With live music now something of a rarity in Bermuda's nightclubs, one entertainer is hoping to stage a revival.

Wendell (Shine) Hayward is of course no stranger to the entertainment business here. The noted concert promoter, music teacher and performer has been a fixture in the Island's arts scene for decades.

Yesterday the musician officially opened his newest venture — a nightclub called Shine's. Located at 41 Reid Street — adjacent to Island Trading — the club bills itself as a return to the supper clubs of old.

Mr. Hayward faces a challenge most club owners would rather avoid — a venue of failed business past. The Palace, Club Vintage and Club Azione have all tried and failed to make the location profitable. Mr. Hayward hopes to reverse the trend by offering the type of live music that, while once the norm, is now increasingly scarce in the Island's nightclubs.

The mood at yesterday's ribbon cutting, however, was buoyant and upbeat among a crowd of well-wishers and first time customers.

Before cutting the ribbon in front of a drum group, Premier Ewart Brown hailed Mr. Hayward's "vision and spirit".

"I am proud to be here today to see that you are stepping forward and taking what is in fact your own passion and turning it in to something that should be and will be a great business success," the Premier told the new owner. He added that many Bermudians look to the Government for leadership in improving Hamilton's flagging nightlife, and hailed Mr. Hayward for taking his own initiative.

Joining the Premier in congratulating Mr. Hayward was Opposition leader Kim Swan, who recalled the musician from his time at the Berkeley Institute.

"Shine was one of my upperclassman and one of the people I look up to and admire today as he progresses in music," said Mr. Swan. He wished Mr. Hayward well, before joining a crowd of patrons in the nightclub's official opening.

"May this business thrive — I know your passion for music is certainly something that has already been an inspiration to others as you teach it," he added.