Venues: More New Arrivals, Expansions, Tasmanian Night Time Economy, And More

LATEST MUSIC VENUES ON THE WAY

New Basement Music Venue For Oxford St.

Sydney’s Oxford Street is getting a basement music venue after plans were approved for a development that includes a cafe and restaurant on the ground floor and offices on the upper floors.

The Taylor Square site used to be the notorious T2 nightclub, which was shut down in 2008 due to antisocial behaviour. It has been unused since, except briefly, as a cycling hub.

Developer Archon Property bought the site for $6.9 million in 2018.

The heritage-listed building, constructed in 1910, was home to the Government Savings Bank of NSW.

Constructed in 1910, the building, designed by Ross and Rowe, was the first home to the Government Savings Bank of New South Wales.

Live Music For Kooyong?

Kooyong, the well-heeled Melbourne suburb that was one time Australian Open and hosted Led Zeppelin in 1972 and The Rolling Stones a year after, could be throwing out music notes again.

The Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club is proposing an 8,000-seat roofed stadium as part of a bid to bring back the Kooyong Classic, and confirmed having concerts was definitely on the list.

Fate Of Gold Coast Arena Decided Early 2025

The fate of the $480 million, 12,000-seat Gold Coast arena will be decided by the local council when a report is presented in early 2025.

If it gets the green light and is built-in Carey Park in Southport, it promises to be a boom for concerts, sports, comedy, esports, and family entertainment. It will host up to 80 major events a year and add $700 million value to the local economy over the next decade.

“We are currently missing out on these high-value events because we don’t have a suitable indoor venue for audiences of up to 12,000 spectators,” the City said.

The City unveiled plans for the arena early last month (November), with residents having until December 9 to comment.

Construction will begin in the 2026-27 financial year, and the arena will be delivered and operated by a private consortium.

EXPANSIONS

Bigger Concert Capacity For Penrith Stadium

Penrith Stadium in Sydney got the official go-ahead to expand its capacity from 22,500 to 25,000 at the ground with a new western grandstand and a significantly redeveloped eastern grandstand. 

It will accommodate another 5000 people when hosting concerts at a rate of ten a year. 

There will be a 300 per cent increase in wheelchair accessible seating, an 85 per cent increase in accessible toilets, and a significant increase in the number of women’s toilets.

Improved landscaping will increase shade for outdoor entertainment and community use. More than 500 jobs will be created during construction, with a further 650 jobs supported once operational, boosting the Penrith economy. A contract is expected to be awarded soon for a builder to start work early next year, with completion set for 2026.

201 Club Tasmania Applies For 5 AM Opening

Dan Conway and Liam McQuade, new owners of 201 Club Tasmania in Hobart (previously known the Temple) have applied to open until 5 am.

Its current hours are 11am to 11pm Wednesdays to Sundays, and to 3am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Liverpool Street building previously hosted the Flamingos Dance Bar nightclub, a LGBTQIA+ hub. It closed in October 2020.

New owners launched it in April as Temple, but after allegations on social media, there was a change in proprietorship and a rebrand to 201 Club Tasmania. It serves as a café by day.

SEXUAL ASSAULTS UP IN NSW CLUBS

Sexual offences inside NSW pubs and clubs have reached “shocking new levels”, reported the Sunday Telegraph, quoting new data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR).

The number of sexual-related attacks in the last two years reached new heights, with 372 offenders convicted of a sexual offence inside a pub or club in the 2022/2023 financial year.

A further 369 incidents in clubs and pubs were reported in the last financial year – double that ten years ago. One in every four incidents in that time took place inside a licensed venue in the Sydney CBD.

There were 95 in Sydney, 19 in Newcastle, 12 on the Central Coast, 12 on the Northern Beaches, 11 in Sutherland Shire, 10 in Parramatta, 9 in Woollahra and 9 in Penrith.

