Venues Update: November 4
CORNER HOTEL CELEBRATES ITS 20TH
One of Melbourne’s major live music venues, the Corner Hotel in Richmond, is throwing a huge bash on Sunday November 20 to celebrate its 20th year in operation. There’s live music in the band room, solo acts in the front bar and DJ’s upstairs in the newly renovated rooftop. It’s free, with drinks and food on special and a BBQ through the day.
FOR SALE #1: COOGEE HOTEL, FREMANTLE
The Coogee Hotel, just south of Fremantle, long time supporter of live music, is being sold along with the Post Office as a proposed 6663sqm site on the corner of Cockburn and Beach roads. The Coogee, built in 1901, was recently renovated and restored courtesy the State Government’s Heritage Revolving Fund.
FOR SALE #2: REID HOUSE, WELLINGTON
Reid House, long-time host of Wellington, NZ, music venues as The Bluenote is on the market. The three-storey art deco building House on the corner of Vivian and Cuba Streets was designed in 1930 for a draper.
COMEDY NIGHT AT THE UNICORN
The Unicorn, in Sydney’s Paddington, this week launched its new weekly comedy night on Mondays. They join trivia Tuesdays and live music on Thursdays and Sundays.
FLOATING VENUE AT ADELAIDE FESTIVAL
Adelaide Festival is bringing back a huge, two-storey floating entertainment venue to feature live music and DJs on the River Torrens. The Riverbank Palais will be modelled on the little-remembered Floating Palais de Danse, the Taj Mahal-inspired building which mysteriously sank in 1928 after a series of explosions. Its demise was said to be the demise of its owner, high profile entrepreneur Barcroft Teesdale Smith.
SURFERS VENUES CALL FOR STIFFER PENALTIES FOR COWARD PUNCHES
Surfers Paradise Licensed Venues Association has called for mandatory five-year jail terms for coward-punch attackers who put victims in hospital. But the idea is challenged by lawyers who say that this won’t be a deterrentand takes away a judge’s discretion to take into account individual circumstances.
They say the dual causes – alcohol consumption and lack of enforcement of service of alcohol rules – should be addressed. They point out that liquor licensing rules for 200-plus premises in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach are only enforced by nine inspectors.
SPHINX SUED
The Egyptian-themed Sphinx Hotel in North Geelong, which houses the Cazbar Danceclub, is being sued by a patron. She says that three years ago, another patron tried to literally pick her up on the dancefloor but dropped her, causing her to break her left arm.
POP UP VENUES HIT WA
Melbourne’s Parlour Gigs, which arranges for backyards ad lounge rooms to turn into pop up music venues, has expanded to Perth. Musicians and hosts register with the website and sell tickets through the site, which takes a 20% fee.
In the meantime, the City of Perth is considering a plan to encourage pop-up bars and restaurants. It would complement the rise of mobile vendors and add a festive atmosphere to the city’s CBD.
DIXON BUYING SIX KEYSTONE VENUES
The receivers for Keystone, Ferrier Hodgson, announced that contracts were exchanged with Dixon Hospitality Group for six Keystone venues. They are the Bungalow 8, Cargo Bar, The Rook, The Winery, Manly Wine and Kingsley’s Woolloomooloo.
Dixon has taken over their operation but Ferrier Hodgson will hold possession until the sale goes through. Negotiations for the remaining Keystone venues continue with other interested parties, Ferrier Hodgson confirmed.
THE STAR RESPONDS TO UNREPORTED ASSAULTS
The Star Sydney has responded to a report on the ABC that two-thirds of its assaults are not reported. The broadcaster said the ABC said that it has seen a leaked internal NSW Government report, which suggested that “the number of serious incidents are more than three times higher than official crime statistics and almost five times higher than reported to senior casino managers”.
A spokesperson for the Star told The Shout hospitality sector platform that it rejects the report “as it contains inaccurate information, a misunderstanding of the incident reporting process at The Star and expresses significantly misplaced concerns that reflect a lack of understanding of The Star’s business.”
STUDY INTO SYDNEY LOCKOUT
A major study is to be conducted by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research into the impact of the Sydney lock-out laws. One area of study is whether the lockouts have pushed assaults from Kings Cross and the CBD to other areas as Newtown and, given the report in the item above, to the Star Casino in Pyrmont.