Zula Bar has been a popular fixture on Long Street in the Mother City for over half a decade. I reckon it’d be safe to say that anyone who’s even vaguely interested in live music and lives in Cape Town crossed the threshold, climbed stairs and enjoyed a night out soaking up the usually great vibe of the institution. Owners Zoe and Vusa have created a thriving business and have given many upstart acts and households names alike a space to rock the foundations and please the general populace. Testament to Zula’s success and dedication to the scene, they’ve decided to take a big leap and move into a new mega-venue a couple blocks further from the epicentre of Long Street’s hubbub. Recently, the new Zula staged their Grand Opening – a weekend festival replete with a roster of some great bands spread over two evenings, the highlight being a rare performance by local legends, the Springbok Nude Girls.
The opening appeared to be a massive success, the place was packed with a truly diverse crowd of revellers, young and old, and the atmosphere was excitable. Some of the bands were unfortunately generic and lost the attention of the crowd but the likes of The Jack Mantis Band, the Hogs, the Rudimentals and, of course the Nude Girls, electrified the place. 
Simply put, the venue is incredible. It looks to me like the local music scene will finally have a capacious haunt to let down its collective hair and really get wild in numbers. It boasts two levels, each of which is larger than any club on the circuit. The upstairs music hall is undoubtedly going to be a nexus of future sonic uprisings in Cape Town – the space has been inspiringly dubbed ‘Upstage’ and I see it doing exactly that, upstaging the rest of the industry and showing ‘em who is boss. With its Victorian embellishments and a delightful lofty ambiance, Upstage looks set to become a second home to performers and crowds.
Acoustically, I was pleasantly surprised as I expected a mushy din considering the bare concrete and cavernous nature of the place. Hopefully, Zula will look into taking the extra steps to treat the room, potentially turning a great space into a legendary space. ‘Downstage’ on the opening eve looked somewhat incomplete, with a distinctly warehouse vibe that wasn’t necessarily remiss and added an interesting tone – the atmosphere could sit well with particular genres and parties that till now have not had decent venues to explore. A bit sad that the balcony from the last venue couldn’t be amended to this new space but this new Zula is a clear case of one massive upgrade. I’m certainly keen to become part of the furniture!
WORDS: James Rose-Mathew
IMAGES: Saskia Swanepoel
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