RETURN, TURN, TURN

New Era For Her Majesty’s Ballarat

Fans of St. Vincent, who caught their act earlier this week at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat, were the first to see the changes introduced in the multi-million dollar, two-year revamp.

With a capacity of almost 900, the magnificent 149-year-old building is an important regional concert touring stop in regional Victoria.

Changes include new lifts for people of all abilities to access the stage and auditorium, improved fire safety standards, a new box office, accessible toilets and an improved back-of-house area for artists.

Marcia Hines, Daryl Braithwaite, and illusionist Consentino are booked over the summer.

Lil’s Perth Reopening Confirms Live Music

One-time Perth nightspot Tiger Lil’s, closed since the pandemic, is making a return early next year as Lil’s, a two-level bar and rooftop with live music confirmed for weekends and Lil’s Late Night Disco.

Australian Venue Co. took over the Murray Street building in 2023 from Graham Hardie, who ran it for two decades and pumped millions of dollars into a facelift for the space for 600. The venue manager is Joel Woolfrey.

Noosa Gets Its Rock Back

The latest owner of Rolling Rock is paying tribute to its history by naming the Hasting Street site’s latest rebrand, The Rock Noosa.

Noosa‘s largest nightclub at 530sqm, Rolling Rock operated for 20 years. It went on the market in June 2023 for over $750,000. It was bought, price unspecified, by Sydney Ken Woods, who renamed it Aqua Lounge and Nightclub and spent $400,000 on renovations and the promise that no cocktail would cost more than $20.

But less than a year later, it was put on sale. On November 20, Ian Banks, aka DJ Banksy, posted, “We bought a f***ing nightclub”. That was followed by a short video of him removing the Aqua logo from the wall and announcing a “soft launch” this weekend… “Guaranteed trading hours 8pm – 2am Thursday to Saturday.”

Scaling Up For Darwin’s Lizards

Darwin’s famous outdoor bar Lizards, which included live music on its menu, could be back after a near-10 year absence.

NT News reported that JH Group Pty Ltd has applied to bring it back to life, including a 200 sqm internal area, 475 sqm outdoor area, a 130 sqm playground, reconfiguration of the internal area, a feature roof over a private function area, new fencing and landscaping.

UK CITY BRISTOL SET TO INTRODUCE TICKET LEVY

The English city of Bristol could be the first to introduce a ticket levy to help grassroots venues and events. Carly Heath, Bristol's nighttime economy advisor, said the 1 per cent fee added onto tickets at participating venues and events could generate up to £1 million each year.

A survey by local council found 93 per cent of locals were for it, and Heath is hoping larger venues and event promoters will support it. Grassroots venues, already suffering financially, were hit harder when the UK’s new budget dropped rates relief for venues from 75 per cent to 40 per cent.

CHANGING GEAR

Beast Building For Sale

The building at 78-80 Lygon St in Melbourne’s funky Brunswick East, which hosts The Beast venue, goes for auction on December 5, looking at $3.4 million.

The Beast is run by Maz Salt, who also helms the CBD’s Ferdydurke and Section 8. Its website proudly boasts that aside from bands, its thousand free shows included drag troupes, Mexican luchador wrestlers and crowning the world’s most successful competitive chilli eater.

Handover For Adelaide’s Brompton

Regulars at The Brompton in Adelaide’s west were startled to find the doors locked and a note taped to the door saying that for the next few weeks, it would only open “for special functions.”

Duxton Pubs Group explained, “The Brompton has recently been sold and will be handed over to new ownership in the coming weeks.” Staff will be moved to the group’s other venues.

The shift comes two years after The Brompton went through a million-dollar revamp.

Live Music Back At Spotted Cow

The new owner of Spotted Cow in Townsville, Far North Queensland, has confirmed that live music will return under his reign.

The Spotted Cow had long been a place to launch local acts and a stopover for touring bands. However, in 2020, when Hallmark Hospitality took over, Managing Director Scott Hempel steered the venue to a dining experience and away from touring acts.

