Muddy Farmer Hotel karaoke

It's Friday night, and the feeling's right. Well, at least for a jaunt down to venue of the night, and especially to see whether a 'trendy' refurbishment is enough to draw a really good karaoke crowd...

The Muddy Farmer is one of the Irish pubs that are part of the Maguire's chain in the Brisbane area. For those familiar with the area, this pub used to be known as the Junction Hotel.
The Muddy is on the corner of Ipswich and Annerley roads, right on the main road in from the western outskirts of Brisbane and is easy enough to find. Parking tends to be a bit difficult to find earlier in the night due to its being a popular dinner place for the locals.

As soon as you walk through one of the double glass pane doors, the old-worldliness atmosphere of the place strikes you. At first glance one could be forgiven for jumping to the conclusion that this is just another of those pseudo-Irish pubs that have become so popular.

The pub is split level with the top level being a dining area and pokies room. The central level is a wooden bar on one side along the wall with a kitchen area to order your meals. Down the centre of the room is a number of the high round tables so common in pubs. On the opposite side of the room are dining tables on the floor as well as a few booths for those who wish to eat their dinner in a more intimate setting.

My wife and I get there a bit early to have time to have a bite to eat before all the frivolity begins. We both opt for the, relatively, light meal of a Muddy Club Sandwich. In a relatively short time we're presented with a goodly sized plate with chips and a sandwich cut into quarters that are nearly big enough to require a jack to open ones jaws wide enough to take a bite.

With a pint of beer and sandwich in hand, we select my table for the night in the front by where the karaoke is set up. Our feast leaves me a good five dollars change and a bit from $30, which I feel is quite worth it for two people.

While eating, I observe the hosts, Peter and Billee (Night Owls Karaoke -A Team), completing the setting up of their equipment. The equipment is quite good by my humble standards, with large pair of dual speakers on each side of the singing area.

Behind and above the singer and host is a screen for the Video Projection unit used to allow the spectators to see the lyrics and even join in if they wish. On the floor, in front of where the singer stands, is a monitor on a custom made stand - for the singer to see the lyrics of the song.

It's going on about 8pm now; karaoke here runs from 8:30pm to 2am, so there's not long to go. As Peter changes into his KJ clobber for the night, Billee begins making rounds of the patrons armed with songbooks, song slips and pencils. You are offered your songbooks in Artist or Song order.

There are 5000 plus songs to choose from, with everything from old rock and roll to rap, from reggae to Irish classics. I'm advised that, for the first group of singers to get up, there is a free drink involved. As I'm well known for my love of free things, I quickly pick one of my favourites, Teddy Bear.

Deciding I'm in an Elvis mood, I also put Rubberneckin' in for my second song. As the song slip allows up to 3 choices on one slip, I opt for a bit of Status Quo for my third song, and choose 'Rocking All Over The World.'

Peter has got the machine started up now and is playing some good upbeat music to get people in the mood. The sound is very good and it's not long before the old feet start tapping away. The mood seems to be reflected throughout the 40 odd people there.

At 8:30ish, Peter starts the show with a solid rendition of Kenny Roger's 'The Gambler'. After a credible performance, he calls the first singer up. The . . .(full story on where2sing.com)

Read the rest of this exclusive Karaoke Gig Review, and find whether this karaoke gig is still running on Where2sing.com . . .

Where2sing.com