Venues Update: February 24

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE FINED

Residents of the “Toaster” building, who’ve been campaigning since 2013 against concerts at the Sydney Opera House forecourt, have had a victory. The third of four concerts staged there in November 2015 by Florence and The Machine (to audiences of 6,000 each) were deemed to have breached the noise limit, copping the venue a $15,000 fine.

The ruling comes in the same week as another Sydney venue, inner west spot The Hideaway Bar, began crowdfunding to improve their soundproofing, after receiving a noise complaint because their doors were open during a DJ set at 7pm on a Saturday. (“Yes, the sun was still up,” noted the Hideaway’s GoFundMe page.)

ROUGE DEFAMATION CASE CONTINUES TODAY

The jury defamation case between Fairfax Media and Kings Cross Sydney nightclub Rouge owner Lili Chel continues today in the Supreme Court.

Chel took action after a Sun-Herald piece in December 2010 which imputed, among other things, she allowed onstage sex and a menace to patrons because she had not controlled drink spiking. Fairfax claimed its reports were substantially true.

Yesterday a jury found Fairfax could not use the veracity of the two above imputations as defence. But it said the media group could use on grounds of truth its claim that Chel breached her liquor licence, allowed bikie gangs into the club and served drunk patrons.

CALL FOR 2AM LOCKOUT IN MELBOURNE

While Sydney lockout opponents cite Melbourne as a city with a rational approach to late-night club trading hours, a call out has begun for a 2am close to Melbourne’s Sydney Road precinct.

Brunswick police Senior Sergeant Michael Moloney told The Moreland Leader that venues in the Sydney Rd precinct have liquor licences ranging from 1am to 7am. Because of this, people often don’t hit clubs until 11pm, “so [they do] a lot of pre-loading before they come out.

Sr. Sgt Moloney agreed the clubs in the precinct were run well, but the concentration of venues could be an issue. His comments were supported by Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education CEO Michael Thorn.

Of venues in the area, those with 7am closing were Railway Hotel Brunswick and My Aeon.

Closing at 5am are Brunswick Hotel, and The Moreland. The 3am venues are The Retreat, Duke of Edinburgh, Bridie O’Reilly’s and The Cornish Arms.

GOLD COAST STADIUM NAMES FOR SALE

The Gold Coast City Council has green-lighted the process of stadiums offering their names up for sale. The first three are the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre at Carrara, which hosts concerts, along with the Coomera Indoor Sports Centre and the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre.

QUEENSLAND ID SCANNER REPORT TODAY

A Queensland Parliament committee will today report on whether the introduction of mandatory ID scanners in live music clubs and nightclubs should be delayed or changed.

The scanners were to be installed by mid-2017 to be used when a venue traded past midnight, in return for the Queensland Government dumping the second phase of its lockout laws.

Groups as Our Nightlife Queensland and Broadbeach Safe Night Precinct argue that such scanners should only be introduced to high risk venues, rather than across the board.

Also criticised is the process of permits to allow extended trading to be slashed from 12 to six “special occasions”. But venue operators argue that this does not define “special occasion” properly and, in any case, disadvantages venues that relied on live music.

BLACK SWAN CLOSES

After 17 years, the Black Swan in McCrae Street in Bendigo, Victoria, has closed its doors. Owners Alysia and Andreas Bazzani said that the club scene had changed, with more people staying at home rather than heading out to socialise.

The decision also sees the closure of nightclubs The Perch and Icon Bar.

END OF ERA FOR ADELAIDE’S HQ

After hosting its last club night on January 28, Adelaide’s HQ complex owners have handed the keys over to its buyers. The building will be levelled to make way for a $200 million, 24-storey residential and retail tower.

The North Terrace site has long been a music venue, first as Bojangles 40 years ago, then Joplins, and the notorious Heaven (which in the ‘90s would have 3000 to 4000 a night) before accusations of bikie links saw it become HQ in 2006.

The HQ legacy will continue in a new three-level 2300-capacity superclub, Q, to open on Hindley St in July. It is touted as Adelaide’s largest nightclub, and will be managed by HQ’s GM Stephen Roe.

WHAM GLAM FOR TRAK LOUNGE

Wham Glam Saturdays has its grand opening at Trak Lounge Bar in Melbourne’s Toorak on April 8. The night will feature DJs spinning ‘80s-90s retro, RNB, Top 40 dance and rock.

NAPIER LOSING LANDMARK VENUE BUILDING

Napier in New Zealand is losing a century-old art deco building which housed theatres and nightclubs, including the ‘60s venue Top Hat (which attracted the top NZ acts and would put out its Sold Out sign by 8.30 pm), Silver Spade and Bananas. By the 1980s the music stopped and commercial retail outlets occupied it.

NEW RULES FOR MAPLE BAR

The Maple Bar, a new upstairs addition to Canberra’s Treehouse Bar, opens with the strictest rules against sexual misbehaviour. Those entering the Civic venue are told that men are not allowed to approach women, much less harass them. And if they are approached by women, why, you “treat her as you would your mother”.