"ICA Award" Trophy
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Early Days
Rock Karaoke began in September 2003 as a chance for Rock fans to sing their favourite tracks before a crowd that would appreciate not just their singing but also the music. Its creator Martin Bannon ran various Karaoke nights across Aberdeen, Scotland and assembled a small catalogue of his favourite Rock songs. It wasn't long before many other people wanted to sing the same songs and asked for more to be added. The problem was that many of the tracks were not well known among the normal Karaoke customers. For this reason, his employers were reluctant to invest in these disks, and so he began to build upon his own personal collection.
For some time he continued to add songs and attract new customers, however they were not well received by the conventional singers. This lead to the search for a venue that would suit the style of music, and allow the new singers to feel comfortable and appreciated. At that time, Henry J Beans on Windmill Brae(now The Bassment), had become the premiere Rock venue in Aberdeen, and provided a vast array of entertainment for the Rock crowd. Originally launched as a fortnightly event, alternating with their Monday night acoustic acts, the evening proved such a success it soon became a weekly Wednesday product.
Expansion
In May 2004, Rock Karaoke secured its second venue, in Barabazza, Inverness. It wasn't long before the evening became one of the most popular and busiest nights in town. Over a year down the line, custom had continued to increase, and Rock Karaoke was awarded the title of "Best Regular Night" at the 2004 ICA Awards.
In January 2005, the third evening began trading in The Stag Hotel, Banchory. Occurring on the first Friday of every month. This operated for over a year with great success, and lead to the further expansion across Scotland and elsewhere.
The first step in this venture was on September 5th 2005, when Rock Karaoke took to Belfast. Upstairs at Auntie Annie's, Dublin Road, it proved an instant hit. With Forums buzzing about the first night, a further 3 were run over the next 6 months. While no further events have taken place since then, plans are already in place to resume in early 2008.
Rock Karaoke secured its first Edinburgh venue in October of 2005 at Opium Rock Club. A long running and popular venue, Monday nights at Opium became one of the busiest nights the bar provided, and attracted some of the most die hard singers it's ever seen.
Due to a change of management, the night ended in September 2006 but has since been re-invented at The Black Rose Tavern on Rose Street Edinburgh, beginning on October 3rd 2007.
November 2005 saw the start of Glasgow Rock Karaoke at The Cathouse. The Rock Venue in Glasgow,
and home to 7.5K Sound Stage, Rock karaoke was now bigger and louder than ever before. This large stage and larger sound made the best singers sound brilliant, but unfortunately the worst sounded... well you get the idea.
In summer 2006 the night moved to Underworld Bar just along the road. Still owned by CPL ( Cathouse Promotions Ltd ), and still every Tuesday it proved a much better home for the Glasgow branch. Since then it has undergone a and become The Catwalk Rock Lounge, but still Rock Karaoke lives on. With new technology allowing singers to be seen around the bar on various sizes of TVs, as well as their names printed below, the regulars even began a strange competition to out do their friends, not just in singing, but in bizarre stage names too.
Future Plans
2008 will see your Rock Karaoke Team looking to expand even further. Belfast is set to return with every effort being made to secure a weekly or fortnightly status. Perth, Dundee and other Scottish locations are already being looked at for possible venues, and with the team now 8 people strong, this should prove to be just the start. Keep checking back for regular updates and to find your nearest venue.
See you soon.