With the return of vintage clothing comes the imminent wave of nostalgia – think childhood cartoons such as A Bug’s Life, Mulan and The Lion King on oversized tees.
Beyond clothing, there are also snacks, music, and arcade games that we miss from our childhood. Who can forget Pac-Man and Street Fighter?
For those looking to have a blast from the past – fret not. Retro-themed bar NINETEEN80 recently opened its doors, featuring drinks, music and old-school arcade games that is guaranteed to take you on a trip down memory lane.
I had the chance to interview the owners of Nineteen80 – they go by the name of A Phat Cat Collective, and comprise of Joshua Pillai, Yafith A. Hamid, and Francesca Aurora Way.
The concept for Nineteen80 came about as they wanted our first concept to be something really fun, accessible and engaging.
“We originally stumbled across this arcade bar idea when we were in USA, and it really brought out that sense of nostalgia and childhood excitement and we wanted to capture the same sentiment here in our own A Phat Cat Collective way.”
The name, Nineteen80, refers to the start of the ‘80s era – as the trio pay tribute to the ‘80s and ‘90s through arcade games, music and cocktails.
Blast From The Past
The ’80s and ’90s provided us with many precious memories. Perhaps more so for those born in those eras, as they got to experience first hand a transition to an increasingly digitalized world.
Childhood memories for those ’80s and ’90s kids differ greatly from children now, and it’s inevitable that any reminder of those eras bring back fond memories.
For Joshua, one this would be the first time he played Atari with his family. He adds, “we fought over the controllers!”
Yafith is a “a movie and TV guy” – it’s no wonder that he names shows and cartoons that shaped his favourite memories.
He begins listing a number of these shows such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Miami Vice, The A-Team and cartoons like He-Man, Voltron and Thundercats.
Till today, Yafith still gets excited if HBO, Cinemax or FoxMovies show movies from the ‘80s and ‘90s.
“I can keep watching them and will never get sick and tired of it. That’s what you call timeless times!”
Unlike the other two, Francesca wasn’t born in the ’80s, but remembers fondly her toddler times – “listening to the Bodyguard soundtrack and pretending I was Whitney Houston singing I Will Always Love You, and running around the living room ‘cycling’ on an imaginary bike to Queen’s Bicycle Race.”
Waves Of Nostalgia
In a nightlife scene where it sometimes takes itself too seriously about what’s next that’s new, Nineteen80 is the opposite. They try to inject fun through nostalgia, past memories and simpler times.
“In this day and age, we’re not looking to be yet another serious cocktail bar, or try to be cutting edge and intelligent on our music.”
“It’s our timely reminder to enjoy the simple things, to keep it fun, and that there was once upon a time we survived without handphones and internet – we still did fine!”
As with any business, I can only imagine that setting up Nineteen80 is far from a smooth sailing journey. Invoking a sense of nostalgia can also be tougher than you might think.
In fact, the ‘80s and ‘90s saw the rise of various subcultures emerging – musically from hip hop, rock, punk, metal, to pop. It was the dawn of technology which saw rapid advancements and constant changes, coupled with the popularity of different design elements, such as the Memphis design movement, pop art, and graffiti art.
One of the biggest challenges that the team has faced is how to encapsulate this within a concept – they admit that they had to keep very focused on the direction they were going for “without it becoming a total hot mess as well as still keep it very relevant and accessible.”
Plenty To Go Around
If you’re planning to head over, the trio recommend classic cocktail “remixes” with fun and delicious twists – like the Long Island Iced Tea (Ice-T “Hustler” remix) with a ginger ale twist and Blue Lagoon (Super Disco Blend) with a citrusy yuzu upgrade.
Meanwhile, their signature cocktails use fresh fruit juices, such as the strawberry-based Donna Summer and the rum-based Club Tropicana with fresh pineapple and lime juice with coconut rum and coconut water, finished with sour plum powder.
“We also serve forgotten favourites like Vodka Ribena and Tequila Pop!”
