Cow & Coolies

Cow & Coolies, established in the early 1990s, was a mixed lesbian-straight karaoke pub located at 30 Mosque Street, Singapore 059508; telephone number 6221-1239.





Opening hours from Mondays to Thursdays were from 5pm to 1am. On Fridays and Saturdays, they were from 5pm to 2am. Entry was free. A glass of beer cost $10.



The low-key pub was not in an area of yuppy hangouts nor dodgy hostess lounges. It was a well-loved watering hole in the heart of Chinatown which atracted an eclectic crowd of both gay as well as straight Singaporeans. Foreigner backpackers counted amongst its customers because there was an establishment called Backpackers' Inn Chinatown upstairs which provided basic travellers' accommodation for $25 a night.



Cow & Coolies especially drew friendly, Mandarin-speaking womyn in their early twenties and thirties who hankered to showcase their vocal prowess, belting out one or two of the latest Mandopop hits on the heavily used karaoke machine.

The clientele also consisted of men in office wear who similarly loved crooning Chinese songs. The men and women may not have sung in the same choir, but everyone got along famously. The guys knew full well they would not have girls harassing them to buy drinks, so the unspoken arrangement worked for everyone – the ladies could enjoy their cocktails and conversation, and the lads could sing to their hearts’ content. Bar owner Joey knew most of her regulars by name and was often seen mingling with the happy campers. It was all fun and merry-making here with good conversation and often not-so-good singing.

Cow & Coolies contained a bar and pool table, which together with the wooden log wall panelling made it reminiscent of an old western bar and tavern. Two enormous disco balls hung suspended over the bar, Christmas lights blinked across the bar and along the wall, and soccer played on the television set. Several microphones would rotate around the room to anyone hyped up enough to sing along to American Pie. If one had any doubts about whether or not one was in a gay bar, 3 rainbow flags dangled near the curtained restrooms, above a Tanya Chalkin “Kiss” poster.



It was easy to assimilate into this relaxed, unpretentious ambience. Patrons would occasionally sing along in unison and wave their arms in the air when someone took out a tambourine to accompany Katy Perry’s “Firework”.

After a period of time, it became lesbian night only on Wednesdays.

It closed down in the mid-2010s.

=See also=
 * Moondance
 * Singapore lesbian history

=References=
 * "Cow & Coolies", Time Out Singapore, 11 November 2008.
 * Laura Rena Murray, "Gay nightlife in Singapore", 429magazine, 21 January 2012.

=Acknowledgements=

This article was written by Roy Tan.