under actress Lang Tsu-yun (郎祖筠) narrating (王澤馨) has put together a terrific spoken dialogue for its adaptation of Heaven (爭霸天下系列布袋戲) is a the story, and the orchestra will perform lineup of 14 established stars and Shakespeare’s King Lear. The show is series of 10 performances drawn from under the baton of guest conductor newcomers from world-renowned part of the Taipei Arts Festival. the troupe’s traditional repertoire that Domonkos Heja. The program will also companies for the 2009 Interna- ■ Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台), 25, have been revised to cater to include a performance of Leonard tional Ballet Star Gala at the Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德 contemporary audiences. Bernstein’s West Side Story Suite. National Theater. The dancers will be 路三段25號) ■ Red House Theater (紅樓劇場), 10 ■ Today at 7:30pm performing a mix of classical and ■ Tonight and tomorrow at 8pm and Chengdu Rd, Taipei City (台北市成都路 ■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City modern ballet solos and duets by old Don’t try this at home. Sunday at 2:30pm 10號) ■ Tickets are NT$200 to NT$1,000, favorites — George Balanchine, Marius PHOTO: EDUARDO PATINO, COURTESY OF IBSG GROUP ■ Tickets are NT$450 to NT$1,500, ■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm available through NTCH ticketing or Petipa, Kenneth MacMillan and John available through NTCH ticketing or and Sunday at 2:30pm online at www.artsticket.com.tw Neumeier — as well as some who National Theater, Taipei City The Supermilkmen cometh again. PHOTO COURTESY OF DICCON MAYFIELD. online at www.artsticket.com.tw ■ Tickets are NT$200 and NT$300, have been described as the “hottest Aug. 22 at 7pm available through NTCH ticketing or Hu Nai-yuan and the National young ballet choreographers” around, Tickets are NT$1,200 to NT$6,000, Part of the Taipei Arts Festival, online at www.artsticket.com.tw Taipei Symphony Orchestra (胡乃 including David Dawson, Christopher available through NTCH ticketing or ince we have been back from our last Taiwan tour,” Macbeth — Who Is That Bloodied 元與國臺交) features Taiwan’s veteran Wheeldon and Christian Spuck. online at www.artsticket.com.tw said Diccon Mayfield of the Supermilkmen, which Man?, by Poland’s Teatr Biuro Podrozy, violin soloist Hu Nai-yuan (胡乃元) play tomorrow at the Four Points by Sheraton creates a nightmarish world using fire, performing with the National Taipei “SHotel, in Jhonghe City, Taipei County, “we have played stilts and motorbikes in its adaptation of Classical music Symphony Orchestra and conductor opens up for indie-pop band Nylas. On ■ Entrance fee is NT$300 tonight and with the likes of Calvin Harris, Rusko, Crystal Fighters, Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Hubert Soudant. The program includes Sunday the venue hosts Golden Melody tomorrow and includes one drink, and SubFocus, DJ Yoda and also played at Mixmag’s summer ■ No. 5, Beiping East Road Outdoor Chicago Saxophone Quartet (芝 Mozart’s Overture From “The Magic Flute”, Award-winners The Nanwan Sisters (南 NT$100 on Wednesday jam at the legendary Egg Club.” Not bad for a DJ duo who Theater (北平東路5號戶外劇場), 5 加哥薩克斯風四重奏), established in Beethoven’s Concerto for Violin in D, Op. 王姐妹花), a trio of Puyuma (卑南) singers had barely played together live before landing on these Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東 1968, begins a tour of the country 61 and Dvorak’s Symphony No.