Now, new owner Ben White, from a well-known multi-generation hospitality family who ran the nightclub of their Bracken Ridge Tavern, will bring back the music and spotlight the upstairs function area.

The Rochey Under The Hammer

The Rochester Castle, aka The Rochey, on Johnston Street, Fitzroy, goes under the hammer on December 11. Expecting $3.5 million, it is renowned for its electronic music.

Last Night On Earth Building Auctioned

The Southport, Queensland building that housed the Last Night On Earth nightclub was auctioned in early November. But it's still entertainment business as usual for the club, which holds a lease until 2028, with an option to extend until 2033.

VENUES BENEFIT IN PUSH TO BOOST TASMANIA’S NIGHT-TIME ECONOMY

Tasmania’s live music venues will be offered rebates on liquor licence fees if they promote live entertainment, according to a new plan by Tasmania’s Opposition Labor party to give the island’s nighttime economy a boost and support local businesses.

Titled The Night Time Economy Strategy, “Labor’s strategy will cut unnecessary permits and costs for late-night venues, outdoor dining and festivals struggling to find sustainable business models,” said Dean Winter, Opposition leader and Shadow Minister for Tourism & Hospitality.

“Tasmania’s nighttime economy has untapped potential – we need to make sure our cities are fun, safe, and open for business around the clock. We’ve seen other places in Australia, like the Minns Government in NSW, and cities around the world, adopt 24/7 economy strategies – I won’t let Tasmania fall behind.”

If Labor gets into power, gone will be restrictions that force some venues to unplug the music after 10 pm, and bans on outdoor music in Salamanca.

Changes are needed to get more young people to live, work and party in the city, and stop their migration to the mainland, Winter stressed.

2023 figures from the City of Hobart say the nighttime economy is worth $850 million a year, worth 5 per cent of the city’s economy. Its workforce of 7,000 represents 14 per cent of the city’s total jobs.

It also employs over 7,000 people, more than 14 per cent of Hobart’s total workforce.

SA LEGISLATIVE LOOKS AT VENUES

The Select Committee of the South Australian Legislative Council has been established to inquire into and report on local and live creative venues, with a focus on:

- The impacts of recent closures of SA live music venues and reasons for their closures. 

- Understanding the cultural, social and economic contributions of local and live creative venues.

- Supporting SA artists and creators with venues and spaces that artists and creatives value for developing their craft, audiences and communities.

- Understanding the infrastructure needed for a healthy music and creative sector in SA.

- Protecting live music venues.

Submissions are now open for both written and oral evidence presentation to the Committee.

This is a valuable opportunity for venue owners, musicians and industry professionals alike to contribute their perspectives and experiences on the opportunities, strengths and challenges faced by local and live creative venues. 

Submit via email to sclivevenues@parliament.sa.gov.au

Submit via post to Secretary to the Committee, C/- Parliament House, GPO Box 572, Adelaide 5001.

Submissions close on 13 December.

MOSHTIX OFFERS SOLUTION FOR VENUES, PROMOTERS

Ticketing agency Moshtix has come to the rescue of venues and event promoters who find it difficult to track accurately how digital advertising campaigns drive sales after changes in how platforms handle data.

This includes the removal of third-party cookies and stricter privacy rules.

Moshtix says that its new free marketing enablement integration solves this issue, giving venues and event organisers access to Meta, TikTok and Snapchat Conversion API integrations via a self-service tracking function. 

This new marketing solution will extend tracking and reporting power on advertising via third-party platforms without relying on traditional cookie-based methods or costly integration solutions.

Calling this a first-of-its-kind offering in the Australasian ticketing market, Harley Evans, Managing Director of Moshtix Australia and New Zealand, explained, “Our self-service tools are designed to empower our clients, providing them with greater performance and clarity in analysing which campaigns are contributing to their ticket sales. 

“Our products will continue to support our venue and event partners in achieving their goals.”