Courtesy of Bardot
Audio By Carbonatix
Even when it was open, the only indication of Bardot’s existence were the hordes of people gathering under the small red awning in the parking lot behind the North Miami Avenue strip mall that houses a furniture store and the late-night eatery Gigi.
Now, after almost eight years, Bardot has announced it has closed its doors temporarily. “After [more than seven] years of late nights, pretty girls, and beautiful music, we need to take a moment for a touch up and a mild makeover of our beloved Bardot,” the bar announced on Instagram.
According to the venue, it will reopen sometime before III Points takes place in October.
The announcement isn’t exactly unexpected. For the past few months, Bardot’s programming seemed to have slowed to a trickle, usually the sign of a venue’s imminent closure.
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Opened by hotelier and restaurateur Amir Ben-Zion in 2009, Bardot was an instant hit with Miami’s clubgoers, who enjoyed its programming of indie acts and underground DJs. Erykah Badu, Grimes, Junior Boys, Yacht, Edward Sharpe, Yelle, Toro y Moi, and many others performed at the intimate venue. In fact, it often felt like Bardot was booking acts way above its weight class. Performers with large followings often played there, making tickets – and good sightlines – hard to come by.
Bardot’s heyday came after David Sinopoli was tapped as musical director in 2010. He, along with Erica Freshman, lured acts that made the venue the envy of Miami’s club scene. Sinopoli’s main focus these days is Space since he and a group of investors took over the storied 11th Street nightclub.
Of course, even a temporary closure of a venue can set the club scene on edge. With gentrification quickly gobbling up formerly blighted areas that were home to industrial warehouses and the odd nightclub looking for cheap rent and few residents to complain about noise, Miami’s nightlife seems at a breaking point.
Still, after seven years and countless memorable performances, Bardot could certainly use a remodel, perhaps addressing the venue’s biggest issue: the flow. When it was overcrowded, the space was nearly impossible to navigate freely.
