Exclusive: Melbourne’s Phoenix Rises, Then Falls
News posted Tuesday, May 8 2012 at 04:00 PM.
Related: Phoenix Public House.
After eight months of operation, Melbourne’s Phoenix Public House will shut its doors next month.
Since opening in October, the Sydney Road venue – formerly The Spot – has become one of the area’s most-loved small rooms (300-plus capacity), hosting gigs by the likes of Aleks & The Ramps, Graveyard Train, Dappled Cities, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Dick Diver and a Twerps farewell gig in March that saw queues around the block.
But speaking to M+N today (May 8), venue booker Paris Martine from Contrary said despite the “lovely response” from Melbourne’s music community the venue had faced an uphill struggle for the past few months. A "difficult climate for band bookings" coupled with the breakdown of negotiations with the building's owners over the length of a new lease has forced a premature end. She said the venue’s closure had nothing to do with the lack of clarity surrounding Victorian noise restriction laws; a burning issue which Music Victoria hopes to put to the government at a forthcoming roundtable.
Phoenix was supposed to shut abruptly last Tuesday, but Martine has negotiated a stay of execution until June 12, the night after its last announced gig: Mark Kozelek of US slowcore legends Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon. Martine said a closing party would only be considered if a “great line-up presented itself”.
She thanked punters for their support, saying she wanted to focus on the remaining shows including a Lost Animal vinyl launch (May 18), Daniel Merriweather (May 12), New Zealand’s Opossom (May 17) and PVT’s exclusive VIVID sideshow (May 24). As for the possibility of the Phoenix rising once more, Martine said she was still assessing her options.
A initiative of Contrary and Godel Design and Marketing, Phoenix Public House – the original name on the building’s facade – is said to be the only dedicated bandroom on Sydney Road. “You only have to sit on Sydney Road for a bit before you start running into people who have live in the area and are regularly out there supporting original bands,” Martine told M+N at the time of opening. “Giving them somewhere stumbling distance can only be a good thing.”
For details of the venue’s final shows click here.
UPDATE:
May 9, 9.30am: Phoenix Public House booker Paris Martine has expanded on the difficulties surrounding lease negotiations in a statement posted to Facebook last night: "Taking on the terms of the lease would have meant making huge sacrifices to the concept and integrity of what we wanted to create in order to make rent... and the length of the lease left no room to implement ideas and continuously improve the business. It would have been a business with no love. Attempts to secure a longer lease were met with conditions that made the business unviable for a live music space."
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What does this mean?
I guess the guys across the road at the Brunswick Hotel will be happy?
this is sad though.. the Phoenix band room was kinda good
No. Cause they'll still book shit bands, or bands having their first gig.
fuct.
:~(
how many bands are in melbourne that could pull a full house to phoenix?
x post. Referring to ben's 1st post.
PUNNY TITLE
Sydney Road NEEDS this venue to survive.
this
yeah this is super crap. i think it's a great venue. excellent live sound, great food and atmosphere.
i look forward to our new pokie playing overlords.
Did you see that ''Original Live Music Venue Dedicated Stage'' sign they have? jerk cunt. I saw Hyperfuzz's brother's band play there with Telecom(!!!!!!) once.
Terrible news about Phoenix. Paris had really done an amazing job with the place and booking consistantly great lineups.
Hope she goes on to bigger and better things, it must be gutting at the moment but she's very good at what she does and is an absolute asset to te Melbourne live music scene.
agreed. the effort she's put in here is obvious. ima miss this place bad. the staff are total sweeties. the band room effin great.
bummer. I loved playing that room.
shit news
Do we have to do this for every room that opens and closes? Lots of band rooms open and close within a short time. Not knowing how to run a band venue has more to do with it.
its just a fact that small venues like these don't make enough money...you need cool owners who can afford to run these sorts of spaces otherwise this sort of thing happens. oh well.
you mean post actual music related news that people are interested in reading?
''its just a fact that small venues like these don't make enough money...''
Not so. In fact I wouldn't even call this place small at a 300 capacity. There's money in that.
i just said they don't make enough money, but maybe they do. i guess it all comes down to whatever ''a difficult climate for band bookings'' means...
Jeez, I'm not really sure where to even start here...
Ignoring it seems to be working for me, just.
Yeah its totz :-(
Yet we're going to party massive at this Phoenix Public House event on this Friday 11th May..
BUM CREEK
FABULOUS DIAMONDS
MATTHEW BROWN (late night vibes)
Its going to be a great night!!
||=||//\ ||=||//\
Tim, I am a little bit of an arsehole and I think you are being a little bit of an arsehole.
cheers mrmagoo.
it's a shame... like kapitolina said... sydney rd/brunswick really needs this kinda venue. blah.
