For Blu Jaz Cafe, the music plays on — for now
On Oct 21, 2018, Blu Jaz Cafe's director Aileen Tan was notified by the Public Entertainment Appeal Board that a review of its appeal was pending, and it could carry on hosting live acts.
SINGAPORE — With just a little more than half an hour before the cancellation of its public entertainment licence kicked in on Monday (Oct 22), popular entertainment venue Blu Jaz Cafe received a temporary reprieve.
On Sunday, Blu Jaz’s director Aileen Tan received word — at 11.26pm to be precise — from the Public Entertainment Appeal Board (PEAB) that a review of its appeal was pending, and it could carry on hosting live acts.
The board said the cancellation date of the venue’s Public Entertainment Licence shall “not take effect on Oct 22, 2018 or any specified date” until it comes to a final decision.
The revocation of its licence — due to its repeated flouting of licensing conditions and accumulating 24 demerit points within a 24-month period — was to have taken effect on Monday.
The PEAB is now in the process of reviewing Blu Jaz’s appeal against an earlier failed police appeal.
Blu Jaz first received notice on Sept 7 that the police is cancelling its licence from Sept 28.
Ms Tan made an appeal on Sept 11, but received notice on Oct 10 that the appeal was dismissed due to the non-compliance of licensing conditions. The police added that its decision was final.
Last week, the bar, which put together a petition against the police’s decision, submitted its second appeal to the board against the earlier decision. It also sought a postponement of the licence cancellation date.
Writing on Facebook on Monday, the bar said: “We broke the good news to everyone in the room, close to midnight, during the ‘Blue Monks Sunday Jam … Hope Its Not The Last Jam’.
“Everyone was caught (by surprise) and was totally elated.”
Blu Jaz added it was “very thankful” to the board, as well as “all the strong support from our music friends and family, the petitioners, and all those who worked (round) the clock to save us from extinction”.
Speaking to TODAY on Monday, a visibly relieved Ms Tan said that with the reprieve, all its live acts slated to perform till the end of the year “are now back on board with us”.
The bar also stressed again that it was taking “responsibility” for its oversight on overcrowding and noise issues.
The police said on Monday that it has been notified by PEAB that "the cancellation of Blue Jaz Cafe's public entertainment licence will be put on hold until PEAB makes a decision on the appeal".
Last Friday, the police detailed two recent instances of “severe overcrowding” in a statement to the media.
Blu Jaz’s approved occupancy load for the second floor is 30 persons. But the police found more than 150 people on the second floor on April 28, more than five times the approved load.
In a follow-up check on May 5, the police found the bar flouting this rule again, allowing close to 200 people onto the second floor — more than six times the approved limit.
Ms Tan said last Friday that Blu Jaz has since deployed personnel to do headcounts. It has also raised the minimum age of patrons who can go to the second floor to 25 for men and 21 for women, up from 18.
Writing on Facebook on Monday, Blu Jaz said: “We are engaging with our landlord to install soundproof doors and windows on the premises, and to explore with the building authorities, the possibility of adding an external staircase to the building.
“We hope that the authorities will grant us the necessary time to put all possible further measures in place to manage the overcrowding and noise issues.”
