Esch-sur-Alzette we all know as the Grand Duchy’s second largest city and, where entertainment is concerned, has been able to offer just about everything in the centre. Nightclubs, to DJ and music oriented bars, cinemas, theatre and even strip clubs are there to be discovered, but what about venues focused on live local music? Sure, the Rockhal and Rockhal Café are not far away, but can hardly be considered as Esch “city centre”. It must be said, that certain bars do offer the odd concert, but there hasn’t really been a place specialising in local gigs….. That is until now!
Enter - Stage Bar! A venue that opened in style on Friday 13th April right in the heart of Esch, with a 3-band concert line-up: Pete’s Cross, Five Cent Cones and The Gambling Badgers. You can see all the photos in the FUZE gallery slide show below…
It wasn’t so long ago that Stage Bar was actually a boulangerie! You could say that’s a major change of recipe for the owners – from bread rolls to Rock ‘n’ Roll! (Sorry that was bad). But what convinced them to take the plunge into a live music venue?
One of the staff members explained, “there was nothing in Esch as a live music bar. There are DJ places and a lot of Brazilian music bars, but not much for local musicians”. Stage Bar hopes to redress the balance a bit and bring in local live acts as well as further afield, into its little location.
As the bar has just opened, there is no programme as of yet, but the staff are busy working on it and plan to have gigs every week. In fact they are looking for acts right now. Contact details are at the bottom of this article if you’re interested!
The layout
Stage Bar does indeed have a kind of stage, although not raised that high. This makes for an intimate venue bringing acts and public close together. The owners estimate the bar has a capacity of about 80 people and certainly they all seemed there for the opening night! Getting from one end of the place to the other proved quite a challenge!
As for sound, this was surprisingly good - better in fact than some other little local venues. The equipment didn’t seem that elaborate but the sound quality and balance coming from the front of the stage and from right at the back of the bar meant that it didn’t matter where you stood or sat, you still got a clear sound. Importantly for a small venue – not distorted or too loud!
Downstairs where the toilets are, there’s also a storage area ideal for musicians to dump equipment and cases and the bar itself located on rue du Canal in Esch – a main road with easy access. It is also important to note that playing at Stage Bar costs nothing! The bar even says it will pay musicians in one form or another depending on the act.
“We hope this place will become the place to be for music” stated one of the bar staff. The bar certainly has a lot going for it and has the right recipe for success!
FUZE wishes Stage Bar a successful venture!
Stage Bar Info:
Address:
79 rue du Canal,
L-4050 Esch-sur-Alzette
Tel: 661 842 445 or 621 475 710
Email: stagebar@hotmail.fr
Facebook: Stagebaresch
Opening times: Every day 10am to 1am
Stage Bar location on Google Maps
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