So, a highly experienced venue booker who I can vouch runs an incredibly professional operation doesn't know how to run a venue? That's a really stupid thing to say. They're getting fucked by their greedy landlord. Snarky ''I know better'' comments like that are completely unhelpful in this situation.
this was just posted to FB (rooftop garden! mannn):
THE FINAL SHOWS. THE FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS. THE DRINK SPECIALS. SOME THANKS. OTHER STUFF PHOENIX RELATED.
A Band Venue
No child proof, plastic cup
No no-name petrol parading as alcohol
A wine selection
No $3 a bottle house wine
Good sight lines from all angles
Good sound
A band room that wasn't subsidised by a nightclub, a battle of the bands or rent-a-crowd suburban prog
Nice security (ok, still a little tweekin' to do there)
I had big plans for the future - a rooftop garden with veg patch & picnic rugs, band & artist friendly backpacker accommodation...
it was happening... like a dream... like all dreams, brief and inevitably interrupted by life.
Unfortunately, we were not able to reach an agreement with the landlord for a longer lease without agreeing to terms that would have compromised most of the above and left no room / money for future improvement.
Phoenix Public House will close it's doors on June 12.
There are some amazing shows still to come and plenty of opportunities to drop in for a drink!
Thanks to everyone who encouraged us, namely - THE AGE EG, Sean @ 3RRR, Sophia BROUS, SHAGS, John & Chas @ FLEMING ARTISTS, Steve @ SENSORY PROJECTS, Matt @ ILLUSIVE, JOHANN P @ IOHYOU, Jules Western, Sophie & Ash @ MISTLETONE, Adam Yee @ Mobile Industries!... It's always the usual suspects in this town that are willing to give rise to something new.
THE FINAL SHOWS
FRIDAY MAY 11
BUM CREEK + FABULOUS DIAMONDS + CISTERN CORRUPT (CASTINGS / SUNSET FLIPS) + LATE NIGHT DANCE SET BY MATTHEW BROWN
SATURDAY MAY 12
DANIEL MERRIWEATHER supported by CITY CALM DOWN
THURSDAY MAY 17
OPOSSOM (NZ) ft. Mint Chicks' Kody Neilson & MICHAEL LOGIE and BIC RUNGA supported by I'LL'S + MURLOCS
FRIDAY MAY 18
LOST ANIMAL 'EX TROPICAL' VINYL LAUNCH
NEW WAR, PEARLS + DJ LA POCOCK
SATURDAY MAY 19
EMPERORS 'STAY FROSTY' ALBUM TOUR
supported by IOWA, The Statics + Them Swoops
THURSDAY MAY 24
PVT - Exclusive VIVID Sideshow
supported by FORCES (RAD!!!!!)
FRIDAY MAY 25
DEAF AMBITIONS (music website) LAUNCH PARTY
HUNTING GROUNDS + DRAKE THE FAKE + THE RED LIGHTS + DRUNK MUMS
SATURDAY MAY 26
PLAYWRITE 'BORDERLINE' SINGLE LAUNCH
supported by I, A MAN + HAYDEN CALNIN
TUESDAY MAY 29
THE LAST TUESDAY SOCIETY (may edition)
THE LIST OPERATORS + LESSONS WITH LUIS + DR NEIL PORTENZA + DIE ROTEN PUNKTE and MORE!
FRIDAY JUNE 1
Grouse Party and Pennydrop present
LIGHT ASYLUM (USA) + NICKY DA B (USA)
SATURDAY JUNE 2
DAVE LARKIN BAND
67 SPECIAL
DAVEY LANE (YOU AM I)
FRIDAY JUNE 8 - selling well!
DEEP SEA ARCADE ALBUM LAUNCH
supported by CAIROS + WOE & FLUTTER
MONDAY JUNE 11 - selling well!
MARK KOZELEK of Sun Kil Moon & Red House Painters
all tickets on sale at www.phoenixpublichouse.com.au
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MORE UPDATES SOON
OUR HOURS ARE NOW WED - SAT with the exception of Tuesday 29 May when we are taken by the completely awesome LAST TUESDAY SOCIETY.
sounds like pretty ambitious plans!
imagine the summertime fun.
fuckin landlords, you feel so powerless when they get involved...
Disagree, but anyway, big bummer for the crew... must be so disappointing to have it come to this.
Hi Paris!
hellooooo
How do you know I don't know better? I can't count on one finger the numbers of people who go to more gigs than I do a year. Even people who actually run venues say they can't keep up with me.
I spend everything I earn on supporting live music or something related to it, have not even had time even to make a minor trip overseas or go interstate for ten years.
Reopening with new owners as The Jewell of Brunswick Hotel.
funk
where do i sign
So, it's turned into The Spot again, eh?
the mural in the new front bar is pure forever-90s brunswick. a dude with dreds eating a sun-dried tomato focaccia in front of a purple-heavy psychedelic landscape.
Hmm yeah that mural doesn't set expectations high.