Fiercely loved punk rock and soul bar Specters closing next week
Photograph: courtesy Morgan Short
Punk rock, soul and super dive bar Specters announced its sudden and impending closure just after midnight today on its WeChat account.
'Hello, beautiful, wonderful, terrible people,' the post begins. 'We knew we’d never last long but we didn’t think it would be this soon… The building that Specters is in — 1485 Beijing Xi Lu — has been reclaimed by the local government.' The same sad Shanghai story on loop it seems...
Opened at the end of 2017, the ten-month-old Jingan bar has been exuberantly helmed by Morgan Short (formerly of SmartShanghai.com) and Shanghai musician Gil 'Lao Bi' alongside their partners Yuyintang owners Lao Lu and Zhang Haisheng. A love-it-(and-fiercely-love-it)-or-hate-it place, Specters immediately filled a void in the Shanghai bar scene, with cheap drinks, a solid soundtrack, zero pretension and a whole lot of soul.
'It's pretty sudden,' Short says of the unfortunate closure, which they learned of only a few days ago. 'So all we know is that we'll try to open again somewhere. But the outpouring of support from Shanghai's horrible underclass of punks who want to pay for 25RMB beers and chain-smoke has steeled our resolve. We shall be back! I hear the rents and vibes out by the Hongqiao Airport can't be beat!'
As one might expect from the bar, Specters is going out with what we can only imagine will be a 'glasses smashed, how did I end up in this bed or on this pavement and why is it daylight' week of events that the crew is calling 'Specters! DEATH WEEK!', which will include an afterparty for the YYT Park Halloween Tribute show on Saturday (complete with a 2am Misfits tribute set) and culminate next Wednesday on Halloween itself with a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (and then 'onwards into oblivion') for their last night in the space.
What's in the immediate future? 'We might do a few Specters nights around town as like an outreach programme for people who can't live without this place – like I'm talking about people who have not developed "adult skills" – while we look for a place,' says Short. 'But my real dream is to get Time Out to send me to a bunch of spas, so I can just do that for a minute.'
Have a final drink at Specters this week (except on Sunday when it’s normally closed).
See the full list of Specters! DEATH WEEK! events here.
📍1485 Beijing Xi Lu, near Changde Lu.
More from Time Out Shanghai
The ultimate list of Halloween parties and events in Shanghai
The best street style looks from Shanghai Fashion Week