Benjys

The Verdict

If you’ve never held a microphone with one hand while cradling a tequila sunrise in the other, Benjys is here to rectify that. It’s a candy-striped, super welcoming karaoke parlour dedicated to all things FUN.

“There’s so much craziness in the world,” says founder Tim Firth. “We just wanted to build something happy.”

Mission bloody accomplished. The main room looks like a dressing room from Priscilla. A kaleidoscopic flurry of bedazzled fedora hats (always a good idea), cassette tapes and old vinyl on the wall, group tables where you can plot your next song request (most likely Daryl Braithwaite), and a bar within arm’s reach. Benjys has 30,000 songs on tap, thanks to an in-house karaoke app. They’re projected onto the main wall, surrounded by old records (“We call it BenjyVision,” says Tim).  

If you’re a 3 on a scale of 1-To-Belting-Out-Mariah Carey, take your beers out to the Technicolor  patio out back and flex your vocal chords. The ‘Lovers Lane’ down the side of the building is painted with piano keys and looks like something out of Mario’s Rainbow Road.

"People say that they feel like they're on holiday here," Tim says. "It's like you've found the perfect house party." 

We could write a Phd. on the reasons why you should visit this place. But really, just picture your boss on stage crying and singing My Heart Will Go On. If that’s not reason enough, we don’t know what is.

Image credit: Annika Kafcaloudis