Lavery’s bar hoping new karaoke studios hit right note with Belfast’s amateur singing stars

One of Belfast’s busiest bars has launched two karaoke studios after transforming a section of its upper floors.

Lavery’s announced the opening of the two studios on Monday, and say they have received “unprecedented interest” in people looking to book them.

The two studios, which hold 15 and 20 people respectively, have been built in an upstairs section of the multi-storey south Belfast bar that previously held pool tables.

Filly Campbell, the head of marketing at Lavery’s, said that both himself and other staff members had been inspired to launch the studios after visiting a popular karaoke venue in Germany’s capital city.

“The idea has been in the pipeline for a while now”, he told the Belfast Telegraph. “Sarah Blackburn, the general manager, and myself had both been separately over in Berlin and visited Monster Ronson’s Ichiban Karaoke Bar with friends — that experience really planted the seed.

“Since then, we’ve both been in lots of karaoke spaces, from The Gainsborough Bar, Derry, to bars across England and Scotland.

“We’ve wanted to do karaoke booths for some time, but the biggest challenge was finding the right space within the bar to make it work.

“Once we seriously started exploring the project, Bernard Lavery, the director, suggested The Balcony as the perfect spot. It had been used for pool tables before, but we realised it had huge potential as a multi-purpose space.

“So, we took the leap and transformed it into two large rooms to test the waters with karaoke.

Singing at bars is nothing new, although it is not always planned or welcomed by other patrons. Karaoke gives a space to sing among a more receptive, or at least more expectant audience. Mr Campbell feels it is having a “resurgence”, but admits some people come to the pastime with nerves.

“When you mention it to people, you usually get one of two reactions: ‘That’s my worst nightmare’ or ‘When are we doing it?’

“Interestingly, those who say it’s their worst nightmare tend to change their tune once they’ve been dragged along by their more enthusiastic mates.

“It’s funny to watch even the most steadfast naysayers loosen up and really get into it after a couple of songs — it can really surprise you! “The appeal is in how social it is. When you’re in a room with friends, all the usual inhibitions disappear — whether you can sing or not doesn’t matter. It’s about the shared experience and the laughs.

“In recent years, we’ve seen a definite rise in interest — people are looking for more interactive, experience-led nights out, and karaoke fits that perfectly. It’s not just about the music; it’s about letting go with friends and even having a wee dance.”

Mr Campbell said Lavery’s had received “incredible” and “unprecedented” interest in the karaoke studios since announcing them this week.

“We’ve been blown away by how quickly bookings have taken off. It’s clear that there’s a huge appetite for it, and we’re excited to finally be opening the doors.

“One of the great things about Lavery’s is that we’ve always been a “something-for-everyone” kind of bar, and the karaoke rooms are no different.

“We’re not targeting any specific demographic — the karaoke software we are using has over 100,000 songs that covers every genre from metal to K-Pop so there really is something for everyone. I’ve been in other cities where someone suggests karaoke, and you can just pop in on a whim — that’s exactly what we’d love to see happen here.

“We don’t want it to feel like something you have to plan weeks in advance; we want people to be able to make spontaneous decisions to book a room.

“Success for us is seeing people enjoy what we’ve created. We put a lot of thought into how the rooms would work, and we went all out with top-of-the-line AV equipment to ensure the best possible experience.

“While karaoke will be the primary use, we’ve designed the rooms to be versatile spaces. Long term, we’d love to see them being used for podcasting (before opening hours), gaming parties, private screenings, and other creative events.

“Ultimately, we want the karaoke rooms to become a core part of what makes Lavery’s unique — a place where everyone can feel at ease to come and have a good time, no matter what type of night they are after.”