The face of live bands in the city has changed ever since a Supreme Court order allowed women to be employed at hotels where liquor is served.
In the 1990s, live bands flourished in the city with the active support of local goons as well as the police. “MG Road and Brigade Road were the main centres where live bands thrived before the city became an IT hub. It slowly spread to the Majestic area, where a floating population could be found. As only the Excise Act – which forbade women from being employed at places where liquor was served – existed back then, many hotel and bar owners exploited the situation,” a senior officer said.
Soon, many crimes like kidnapping and rape – involving live bands – surfaced, and the matter started taking a turn for the worse. “But a clandestine understanding between the police and the bar owners kept the system going,” the officer added. However, it wasn’t long before the High Court finally rung the death knell for live bands. Well, almost.
Trade union leader and activist B Shreepathy Rao said that the re-introduction of women as bartenders has yet again given unscrupulous elements a chance to indulge in nefarious activities. “But the police are a happier lot as they get a significant cut from the earnings,” he said.
Live-band bars have now been rechristened as dance bars and they serve liquor that costs four to five times more than the maximum retail price. “Customers agree to pay more for their drinks because they are being entertained by the women there,” Rao said.
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