Music venues all over Melbourne are under threat from the increasing inner-city housing density, and the scary reality is the neighbours becoming upset about noise levels.
“I think it’s awful to think that people would move right near a cultural hub, or a live music venue, and feel within their right to complain” experienced Melbourne-based musician, Christopher Windley says.
“Look at Brunswick, Moreland city council is always guns blazing about noise pollution in the streets, usually surrounding Ovens St Warehouse. Yet that has been a cultural hub for decades”.
Venues including Pure Pop Records in St Kilda, Wesley Anne in Northcote, The Old Bar in Fitzroy, The Corner Hotel in Richmond and The Empress in North Fitzroy are just some of the well known venues battling noise complaints of late.
Writer for The Vine Music, Elliot Grigg, says “it seems counter-intuitive to me that people should want to move into an inner urban space to take advantage of the cosmopolitan vibrancy that it offers, and then try to eradicate one of the primary sources of that kind of desirability”.
Pure Pop Records is running a fund-raising campaign called “buy a brick” to pay for soundproofing its courtyard. Owner Dave Stephens is being forced to demolish his only gig space due to one neighbour’s noise complaints. Head to Pure Pop Records’ Pozible page to help make a donation to save the St. Kilda Record Store.
Similar to Pure Pop, The Corner Hotel in Richmond is currently under strife from one neighbour’s complaint. However, as the Melbourne Times Weekly reports, a new 13-storey complex is being planned across the road from the venue.
Music Victoria CEO Patrick Donovan recently said “It’s (The Corner) definitely under threat and the uncertainty is one of the most worrying things.”
“The demise of the Corner Hotel would be catastrophic for the live music scene – it hosts album launches, hundreds of overseas acts perform every year; there’s bands seven nights a week.”
The Wesley Anne installed a “blue box” decibel reader that shuts off music for ten seconds once it reaches 83 decibels and bands cease playing at 11pm.
“It sucks when it occurs, but sound guys and bands familiar with the Wesley Anne know how to make it work, keeping it a nice place to watch music” Windley says.
In a recent interview with The Age, Bek Duke from Music Victoria said it was time Melbourne officially recognised its “cultural clusters” to help protect live music.
“Music Victoria has been working with government on the protection of cultural infrastructure via the adoption of ‘cultural clusters’,” she said.
She said the clusters would help ”protect the cultural vitality which attracted both residents and developers in the first place”.
