Stalwart Fitzroy venue The Old Bar may be renowned as a regular champion of local and emergent live music, but organisers have hinted that the venue may not be able to continue as it presently operates in the face of a hardening economic climate.
In a post made on Facebook yesterday, The Old Bar organisers explained that their present operating framework runs at a loss close to 50% of the time, and that their enthusiasm for continuing as-is has waned considerably in recent times.
"The day draws ever closer where we swap the stage for a kitchen," organisers wrote on the bar's Wall.
"Currently we actually lose money around half the nights of the week to do this and the joy has worn off. It's gonna be a long winter this year so let's find out what we are doing at the end of it together."
Despite the bleak outlook from within, there's still a packed calendar of events going down at The Old Bar in the near future, including their regular Mundane Mondays music nights and an exhibition of half a century's worth of gig posters, Plastered, from 28 April.
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In addition, there are scheduled performances for Scott & Charlene's Wedding, Exek and Moon Ritual (tomorrow, 23 April); The Eighty 88's, Gun Barrell Straights, Red Motors and DJ Hawkmoth (24 April), ANZAC Day celebrations featuring Pitt The Elder, Foxtrot, The Union Pacific, Laura Palmer, Foley!, Summer Blood, Steve William and DJ Kit Convict (25 April); and East Brunswick All Girls Choir, BJ Morriszonkle and The Shadow Casters for Beersoaked Sundays on 26 April — and that's just through to the end of this weekend.
If you're a local or within easy travelling distance of the venue, check its website to see what's on and help bring some smiles back to the people behind one of the city's proven live music assets.
