222 Arts Club: Collective Minds Curates A New Venue Catered To Live Gigs

Kribo Records’ Geylang Afro Rock Band at the media launch of 222 Arts Club (Credit: Ian Lim / Collective Minds)

With countless events notched on its belt, plenty spanning across cities in Asia, Collective Minds is, by far, one of the most consistent gig promoters these past few years. From Yaeji and Toro y Moi to Tkay Maidza and Thundercat, the range of illustrious global acts brought down mollifies issues of genre rigidity and conservative bookings, exposing audiences to innovative experiences. Music discovery aside, Collective Minds’ activities have invited spectators into an array of hosting venues, such as Kilo Lounge, Tuff Club and The Warehouse Hotel. And now, Collective Minds has opened a new door into 222 Arts Club, a new multi-faceted event space that the ambitious promoters are proud to call their own.

Curated officially by Collective Minds, the 5,000 sqft space is marketed as “the ultimate blank canvas” for private events, art exhibitions, and of course, concerts. Having gone through its all-white, container-walled corridor at the entrance, and emerging into a capacious, fully-equipped hall buffed with a lacquered floor, I could imagine the brimming potential of this flexible venue. Veteran partygoers might also find its Queen Street address familiar; prior to the rebranding, this was the location of The Council’s Plastik Dreams series. So if you were privy to that ravey scenario, you can vouch for this venue’s viability as a music space. At its media launch event, I found this perception to be consistent.

Also setting the mood right for the media launch was Funk Bast*rd (Credit: Ian Lim / Collective Minds)

And Narelle Kheng (Credit: Ian Lim / Collective Minds)

Expect everything from live gigs to DJ-helmed parties (Credit: Ian Lim / Collective Minds)

With an eclectic set from Darker Than Wax’s Funk Bast*rd, and live performances from Narelle Kheng and Kribo Records’ Geylang Afro Rock Band, 222 Arts Club proved its worth as a credible gig venue, with top-of-the-line audio and lighting equipment already integrated into the space. No doubt, this will be a platform for future concerts organised by Collective Minds – like the upcoming Ezra Collective show on 3 March – but I’m hoping to see smaller promoters and bands book the space (local talents get discounted rates) to push their craft. It’s a sentiment also shared by Collective Minds honcho, Zaran Vachha, who wants aspiring bands to have no excuse when finding gig opportunities.

The stage is set. Now, let’s see where the scene goes with this.