I went to Scotland’s first sing-along cocktail and piano bar and there was 'no microphone, no judgement'

We’re all singing along to Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain, when it happens.

A single tear. My goodness, what is WRONG with me?

Nothing, honestly. It’s just that I’d forgotten the strangely touching power of communal singing. 

Folk like me, who have appalling voices, don’t often get the chance to unleash their tone-deaf drones, so I’m grateful to have discovered an outlet at Scotland's first singalong piano bar.

Downstairs at Betty’s recently sprung up on Edinburgh’s Charlotte Lane. 

You’ll hear it before you see it. We got there by following the strains of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. 

This place, with a concept based on New York’s Broadway piano bars, is owned by musical theatre actor Matt Colagiuri, and has been transplanted from its original home in Lisbon to Scotland. 

“Edinburgh had always been in my plans,” he says. “I've been coming here on holiday for about 13 years. It's been my ‘escape the world and clear my head’ place for a long time. And I wanted to bring my other happy place (the sing-along bar) into the scene here. In Lisbon, I would often introduce myself to the customers, especially the unfamiliar faces. I can’t tell you how many times a new person, couple or group would tell me that they’d had the best night of their visit there. I would ask them where they were from and, more than anywhere else, I heard Edinburgh, and an occasional Glasgow. It really solidified my mindset and greenlit my plans”.

Colagiuri, originally from New Jersey, was also inspired by his grandmother, Betty, who is the bar’s namesake and would gather the family together for singsongs in her downstairs den at home.

Her smiling portrait is on the wall. I wonder what she’d make of the song choices today.

Not to mention the cocktails, which are fantastic under bar manager Stefan Creran, who has headed up some of the city’s best bars including Nightcap and Lucky Liquor. His creations include the excellent Naked, Famous and Regretful, which is how an evening might end if you got too carried away here. 

1-800-Surf cocktail | Contributed

The space has a rotating list of in-house performers. 

They take to the piano at the end of the space, which has a bar wrapped around it, so proper Casablanca enthusiasts can get up close and personal with the ivories. 

The pianist on our visit knows about 100 tunes by heart, and can look up any requests online.

It’s not like karaoke. You don’t wait for your solo. Instead, everyone is encouraged to take part.

This conjures up a sense of connection. 

“It's amazing what a little music can do to bring people together,” Colagiuri says. “Everyone likes to sing in the shower or in the car. Put that in a room where you're not just allowed but encouraged to share in the music - it's a pretty magical experience. So often, at the end of the evening, die-hards will be sitting around the piano and carrying on like life-long friends”.

I know, I’ve felt it, whatever the tune. It’s the customers who dictate what genre might be played.

“The song selection changes with the mood of the guests each evening. Being request-based keeps the set list unpredictable and prevents it from getting stale,” says Colagiuri. “In Lisbon we had requests for everything from Eminem to Amy Winehouse, Broadway to disco, Fado to Dutch folk songs - truly! The list was endless. Some of the popular requests include Elton John, Billy Joel, Queen and Abba. I suspect each of the pianists will bring along their own personal favourites, as well”. 

While we’re sitting on a Downstairs at Betty’s couch, among other songs, we hear renditions of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon, Take On Me by A-ha, and Stand By Me by Ben E King. Two twenty-somethings guys, who are separately nursing pints at the bar, sing along heartily to that one. 

They also love it when the strains of Paolo Nutini’’s Candy strike up. Popular choice.

“Real Gone Kid by Deacon Blue always goes down well too,” says the musician. “And any other songs by Scottish artists”.

I bet The Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) would get everyone going, but it’d be an awful lot of ‘da-da-dums’ to chant. 

At one point, our pianist launches into Nina Simone’s Feeling Good, and a young bartender  - reluctantly, at first - sings along beautifully. What a voice.

“Any requests?” I’m asked by the resident musician more than once. I go blank, though eventually decide I’d like her to play Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones. “If it’s not too much of a downer”.

She obliges, and I sing along, except I’m pretty much the only one.  Oops, I think I may have ruined the vibe. 

Then a couple of party animals, who seem well lubricated already, rock up.

They request a Take That song, followed by Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing. While these tunes play, they wind and dance against the piano, taking intermittent selfies.

Their voices are terrible squawks, just like mine. What a racket.

“I don’t wanna clooooose my eyesss, I don’t wanna fall asleep, cos I miss you baby….” Ooft.

But that’s okay, isn’t it?

“Of course! Our slogan is, ‘No microphone. No spotlight. No judgement’. So many people who hesitate to sing in public are their own worst critics. By keeping the pressure off with no microphone it helps the less confident find their voice - literally - and join in. As for ‘bad’ singing voices? At Downstairs at Betty's there is no such thing. Every voice is part of the fun and we encourage everyone to join in”.

Downstairs at Betty’s, 15 Charlotte Lane, Edinburgh Instagram @bettys.edinburgh