Council Grant Helps Melbourne Venue Combat 'Frustrated' Neighbours

Fitzroy venue The Old Bar has received a grant from the local council that will help assist in reducing their noise levels that "frustrate the neighbours".

Yarra City Council provided the venue with $2,000 to buy and install a new, thicker door to reduce the sound coming from the gigs that are held there.

"We replaced the very thin back wall coming from the band room into the courtyard and built a very thick insulated wall creating a noise buffer between us and the neighbours," said venue co-owner Liam Matthews.

"Once both back doors are shut we can create an air lock of sorts stopping sound emitting every time someone goes outside."

Matthews said while residents in the area should be understanding to a certain level of noise coming from a live music venue, it is important for The Old Bar team to try and find common ground with them.

"If you start waiting for noise complaints to roll in you are already too late," he said.

"We try to stop as much noise as possible before people are put out. Within reason of course, people must also understand the area they are moving into and accept us to some degree. Small things like this new back door and wall dramatically reduce sound coming from live music and I think people do see that you are trying to do your best.

"We find that as the night progresses people do tend to get louder particularly when they are talking over other noise. By reducing the noise we send outside we can see that people do not feel the need to raise their voices and thus frustrate the neighbours."

The venue holds gigs each night of the week and upcoming shows include Lepers & Crooks, The Burning Sea, Davey Craddock and Shifting Sands. Head to theGuide and The Music App for more.

The grant The Old Bar applied for is still open to other venues and more info can be found here.