Club culture is dying. According to BBC, one of 5 clubs have shut down in England since the pandemic; 65 this year alone as per Mixmag. This shift has been widely spoken about across TikTok & Instagram as well. The general discourse touches upon both the music of the times and the way we consume it. Concerts, raves, traveling parties, even streamed jam sessions are thriving but it's just the drunk girls dancing on tables with high-heels on that's on the decline. TikTokers believe it's because of the music - indie, goth and slow bedroom pop are topping the charts which are not exactly club bangers. Most listeners today prefer curated events that feature specific genres and artists they like.
This has also inadvertently brought a shift in collective music experiences giving birth to hybrid spaces like AM Radio in LA that hosts coffee shop gigs. Here at home Crab Culture is doing something similar in the dry city of Surat where bars and clubs are restricted. People who follow Cercle and the HOR Berlin streams will tell you that 'out of place' live music isn't a new concept but the way it has overpowered club culture and redefined social entertainment definitely signs to a new era.
Following suit, 'Long Night At The Museum' is a new series by Skip-a-beat that makes Mumbai's Museum of Solutions their latest venue for a gig. The limited capacity event has two dedicated music spaces — one showcasing live indie performances and another with curated DJ sets. With music, cocktail bars, pop-up shops and food, the event is creating a fresh community-based experience befitting the current generation. Our lives have become much more intentional. People want better hang out spots or ways to spend their weekends than just hang out at malls or bars where compulsive spending leads the narrative. This is also why the fast food chain culture is also evolving into slow living with home-style cafes/ art cafes that encourage you to linger for longer.
A museum is another exceptional and stimulating space to spend your free time. The fact that the Museum of Solutions is aimed towards children makes it even more intriguing. It is filled with interactive installations, 4 distinct labs themed around, water, farming/ gardening, photography/ filmmaking, and even a Mangrove tunnel. The museum floors remains open throughout the evening for ticket holders so with Long night at the museum, you get to experience all that while listening to artists like sudan, Rae Mulla, Perp & more.
The series marks another homegrown chapter in alternative spaces for live music. And a museum is a magical place. Ben Stiller's film that inspired the series' title is the perfect example of that. Dinosaur skeletons and Egyptian princes might not come alive here but you can still expect a vibrant and surreal, affair here on November 9.
Get your tickets here.
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