The Old Bar
| The Oldie | |
| Former names | Carmen Bar Restaurant |
|---|---|
| Location | Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Type | Music venue |
| Genre(s) |
Independent music Punk Alternative Hardcore Experimental |
| Capacity | 175 |
| Construction | |
| Built | ca. 1903 (present structure) |
| Opened | 2001 (as The Old Bar) |
| Website | |
| http://www.theoldbar.com.au/ | |
The Old Bar (2001) is a bar and live music venue on the premises of 74–76 Johnston St, between Brunswick and Nicholson streets, in Fitzroy, an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The venue currently operates 7 days a week with performances most nights, often at no cost during the week. Residencies are also a regular occurrence at the venue, with a band playing one particular night of the week for the duration of a month, usually with different support acts each time.
History
The buildings on the site were constructed around the turn of the 20th century, appearing in postal records from 1903/04. Original uses for the buildings varied over the years from various manufacturing enterprises, a dairy, haberdashery and clothing stores, as well as cafes and restaurants.[1] In 2001, the venue opened as The Old Bar, under the management of Andy Tannahill, until ownership passed to Paul Jakovcic in 2005. In 2007, the business was purchased by the owners of The Afterdark, a bar and live music venue in High Street, Northcote.
Music
The current owners, Singajaya Unlayati, Liam Matthews and Joel Morrison consolidated and developed the bar as a music venue showcasing local and international bands and artists in the musical genres rock, country, folk, experimental, punk, post-punk, heavy metal and hardcore, amongst others.[2]
The venue continues to host many independent local, Australian and international acts, including Blag Dahlia (The Dwarves), Charlie Parr, Okkerville River, Graveyard Train, C.W. Stoneking, Six Ft Hick, The Nation Blue, The Meanies, Children Collide, Delaney Davidson, Mikelangelo & The Tin Star, Spod, Little John, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Kim Salmon, and Dave Graney.
Community Involvement
The Old Bar has also hosted fundraising events for wider causes, including flood relief event Banana-peel[3] and a month-long string of benefit shows, including live broadcasts of radio show 'Burning Vinyl' for local Community Radio station 3CR.[4] The bar also hosts a popular weekly craft evening on Monday nights during winter, known as "Crotchety Knitwits", which focuses on crotchet and knitting.
Legal Issues
The Old Bar, along with many inner city Melbourne music venues, faced noise and licensing restrictions imposed by local and state authorities in the past few years. Noise complaints from local residents, especially in new housing developments in the immediate vicinity forced the current owners to renovate in order to reduce ambient noise escaping from the venue.[2] Following the Tote closure in 2010, Liam Matthews, one of the current owners, voiced an opinion, along with other venue operators, that local and state restrictions on licensed live music venues made it difficult for continued operation of such venues in the City of Yarra, at a public meeting. He indicated a strong and unfair emphasis on existing business owners to comply to new development in the City.[5]
Old Bar Unicorns
The legendary Old Bar Unicorns take the field in the annual Renegade Pub Football League,[6] a grassroots, inclusive and mixed-gendered Australian Rules football competition played between teams put forward by several inner city Melbourne music venues. Other participants include the Tote Hotel, the Labor In Vain Hotel, Some Velvet Morning, The Workers club, Bar Open and the mighty Lomond Barracudas. RPFL games can attract over 500 spectators (and a lot of dogs), with DJs playing from the stands and snags and beers available for purchase. While there are no finals or premiership, competition is fierce but friendly. The RPFL has a long and compelling history and has moved homes several times since it began many years ago. In 2015 the league moved to its new home at Victoria Park, Abbottsford.
The Old Bar Unicorns are the most feared and respected team due to their record breaking winning streak of 5 consecutive seasons. Many have suggested this freakish display of athleticism and courage is due to their annual ritual which includes the drinking of Unicorn blood and the sacrifice of a virgin team member (usually a bass player as they please the football gods the most).
Bridge Hotel (Castlemaine)
In December 2011, The Old Bar owners Morrison, Matthews and Unlayati announced their acquisition of the freehold on Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine in regional Victoria. The business and leasehold was purchased by Brendan Noonan and partner Kat Hamilton, former managers of Melbourne venues Northcote Social Club and The Old Bar, respectively. Bridge Hotel will reopen mid March 2012 with plans to host live music in the near future. [7]
See also
References
- ↑ "Sands & McDougall Melbourne Directory, 1862-1918".
- 1 2 Levin, Darren. "Melbourne's Old Bar turns 10". www.messandnoise.com. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ↑ "Banana-Peel". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ↑ "Burning Vinyl live at the Old Bar". 3CR Community Radio. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ↑ Rogers, Meg. "Yarra rocking into a sound proofed live music future?". Yarra reporter. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ↑ Munro, Ian. "It's no love in vain for footy when the rockers' pubs go head to head". The Age. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ↑ http://www.messandnoise.com/news/4397950
External links
Coordinates: 37°47′54.0″S 144°58′37.6″E / 37.798333°S 144.977111°E