The Beat Goes On: New Venues Open, The Espy for Sale
With cashed-up punters seeking fresh experiences, a new generation of venues are offering them just that as The Espy goes up for sale.
The Green Room
The Green Room is a 1,500 + capacity venue on the Bluesfest site in Byron Bay.
It is officially christened on Saturday, November 26 with a gig by Xavier Rudd and Bobby Alu. It is the act’s 88th show for the year, after a 37-date Australian run and 50 shows in Europe.
“It’s been a massive year and I’m stoked to play my final show on Bundjalung Country to finish things off,” Rudd said.
“This new Green Room venue is gonna be great for the Byron area and I’m excited to launch this new space.”
Basement Venue In Newtown
A still-untitled basement venue in Sydney’s Newtown to open by mid-2023 is granted the area’s first 4am license in over 100 years.
The 400 square metre space next to King Street Station, stresses on diversity and inclusivity.
“We want this venue to be a milestone in our city’s way to becoming a true 24-hour cultural destination, a place where you can come 7 days a week at all hours and experience something special,” says James Thorpe, CEO of Odd Culture Group.
The company also runs Oxford Tavern, Duke of Enmore, Odd Culture Newtown and the Old Fitz.
The venue’s programming is by group operations manager Sabrina Medcalf.
Tiva
Found in the basement of the Charles on King Street in the Sydney CBD, Tiva zeroes in on upmarket with black leather booths, champagne service and state-of-art Martin sound system.
Live bands feature from Wednesday to Saturday delivering jazz, soul, RnB, folk, and New Orleans dance while DJs spin every night.
The club opens October 20 with live music, curated by Dan Lywood of Playlister FM, kicking off November 19 with Kira Puru and Milan Ring.
DIV–DE
DIV–DE is a 400-capacity house and techno club within Adelaide’s Hindley Street Music Hall, run by Penny Hospitality and collective Pivot.
Penny Hospitality managing director Hugo Pedler told “CityMag” the design was to introduce something unprecedented to Adelaide, with the DJ booth on the middle of the laser-filled dancefloor for 360º views, a steel cage on a raised platform, and LED walls and club lighting.
Superfly Disco
The latest addition to Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley is the high-end exclusive Superfly Disco, on the McLachlan Street site of Alhambra Lounge.
It’s the initiative of Adam Barton and Manny Sakellarakis, who operate live music venues
Brooklyn Standard and Suzie Wong’s.
Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, the 400-capacity space was inspired by the Studio 54 glam nights, with LED dance floor, a “Rolls Royce” DJ area, five booths and Kyle Weir of Queens wine bar as entertainment manager.
MORE VENUE NEWS
The Espy For Sale
Melbourne’s legendary Esplanade Hotel – best known as The Espy – in St. Kilda is on the market, with a $70 million price tag.
The Espy owner Sand Hill Road, which refurbished it in 2018, recently sold the lease for 20 years to the Australian Venue Company.
Plans Dropped For Hard Rock Café
Plans for a Hard Rock Café in Manly in Sydney’s northern beaches have been pulled, Northern Beaches Council confirmed to the “Manly Daily”.
Property developers Initium Management Pty Ltd, lodged plans for a 9.2m high LED-light guitar sculpture outside, opening hours of 7am to 3am, and alcohol sales 10am to 2am.
There was some community opposition, with Manly Ward councillor Candy Bingham saying the idea was not “viable” for Manly, adding, “The concept was tired and out of date.”
WA Venues Up For Awards
In the Australian Hotels Association (WA)’s November 7 Hospitality Awards for Excellence, there were 12 nominations in the Live Entertainment Venue category.
They were Brighton Hotel, Mandurah; Cypher – The Beaufort, Highgate; Finlay’s Kalbarri; Freemasons Hotel, Geraldton; Froth Craft Brewery, Exmouth; Milk Bar – Civic Hotel, Inglewood; North West Brewing Company, Karratha; The Boat – The Marina Mindarie;
The Bridge Garden Bar & Restaurant, Mandurah; The Last Local, Canning Vale;
Universal Bar, Perth; and Whalebone Brewing Company, Exmouth.