Is there a better way to get to know your colleagues than a good old singalong?

Ever since I joined the civil service in 2005, I’ve been lucky enough to find myself working with like minded people who enjoy letting their hair down and singing along to a bit of Britney, Bon Jovi or Backstreet Boys. I’m not one to judge people that aren’t into karaoke, but it’s certainly a great way to find your tribe at work.

Tonight after dinner, eight of us headed to The Lanes in Bristol to belt out some karaoke classics and some lesser known (at least to me) tunes. Some were people who I’ve sung with before, others were new to the team karaoke crew. The hour we had flew by and before we knew it, it was over. I remember last time in Leeds some people thought two hours was too long, but were quickly proved wrong.

One of the rules though is that no videos or photos are taken. What happens at karaoke stays at karaoke, and I do find that makes it far more enjoyable. I’m sure there is embarrassing footage of me singing with teams I’ve worked with in the past, but here I don’t have to worry about something coming back to haunt me further down the line, and can therefore properly let my hair down. In some ways that’s a shame though as seeing two of my colleagues rocking it out to System Of A Down’s ‘Toxicity’ as the last song of the evening is something that I feel like I need to see again to believe it happened.