In a surprising Facebook post on Monday night, Overground Bar & Cafe owner Grahame Lynch announced that he was closing his popular Sukhumvit Soi 22 cafe and bar this Sunday.
But don’t worry, there will still be one last weekend to drink the bar dry.
Lynch said of his decision to close the bar that: “Running a full bar and eatery with a good sound system, table service and good entertainment costs money and there simply wasn’t enough revenue coming in to pay the bills.”
The Australian expat, who has had Overground for three years and another bar, SinBin, for the three years before that, said that he opened Overground, which hosted live music and spoken word performances, “to kickstart a creative performance scene.”
He noted that, in the time he’s had the space, many other venues have started hosting comedy, beat poetry, live electronica and other events.
“So, in that sense, my mission is accomplished. We aren’t needed so much anymore,” Lynch said
But the people that hung out there aren’t so quick to agree. They will miss their favorite haunt. Gabriel Lynch said, “It’s the loss of a bloody institution for performers in Thailand. This is truly heartbreaking.”
Christopher Stephen Cooke said, “There is always something lonely about being an immigrant, despite what the boast posts on social media say. That’s why good people were drawn to Overground for great music and company. Overground was so unique and yet so familiar. A cultural hub, without ever being pretentious. A business that felt more like a community.”
In the Facebook post announcing the closing, Lynch mentioned the international acts he hosted including A Guy Called Gerald, Francois K, Basement Freaks and DJ Scratchy. He also mentioned his association with local acts and promoters such as Jenny and the Scallywags, Popscene and the spoken word group Bangkok Lyrical Lunacy.
The news came as a big shock to occasional visitors, who showed up when Overground hosted a big act like New York DJ Afrika Islam (who performed several times to an always-packed house) but, Lynch noted, there were plenty of other nights when the bar was less crowded.
A photo from Overground’s third anniversary party last month. DJ Afrika Islam is on the left and bar owner Grahame Lynch is at the back.
For the moment, he has no plans to open another venue in Bangkok but promises that the Overground name will live on in future festivals and events. As far as keeping Afrika Islam returning to Bangkok to play a handful of shows per year, Lynch said, “He will be back, I promise!”
When asked what he thought of the spate of expat bar closing announcements lately from institutions such as Cheap Charlie’s and CheckInn 99, he said, “Land is valuable and the economic reality is that it goes to the most valuable use. With closing times shifting around the 1am to 2am mark, a nightclub or late night bar can only earn revenue for a few hours a day. A Family Mart or condo ticks over cash every day, every hour. Simply put, we are in an uneconomic industry from a commercial point-of-view. So, most of the people who do this, do it for love. But love doesn’t pay the bills.”
He also noted the uncertainty of Thailand’s always-shifting political and commercial environment.
“People in uniform don’t like places like ours. Landlords are always open to someone with a check from a condo developer. There is just way too much risk and uncertainty associated with owning a night venue in this environment. There was no particular straw that broke the camel’s back [in deciding to close], just a cool appraisal that things will get worse before they get better. And because of that, owning the bar had stopped being fun,” Lynch said.
And everyone knows that expat life in Thailand should be fun.
Speaking of fun, Overground will host closing parties on Friday and Saturday night. Friday will feature music from DJs Nemo Cools and Rory Breaker-Morant. Saturday will feature DJ Billy V and a performance by Lynch’s own band, Wasabi Bytes (featuring jnknslry).
