What a quirky little bar hidden away at the top of Russell St. The basic premise is that you get you drinks, find a table and you then get little pieces of paper to jot your song requests down by number. The book of songs to choose from is extensive. The Karaōke is a shared experience as there is only one stage, and often you will get everyone joining in for the good anthems. On a Friday this place is chokers which makes this even more fun. If you want to get into the mix sit up towards the stage at the back of the room, or chill out towards the front as the music doesn’t quite get up there. All good basic fun.
Mel P.
Tu valoración: 3 Melbourne, Australia
I don’t like the trend of karaōke bars that offer private rooms. Singing alone feels weird. Probably because I can’t carry a tune to save myself and go sheerly for a laugh. Open karaōke bars encourage a lot of bonding between patrons and Jankara is great for that. A small group of four at the start of the night quickly turned into one massive group from 3 – 4 parties, all cheering each other on and even joining for a couple of duets. Jankara is ‘free’, but you need to buy drinks in order to sing. That means the drinks are also a bit overpriced to cover, but they’re pretty generous on the song cards and don’t limit it one for one. Next time you have the urge to massacre Radiohead or channel your inner diva, I’d recommend checking this place out.
Mark J.
Tu valoración: 2 Melbourne, Australia
When it comes to karaōke, I’m all about the old school. Or maybe it’s the new school. Whichever school it is, it’s the one where you don’t have to pay to sing. I don’t care whether you’re straight up purchasing songs, or whether(like at Jankara) you’re buying drinks which come with«song cards», it’s a dodgy proposition. Especially when it’s an open mic and a crowded bar — you pay for songs you don’t use, and that’s plain wrong. The drinks are overpriced, of course, but the song list isn’t bad. That said, the actual backing tracks for the songs can vary quite a bit, and they’ve got a few of those multi-song medleys which can seem like a good idea to a drunken hen’s party.(Here’s a hint — they’re not. Pick an actual song.) It’s not completely awful, but I don’t think it’s quite good enough.