Why The Carine Is So Much More Than Just A Music Venue

When people think about live original music in Perth, it’s often accompanied with imagery of the CBD or Northbridge, but that wasn’t always the case.

“When I was in my early 20s, there were so many [WA] live music venues to chose from,” Jen Rider, venue manager of northern suburbs hotspot The Carine says. “The Castle Hotel, the Swanbourne, the Karrinyup, the Lookout, the Overflow, just to name a few,” she adds. “Sunday sessions were absolutely magic and we were spoilt for choice without going too far from home.”

Over time, those flourishing venues throwing constant support to the original live music scene began to shut down or stop hosting original acts, “to the detriment of the suburbs”.

“Somewhere along the line, it was like the government made the decision to centralise the entertainment to a few key areas…I think we lost our way for quite a while but I honestly believe there is a movement back to live music and its about to come full circle.”

And The Carine is one of the venues at the forefront of that movement, with Rider committing a lot of time and energy over the past year into making the space into one of the best live rooms in the state. “There was no stage to speak of and no PA and it was a ghost town after 8pm most nights,” she recalls.

“I thought I either had to can the music altogether, or do it properly, with a new stage, new sound system and live original music. I'm absolutely passionate about original live music, having run the Indi Bar for about six years in the late noughties

“I got the financial backing of the ALH bosses to build it and so we did! My old stomping ground the Indi Bar actually helped me build the stage and set it up, because they too, are passionate supporters of live original music…a lot of people though I was crazy building a band room and thought it would never survive.”

But the hard work is paying off as the venue goes from strength to strength.

“I am so impressed with how many young awesome original bands Perth continues to knock out, even in our own back yard. Carine local lads Sly Withers pack the venue out every time they play and recently did their album launch at the Carine to a full house.”

It’s not just local acts gracing the fresh stage, with the 600 capacity room hosting Katchafire, Ash Grunwald, Spit Syndicate, Arc (with Kram from Spiderbait), Tim Rogers, Blue Shaddy and more in recent months and 2017 already shaping up to be a big one. “The plan is to get a bunch more tours through,” she explains. “Plus we have two festivals on the go. Firstly A Dog Day Afternoon on February 18 [proudly presented by The Music]. I have been thinking about doing this for years.”

“It wasn't until bringing Addison Axe [Axe Girl] on board that it actually started to become a reality. Much if not most of the credit for the line-up, and the vibe and style of the event goes to Axe and I am so grateful!

“The plan is to grow it next year and get permission from the council to hold it in the Carine Open Space. But that is just a dream at this stage. We'll see how 2017 goes first. We are super happy with the line-up, including Abbe May, The Love Junkies, Vdelli, Axegirl, Rag N Bone, Sly Withers, and lots more.

“Our other festival is Blues And Brews on Saturday 11 - Sunday 12 March…this year is an epic two-day event featuring Dave Hole, Dallas Frasca, Vdelli, Old Blood, the Southern River Band, Toby, The Swamp Stompers, Lightning Jack and more. I love blues rock and this is pretty much my dream live up for a blues festival.

“We have only just begun and can't wait to see what the future holds.”