The Null Device

Quiet: Rich people sleeping

Some bad news for live music in Melbourne. The Empress Hotel has been forced by Victoria's noise-complaint laws and the encroachment of yuppie apartments to cancel performances by bands who "cannot meet the stringent requirements demanded by the current liquor laws". Which presumably means they'll still have folkies with acoustic guitars (which is just what we need more of, isn't it?) but no actual bands with amplifiers and stuff. At least until they go out of business and get bought up by a pokie franchise or a real-estate developer.

I hope the people who moved to North Fitzroy for the vibrant culture, got sick of it and decided to turn the inner city into Nunawading or somewhere are pleased with what they've done. Cunts.

There are 12 comments on "Quiet: Rich people sleeping":

Posted by: hot soup girl http://finishhim.blogspot.com/ Tue Apr 1 07:01:20 2003

This is terrible.

Posted by: tony http://www.tamesapien.com/weblog/ Tue Apr 1 07:13:29 2003

Shit! I was only there last Saturday at lunchtime for a beer and the landlady (can't remember her name) was telling me all about the b#@ch a few doors up in the townhouses whining about the noise. One complainant is all it takes, one idiot, one killjoy. I've only been here in Melbourne for 5 years and in thaat time things are really going downhill quickly as far as live entertainment go.

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org Tue Apr 1 07:43:25 2003

Indeed.

In related news, my landlord (the one who wouldn't let me keep a cat) notified me a while ago that he's putting my rent up by $10pw from July. Ah well; I guess that's one fewer reason to pay the North Fitzroy Lifestyle Tax.

Posted by: Bowie http://realkosh.weblogs.com/ Tue Apr 1 23:23:07 2003

Last time we (www.walkentheband.com plug) played there (last year) we were told that we had to play quietly and it was strongly suggested that we play acoustic (which we did). I didn't think we were particularly quiet (plugged in acoustic) and the bands before us played electric and didn't get any complaints (this was a Wed or Thurs night). I've heard of bands being threatened with non-payment because they were too loud (yeah, keep my $30 lady).

Posted by: cnwb http://cnwb.blogspot.com Wed Apr 2 01:32:27 2003

I haven't been to The Empress in years, but this news makes me wanna go there again, just to support 'em. Oh, the memories, both good and bad.

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org Wed Apr 2 03:06:37 2003

Someone at http://www.rocknerd.org/ suggested a "Save the Empress" campaign, including some combination of petitions and legal action (the latter likely to have benefit gigs for it).

Posted by: Ritchie http:// Wed Apr 2 12:11:49 2003

Hehehe. The first place I ever rented shared a wall with a wharfie pub, the kind of place where old blood stains spot the ceiling. These people have no idea what the word 'disturbance' means...

Posted by: cnwb http://cnwb.blogspot.com Thu Apr 3 04:52:30 2003

Perhaps a benefit featuring the cream of North Fitzroy's urban r'n'b artists (I hear the guys from Danny's are kickin' it 2-step style these days). The benefit could be called "putting ht URBAN back in distURBANce'.

Posted by: serp http:// Sat Apr 19 07:28:37 2003

"The Cream" of North Fitzroy "urban r'n'b artists" ??? Are you serious? They have an r'n'b artists in North Fitzroy? That means more then one that you could pick a "selection" of "cream" artists??? HAHAHAHAHAH what a joke! And the way you've written it suggests that "urban r'n'b" is somewhat different to "r'n'b" which could be true but that there could be sub-genres of r'n'b artists in fitzroy, what a joke.

r'n'b - what a joke.

Posted by: Graham http://grudnuk.com Sat Apr 19 13:33:31 2003

ok, mopeycore bands, then...

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org Sat Apr 19 17:50:03 2003

Actually, Australia has a very vibrant Afro-American music scene, and has had so since Michael Gudinski was a young man at least. From groups of boys singing in the tradition of the gospel choirs they weren't brought up in to people rapping in cod-American accents about pimpin' ho's and bustin' caps, Australians can hold their own against the rest of the world.

Posted by: Ben Laden http://leviathan.weblogs.com Mon Apr 21 08:04:06 2003

Well it's too bad that the old Sports Bar on the corner of St Georges Rd and Holden St isn't there anymore (it's still there but is yuppie apartments naturally).

You could have gotten your share of rap, african-american contemporary rythms, studio country and whatever other crap people with earrings, mullets and backwards baseball caps listen to.