The Tote Hotel in Melbourne is about to close down. You can read more about it in The Age here. Apparently it has been classifed as a ‘high risk’ venue by Victoria’s liquor licensing board despite moving forward its closing time from 3am to 1am and public comment from Collingwood Police Sergeant Nathan Kaeser that ‘it’s not one of our trouble spots in the area’ and so has had it’s licence fee, which was to be due this month, raised 500%.
Most disturbing to me is the comment from publican Bruce Milne that ‘you’d be insane to open a music venue in Victoria or inner Melbourne’. Not because I am horrified to hear him say it or because I disagree but because I think it’s true. After living in Sydney at a time when there were very few pubs and bars that were regular music venues, largely due to restrictive liquor and entertainment licence laws, I have been amazed by the strength and diversity of the music community in Melbourne in the time I have lived here and find it absolutely shocking to see that, when NSW is finally relaxing its legislation and beginning to support live music, Victoria is heading down the exact path of restrictive license laws and expensive licences that created the beer barns of Australia’s largest city.
The Tote has been a live music venue for 27 years and yet it appears that no consideration has been given to the importance of it as such in the licencing decisions that have been made. After starting the Au Go Go label, which released the early work of Melbourne bands such as Spiderbait, The Guttersnipes and The Meanies and put on shows at the venue, the current owner Milne took over the licence and the venue remains a vital space in the city’s inner city music scene. I grew up listening to a lot of the bands that were supported by the label and venue and in the last few years have seen some amazing performances at the Tote so this is a particularly troubling example of the lack of recognition and support of live music venues in liquor and entertainment licence legislation in Australia.
The Grey Daturas have their last every show tonight in the Tote Hotel’s bandroom from 7pm with Agents of Abhorrence, New War, Embers and Piss Bolt for only $15 and I for one will be there. Also, there is a Facebook group here promoting a peaceful protest at the venue scheduled for 6pm this Sunday night. Please go along to one or both if you can.
