Will Be Better in Byron Bay
Spring in Shanghai brings the yearly new club boom, with each new venue hoping to survive in this strumpet of a city. But will an adaptation of the super-club concept mesh well with the (in)famous local dice game? The recently shows at BRB doesn't make for a promising answer. BRB keeps up the Shanghai club status quo with an open layout and smoky dance floor surrounded by semi-private booths, VIP karaoke rooms with mysterious tinted red windows and a baroque chandelier in the washroom lobby. The requisite smoke and lasers create a magical realism on the dance floor as big name DJs spin flawless trance, techno and dance mixes. Great performances and a powerful sound system don't seem to be effective enough to keep the minority expat crowd transfixed, but we might be able to blame the half-hearted drinks and a concept of service that seems rather foreign to the bartenders. Both metropolitans and gin and tonics are a standard ¥40 and both are nothing more than ordinary.

Helen Lee

Add: 570 Huaihai Xu Lu淮海西路570号
Tel: 6326-2088