The Empire Strikes Back

If you come from PTA you will know before The Grove Mall there used to be this restaurant where the current parking bordering Lynnwood on your left is today. Parrots or something like that. Alas, the new development always around every corner in an urban amazon they demolished like two thirds of the place to make place for the new mall. Now you should know by now that they don't fuck around in building malls around here. A little piece of the building stayed and behold The Grove grew around it. Before my legal drinking age at one New Year's Eve a friend of mine suggested I go to Arcade Empire for their end year bash. I couldn't get in, one thing you should know about Arcade is that they have the best bouncers the planet has seen. I'm talking the sincerest professional guys ever. You'd think how the fuck can sincere and professional be in a sentence with a bouncer. This was 2011 at the time. Car wash by day and soon to be discovered behemoth of a live music venue by night.

The Arcade Empire bar popped all over I heard rumors that that there was one in Hartbeespoortdam, one in Potchefstroom (as if those hooligans don't have enough alcohol as it is) and showing up in different places throughout Pretoria. There is a rich history as to how the Empire started with original owner/owners etc.

I have a story about the humble beginnings. I cannot assure you how much of it is true but do yourself a favour and if your around the place or in the 012 ask if someone knows the history.

To the bloody point already you say. Ok, here we go.

This place has seen some killer bands. Bands that to this day have destroyed the stage time after time. I was really devastated to see that Psych Night had the Allah-Las there for a show. THE FUCKING ALLAH LAS. Sadly I could not attend because I was somewhere of doing something I cannot recall. If time travel is made possible in the near future the first place I would go is to that first Fokofpoliskar show with our other writer André. That said I got batted on the head with a black label dumpy in the moshpit. Nonetheless it was a night for the proverbial books.

They hosted these crazy Halloween shows where the parking lot is cleared for more stages and bars to the point where you would get lost. There was a Boba Fett dude with a hubbly jetpack that we followed and hogged for probably the entire night. Do yourself a big favor and go on their Facebook page to see the past events plus some nice visual material. The Empire caters for every type of music lover whether it comes to those transformers having a rap battle or to the heavy kak where people dress darker than the night itself and everything in and around of that.

So what's the Empire up to these days you ask? I can't say really. Go check the Facebook. I just did at this moment they are closed for renovations. Let's hope dumbledore kills this bird and it rises from the ashes like the majestic fucking beast it is.

I'm not flaming or shaming this place. Believe me I would have my future wedding at this place. In my honest opinion it been quiet recently. If anyone working there is reading this, of floor level, management or any other influence get those bands back. Big headliners with a familiar and an upcoming opener. Doef doef and that other stuff on Fridays for the "friYays" and the brandish stuff on Saturdays. Not even Gordon Ramsey will argue with that recipe. It sounds easy but our music scenes are expensive to keep alive from the owners side and that deserves some understanding.

I remember lines outside similar to checking in at airports during a week night which is a good thing by the way as prisonish as it sounds. I should mention that The Strip is pulling a few heads to the Hatfield side but that shouldn't be a surprise. Crusty Jugglers.

People don't just go for music. Some people want to have a good drinking time with friends. This place served 2 for 1 jam jars from 2pm to 8pm. Jars filled with a metric fuckton of hard booze and topped off with the accompanied mix. We used to go with 6 people a total of R300 and speed up to the late hours of the party crying outside the Grove gate being locked out and unable to go inside for McD's
Don't worry they opened a Burger King just across the road recently

So when you and a few mates are tired of those same old places remember just glued to that Grove Mall is a Death Star with a very powerful tractor beam that might pull your Millennium Falcon in.

Just be weary The Empire Strikes Back!

Go check these links:
Allah Las Psych Night : Arcade Empire

Video courtesy of the fablads from Boogy Central

@wesselmoller

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