Venues Update: Creditors, returns, arson and delays

ID SCANNERS BLAMED FOR BRISBANE CLUB’S SALE

Jamie Webb, the previous owner of Brisbane’s Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall on Caxton Street has told creditors that Queensland’s controversial ID scanning laws contributed towards his sale of the venue in October.

Left’s was sold to former employee Joy Redmond shortly before appointing administrators to his company Majid Pty Ltd on October 31, the Courier Mail reported.

The company’s debts totalled $760,000, the paper said.

“Mr Webb advised that these laws had the effect of increasing costs for equipment and security staff, as well as significantly impacting customer numbers and thus revenue,’’ administrator Michael Dullaway said in the report.

He added that the financial help Webb gave to two other venues, Hope & Anchor in Paddington and Lefty’s neighbour Seymour’s Cocktails and Oysters, also strained his finances.

Webb was a stringent critic of the ID scanners, which he said decimated the Caxton Street precinct and drove down his club’s revenue by 20% after they were introduced in mid-2017.

Creditors voted to put Majid into liquidation. The venue continues to operate under Redmond.

ARSONISTS TARGET PERTH BAR…TWICE

Arsonists targeted Subiaco nightspot Voyeur Bar twice in the same week.

Security cameras caught two men, one splashing petrol on the floor from a jerry can and the other trying to start a fire at 5 am on a Saturday.

A second incident a few days later was more serious – enough for radio station Nova’s office to be evacuated after it became smoke-filled and disrupted the Nathan, Nat and Shaun breakfast show.

BANKWEST GRABS NAME FOR WESTERN SYDNEY STADIUM

Bankwest has the inaugural naming rights for the 30,000-seat $360 million Western Sydney Stadium for seven years.

“This deal is important for the stadium to be financially self-sustaining, making sure there is no burden to taxpayers to cover ongoing running costs,” said the NSW minister for sport and minister for Western Sydney.

No information was released on the size of the deal but put your finger on the figure $17.5 million and circle it.

PORTSEA HOTEL RE-OPENS

The Portsea Hotel on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula switched on again yesterday after $7 million renovations.

The waterfront venue, a long time supporter of live music, needed a revamp, says Chris Morris who bought it 18 years ago.

His idea was to ensure the place attracted patrons 365 days a year rather than just the summer months.

The new Portsea Hotel offers high-grade food, an expanded wine list from local businesses, the Longshore Room on the ground floor, the ‘Bertram Bar’ (after John Bertram) and a new California-inspired burger bar and a whisky-inspired cocktail bar for the cooler months.

It will stage live music in the huge beer garden.

WORLD BAR BACK AS CALI CLUB

Kings Cross’ World Bar might have closed after nearly 20 years, throwing a punch at lockout laws.

But Dane Gorrel and Matt Weir from Club 77 have taken it over and re-open it tomorrow (Wednesday) as the Cali Club.

Gorrel said in a statement: “We need to preserve our nightclub institutions.

“They have a tremendous impact on Sydney’s culture, and once they go, it’s incredibly hard for them to return.

“We really want to help keep the candle burning for our city’s nightlife and continue the venue’s legacy.”

The Wednesday night club The Wall will continue while various EDM promoters will present different styles on different nights.

The Cali Club opens Wednesdays to Saturdays from 3pm to 4am.

Gorrel and Weir say that once they settle in and get a feel for what its patrons and the local community want, they’ll make some changes to make it a must-go destination.

MELBOURNE NIGHTCLUB DELAYS RETURN

The return of the Dakota nightclub in Melbourne’s outer suburb Ringwood has been delayed for the third time.

Rebuilding on the burnt-out Maroondah Hwy site will start early 2019 for a mid-year opening.