Venues Update: March 3

Image: The Triffid

CANBERRA GETTING NEW MUSIC VENUE

Canberra is getting another live music venue in six months. The $220 million Australian National University Union Court project will have a “medium-size” music venue, along with food, drinks, shops, cafes, a swimming pool, gym, outdoor spaces and amphitheatre, bars and events.

The idea is to foster greater interaction between the university and the Canberra community.

There are no more details on who will run it, but the plan is for it to host local, interstate and international names.

The music venue will be part of the pop-up village that will operate while the precinct is being built. Its stage one will be ready by 2019.

However, the redevelopment could see one of Canberra’s great music venues, the ANU Bar, torn down next year.

Also set for removal are the ANU Arts Centre, The Gods Cafe & Bar and cabaret destination Teatro Vivaldi.

CHAMBER FOR WOLLONGONG

A live music venue/all-purpose restaurant has opened after a two-month revamp on the site of the old Three Chimneys. The new destination is called Town Hall Chamber, and run by Mike Gillmore, former GM of UniCentre.

Its opening was delayed by a week after water problems in the roof were discovered.

Three Chimneys, which opened in February 2014 lasted about a year before its parent company filed for administration.

TRIFFID PROTECTED BY COUNCIL

The Brisbane City Council has offered protection to The Triffid, the club set up in 2014 by former Powderfinger bassist John Collins in an old industrial hangar in Newstead.

It has extended its Valley Special Entertainment Precincts to include the music venue, at a time when number of residential blocks are coming up.

The Valley Special Entertainment Precincts was set up in 2006 primarily by former Deputy Mayor and local councillor David Hinchliffe. It allowed venues as The Zoo, Black Bear Lodge and The Brightside to operate with larger volume.

SPRUCE GOOSE LANDS IN SUBIACO

Singer Portia Clark and her property investor husband Brendan Clark have launched Spruce Goose in Subiaco, WA. It serves as a live music venue and supper club, with plans to book big names from Australia and abroad to build up its brand. They spent $400,000 redesigning the old Purl Bar, after its owners went belly-up last year.

It features live acts from Wednesdays to Sundays. From 9 pm it transforms into a nightclub with DJs.

PUSH FOR MORE CONCERTS AT CANNON PARK

For the last year, Cairns Regional Council has been pushing for the under-used Cannon Park Racecourse to be expanded to include more concerts and festivals. The services and utilities on the 40ha site can accommodate crowds of up to 20,000, and won’t arouse any noise complaints.

The Council has been trying to get Grass Is Greener to move there, but with little success.

But with the recent announcement of Elton Johnplaying Cairns (at Cazalys Stadium on September 30), the Council has repeated its call, saying that a large venue will attract large music names. Mayor Bob Manning is pushing for the Groovin’ The Moo festival to stage there.

CONCERTS TO HIT RIGHT NOTE AT TOWNSVILLE STADIUM

Townsville’s Mayor Jenny Hill is pushing to ensure that the Pandanus tree-inspired design for the new $250 million North Queensland Stadium must draw music promoters to include concerts in addition to sporting events.

The Townsville Bulletin quoted her as saying, “We know the old stadium doesn’t fit concert promoters at all because the old stadium was a trotting track that’s been retrofitted as a sporting stadium.

“The design of the new stadium should incorporate key elements that make it far easier … to stage concerts.”

The management of the stadium has not been finalised yet. But Hill is among those pushing for Stadiums Queensland, citing the wide-ranging events it holds at 1300SMILES Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand.

“We would like to have some faith in Stadiums Queensland that we would have a management structure to ensure we are competitive for events … we’re talking about concerts,” she told the Bulletin.

“This is about having management … that is proactive in ensuring the design makes it a venue that is easy for promoters to put on a show.”

CHANGE OF VENUE FOR ISTORIA

Due to the rescheduling of the Round Four Suncorp Super Netball League game from MCA to Hisense Arena, the Sunday March 12 trance experience Istoria Melbourne will now take place at the ‘state of the art’ Margaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park.

Organisers said, “In light of this announcement, we are now at 85% capacity and final release tickets are on sale now through Ticketek.”

CLAMPS ON PERTH POP UP BARS

The WA Government is putting the clamp on Perth’s pop up bars. Northbridge’s Bar Pop Urban Orchard and the Embargo Container Bar at Elizabeth Quay were such a success this summer, drawing tens of thousands, that the Australian Hotels Association WA is complaining that its members are complaining it’s taking away trade of up to 25% on some nights,

Under new liquor licences rules, these pop-ups will need to be “tied to an event or festival or limited for a time-restricted season”.