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The Tote is Closing FOREVER this weekend!!!
As I sit in my office here in Sydney I am AGAIN saddened by the fact that another icon Australia music venue is closing its doors.
But this one holds even more sentimental value than most as the Tote, on the corner of Johnston and Wellington Streets in Collingwood, was not only my old local but a venue that gave me some of my first gigs when I started playing music, it was the venue that hosted the very last Best Of The Brat, I went to two very rock’n'roll wedding receptions at, we had one my best mate Marcus’s 21st there so our bands could play and I saw some of the best and formative gigs there, from the Powder Monkeys and The Hellacopters to The White Stripes, Andre Williams and JET.
This venue to me was as iconic as CBGBS and sadly like CBGBS, all amazing things must come to an end.
Bruce Milne the Publican of The Tote (and former EMI A&R guy) released a statement today :
| It’s last drinks at the Tote. This weekend.I know it’s sudden. I didn’t plan it to be like that.I can’t afford to keep fighting Liquor Licensing. The “high risk” conditions they have placed on the Tote’s license make it impossible to trade profitably. I can’t afford the new “high risk” fees they have imposed. I can’t afford to keep fighting them at VCAT. I can’t renegotiate a lease in this environment.So, come into the Tote this weekend to say farewell to the sad staff and to feel the sticky carpet for the last time.
I don’t believe the Tote is a “high risk” venue, in the same category as the nightclubs that make the news for all the wrong reasons. Despite being on a rough little corner of Collingwood, the Tote has had very, very few incidents. As a local police officer once said, “The Tote’s the quietest pub in the area.” (!). It’s not dumb luck that the Tote has escaped serious violence. I believe the business has been run responsibly. People don’t come to the Tote to fight. They come because they have a passion for music and love to be in an historic venue that reeks of that same passion. The Tote is (sorry, was) an important cornerstone of Melbourne’s rich and diverse music community. It’s too late to save the Tote but not too late to try and save other inner city venues that are feeling the same pressures. I know the sudden closure affects a lot of people. Most importantly, the hard-working staff that are being forced onto the dole queue. And the bands and artists that have had their gigs pulled from under them. Anyway, I don’t want to get maudlin (or viciously angry). The era of the Tote is over. If you love the place, come and have a beer with us this weekend. |
So if you’re in Melbourne and in a band pay your respects and sign all the partitions available to help save not only Melbourne live music scene but Australia’s.
So to Bruce, Richie, Luke, all the bar staff over the years, the best jukebox in the world and the red boots thanks for the great memories.
If you’ve never been there before the check out JET’s video (and the best video they’ve done in my opinion) for Cold Hard Bitch that was shot there.
tears… gg
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