Early 90s pubs like Pygmalion and The Black Stuff were a hit not only with the Irish and Anglophone community, but also with Luxembourgers seeking something different from their local café.
Then expats like Ture Hedberg with his Playground venture in the mid-90s, Tim Probyn and Henrik Jensen, who ran legendary bar-club The Elevator, and Ray and Tom Hickey, who opened up Urban in 2004, set the standards for what has followed. They were keenly aware of what made the best nightlife spots in other European cities so successful, but also made sure their venues retained a distinctly local flavour and ran bars that they would enjoy spending time in themselves. Nothing sells as well as passion for your own product.
Ray Hickey at Urban Bar in the Luxembourg City-Centre, in December 2013. Photo: Steve Eastwood
The winners of Luxembourg Nightlife Awards presented on 8 May were packed with people and venues that bear testament to the legacy of those projects. Best apéro bar winner (and second in the best bar clubbing category), Ënnert de Steiler would surely not be the place it is if Lorraine Hegarty, herself an expat child, had not earned her spurs at The Elevator. Lorraine again placed in the top three in the best barmaid category.
Revelers at the Jazz’n Blues Rallye in the Grund and Clausen districts, in August 2015. Photo: Steve Eastwood
But Luxembourgers, too, were clearly inspired by those pioneers. Bouneweger Stuff is a great little bar that took on the sort of rough second-hand look adopted by Ture Hedberg for his Konrad Café, and has attracted an equally eclectic crowd of hip creatives, local drinkers and middle-age couples nostalgic for the nightlife scene of their youth but looking for a venue where they can hold a decent conversation. Luka Heindrichs, who won a special jury award and whose De Gudde Wëllen was voted best bar for clubbing, has created the sort of venue with live music and sizzling DJ nights that would bring a tear to the eye of anyone still missing the glory days of The Elevator.
Heading down to the cellar, where performances are held, at Konrad Café in Luxembourg City-Centre, in November 2013. Photo: Jessica Theis
And the fact that The Tube and Pygmalion still feature in the public vote for best bar, and that Mark Russell won the best generalist DJ award, is further testament to the expat influence. Indeed, that there is a special best pub award--won by Oscar’s--is evidence that the organisers recognise the special contribution the international community has made to the nightlife scene. Long may it continue to do so.
This article was first published in the June 2016 issue of Delano magazine. Be the first to read Delano articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.
