Rock in Nicosia

Rock music in Nicosia (like anywhere else in the world) is found everywhere. Whether it is the 5-10 minute interlude in a mainstream club or a genuine gritty, dark, hard-rocking, head-bangin bar. Nevertheless, there is no rock club - and if you come to think of it generally rock music is still the music that few will choose as their preference for their outings. The above-mentioned bars are 5 or 6 and in total only on Fridays and Saturdays they accomplish surpassing 200 people (all together)- in a city of 300.000! "I-know-everyone-in-here-and-I'm-cool" clubs, and similarly so-called "in" cafes rule the nightlife.

This is why I decided on comprising the following guide to places were you can enjoy rock music in Nicosia. I will use the term loosely and incorporated places that don't play 100% rock, but have a rock atmosphere or can be encompassed under the wider "umbrella" of rock music (eg metal, pop-rock, greek rock etc).

I won't rate any of the places, rather just review them... The sequence has to do (roughly) with the age of the places (older-to-newer).

Reckless

A hard rocker through-and-through. Wooden floors & bar, a few rock-icon posters and a pool table at the center of this small bar. Musically the playlist plays it safe by sticking to the classics and a very few rock hits from the contemporary rock scene. Once-in-a-while when the bald guy is the dj he will play a few rarities, more alternative stuff; which is a welcome change as the music tends to get a bit repetitive. People are basically of the 20+ age group. Its only major disappointing aspect is its location. It is situated in the center of the Engomi club zone which generally attracts teenagers, and this drives away a lot of 20+ people that simply scratch it off as a place for "kids" - which it isn't. But if the 3 factors for a successful business are: location, location, location - Reckless prooves them wrong as its been alive for 20 years, with 2-3 nights a week working to full capacity (although most of them patrons).

Babylon

The other 20-year-old bar but with a more chill-out feel. Certainly, quieter than Reckless as sometimes the murmur from the people makes it difficult to listen to the song playing. On the other hand it has a cosier, warmer feeling to it helped by the darker lit bar and the many, many rock posters all over from concerts and tours of different bands. More suitable for a quiet Sunday night, or any summer night for its outside area which is always packed but is even more quiet due its total absence of music.

New Division

A bit of a peculiar case of a "rock" bar. Inverted comas used due to the fact that the playlist is never very hard-rocking, rather it stays as far away from mainstream music as possible playing forgotten oldies, rare live versions of songs, experimental music, world music even electronica. A few rock classics will pop-out here and there, but don't be mistaken, this is a rock bar: catching the very essence of what rock means. What is rock (or better rock attitude ) after all? Isn't it rebellion, anti-establishment sentiment and detest for everything mainstream? Well, all these things are found here from the music, to the way people dress, to the dinginess of the building (hollow parquet floors, old fireplaces, walls ready to fall on you etc). Fridays are the days that ND really takes off and attracts not only locals but also foreigners that want to refrain from the "in" way of the Nicosian-outing scene. Recommended enough but the mixed-bag of music-offering can get a bit tiring.

Scaraveo

Although at a very close proximity to other more mainstream offerings (Sfinakia club, Starbucks etc) and in an area that is booming lately with new additions all the time (Brewery, Hustle), Scaraveo insists too its alternative attitude, rock mood and love for diverse musical offerings. Each night is a different music-nigth, Thursday are for reggae, other nights there's also electronica and so on. The most "rocking" night is Tuesday night, when it plays metal. These metal nights are targeted to the really hard-rockers that are willing to head-bang the night away until every muscle of their neck gets sore! A fine bar, an oasis in an area were dressing-up and looking cool is the standard, a very ironic antithesis...

Stranger than paradise (Skali)

Essentially a cave on the hillside of the area of Skali Aglantzias, converted in a bar. Again, not a rock bar due to its musical tastes but due to its "alternativeness"... Actual (hard) rock music here is even a bigger rarity than in New Division... Latin, pop oldies, jazz, blues even rap and hip&hop grace the bizarre playlist... Its small size and rocky surroundings add a nice atmosphere to it, although a place better enjoyed with a small group of friends willing to be bombarded to such a large and wide scope of music.

Enallax

Not a typical bar as such, but a live band bar. Its newest house band (Fri & Sat) are extremely talented (especially the lead singer and guitarist), playing Greek Rock - and I do mean rock music: some mistake greek rock with the so-called entechno... These guys rock and rock hard, they might start off with entechno style ballads, but as the night goes on the guitar & drums get faster giving you a genuine rock night with a splash of some English-speaking rock classics....


Now to the newer additions in Nic:

Harley's (Chateau Status)

Harley's is part of the multi-usage Chateau Status which includes gourmet restaurant/meeting place/seminar room/cigar-lounge room... The rock room/bar, as suggested by its name is decorated by everything and anything with a Harley Davidson logo on it... It basically has the most retro feel to it and attracts an older age group than any other of the bars on this list. The music also is the most retro: including rock classics, oldies and even disco hits... More suitable to the 35+ age group or even younger people that have an ear for anything mainstream but from eras before the year that they were born or rock music... Unexpectedly quite loud but good fun...

Hustle

One of the newer hot spots in the center of the city... A brilliant idea for a bar (which it isn't quite), accomplishing to combine a restaraunt, bar, pool hall (of some sort) and attracting people from all age groups and people with varying tastes: people here can be aged 20 to 45, might be of the "look-at-me-I'm-wearing-an-overpriced-brand" crowd to the more rocking ("anti-mainstream") crowd... Many may argue that Hustle has nothing to do with rock music - but "studying" it closer you will find a rock heart there... The pool tables give a feel of a rock bar, and the music may sometimes have flickers of pop-mainstream but most of the time it plays oldies (70s onwards)... Moreover, it has rock-nights - Sunday-nights, which are really good... With a playlist that plays it safe sticking to hits but from a wide range of sub-genres and styles of rock... from rock n roll oldies, to punk and new-wave, 80s, 90s, metal and more... A great place in general enjoyed better with a snack from the their OK kitchen...

Memories

The very very latest addition to rock offerings... Large posters of rock-icons are on the outside, so you won't miss it (its close to the Pili Ammochostou area). In the inside the decor is consistent with the outside. It has the feeling of a classy place, but stills needs time (its only 2 months old) to build a following. The Fri-Sat band also keeps the mood down, "blues-ing -up" every song (most them rockers from the past), evident by the near-constant use of the harmonica... It needs time and better promotion and maybe a change of the band, and it can be become great... We'll have to wait - we need more rock-offerings desperately....

Although probably totally unecessary - I hope this guide will help the rockers of Nic (that are certainly more than the ones that currently go to these places) find a suggestion or two for an outing at a place they might didn't now about or previously didn't want to give a chance...