Bar-top dancing has made saucy Tunbridge Wells venue 'popular'

THE owner of a controversial new nightspot in Tunbridge Wells has claimed his venue has already proved popular.

The Players Coyotes launch party kicked off with scantily clad women dancing on the bar every 15 minutes, fire displays and American cop cars.

Owner James Pemble said crowds of revellers packed out the racy new sports bar on Friday evening.

Staff arrived at the former Retreat Bar in the cop cars at 8pm and doubled up as dancers and bar staff.

The Church Road bar's theme, based on hit movie Coyote Ugly, attracted criticism from Tunbridge Wells town mayor John Smith when its arrival was announced earlier this year. He told the Courier: "Risqué night-time ventures aren't part of our vision and plan for the town."

But Mr Pemble, who runs Players Gentlemen's Club and Players Coyotes in Maidstone, has maintained Coyotes is a sports bar, not a strip club.

The 39-year-old hailed the opening weekend as a success.

He said: "It's something different for Tunbridge Wells and it went really well.

"Everyone seemed to enjoy it. There was about a 50-50 men to women split over the two nights, which is what we were going for.

"The women weren't put off, but there was one woman who said she wanted to see blokes dancing on the bar."

There were fire displays from a woman in a skimpy bikini, while a magician was on hand to entertain the customers with his tricks, including turning £5 into a £10 note and trapping a mobile phone in a balloon.

Mr Pemble added: "Tunbridge Wells was pretty quiet over the weekend, but we were close to capacity both nights."

He said the shenanigans would continue and there would be a different theme each weekend, but refused to reveal anymore.

The bar-dancing girls will be a regular fixture on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and for the rest of the week it is a sports bar, but with a twist: Every time a try or goal is scored the girls will get back up on the bar.