Tag Archives: liquor licensing

Last Drinks.

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DOUBLE GLAZING WOULD HAVE SOLVED EVERYTHING.

 

It has been a great passion, and pleasure, of ours to be a conversation partner with you all in the debate about liquor licensing reform and small venue licenses.

Let’s go right back to VIBRATORS, Renew Adelaide’s forum that kick started the conversation about small venue license reform. There were many an invested person in attendance that night including one Ian Horne, General Manager of the Australian Hotels Association South Australia. Ian was offered the chance the stand up and speak on the night…

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 (apologies for audio quality)

It was positive to note that Ian saw “no particular conflict” with the implementation of a small venue license. Also noteworthy was the seemingly placing of the blame upon the shoulders of local government.

Next, I suppose, came this opinion piece by the Advertisers David Penberthy entitled: How the hotel lobby is wrecking our city

In it Penberthy describes the AHA, and Ian Horne as it’s head, as a major obstacle in the implementation of a small venue license, citing the oldest of all the motives: greed. Liquor licenses are a sacred thing in this state, and worth a whole lot of money. The more liquor licenses that are granted, the less one’s license is relatively worth. Not to mention the competing interests of attracting the drinking consumer. Penberthy does note that the likelihood of any real competition is minimal, as small bars would cater to a niche that wouldn’t derive from the stalwart pub drinker. Penberthy also laments the seeming loss of actual pub culture, cleared away for the pokie.

Ian Horne quickly responded with a letter to the editor that you can find here

It is clear that Penberthy wrote an impassioned piece that could well have done with some fact checking. What is interesting to note is that the AHA’s policy is they “are not yet convinced that current liquor laws can’t accommodate that outcome with some tweaking” in reference to encouraging small venues. Again the AHA places a chunk of the blame upon local government.

The AHA released a information booklet entitled Raising the Bar Ignores Reality, which you can find here. It contains some of the dubious statistics that Penberthy talks about in his piece, as well as a direct attack on the Raise the Bar movement launched by John Wardle at the Small Venue Licenses forum.

After the VIBRATORS forum we spoke with both the Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood, who bizarrely spoke of golden taps, and the Premier of South Australia Jay Weatherill. Asked about whether he agreed with the Penberthy article, the Premier responded “To the extent that our liquor licensing laws are preventing small bars and small organisations like arts and other culture groups, live venues from getting a foot hold in the city, they need to change. I agree with his analysis”. Mr Weatherill went on to state that he “didn’t beleive the hotels lobby have anything to fear from this”, in reference to liquor licensing reform.

That same night the Premier announced a last Thinker in Residence to tackle the live music scene, which would encompass liquor licensing, building code, environmental code and music infrastructure.

All well and good.

But it was time to hear another point of view. The Scenery invited General Manager of the AHA Ian Horne onto the show to tell us his point of view of the liquor licensing reform debate. To his credit, Ian immediately replied and booked in a date for a live chat on the show.

Like with the Premier we decided to section the show into particular topics.

Firstly, in light of the Crown and Sceptre closure, and the going into administration of the Dublin, Holdfast and Talbot hotels, was there a problem with the current hotel culture that has seen a reduction in patronage?

Secondly, in the 90s and early 2000s the Producers, Tivoli, Austral and Exeter were all pubs integral to the live music scene. Apartment blocks went up around all of them, noise complaints were made and live music was severely reduced or cut all together. The Tivoli sat vacant for some time before eventually being renovated into a trendy professionals bar; the Producers went through a handful of owners and a handful of names and now has sat empty for some months, if not over a year; the Austral tried to set up a club in the backroom which failed, and now has no live music; the Exeter continues to have live music in the squashed front section of the pub, but regularly receives noise complaints. What can be done, either legislatively or politically, to prevent these common sense issues from being detrimental to existing, live music venues?

And finally, what is the opinion of the AHA when it comes to liquor licensing reform in regards to small bars and venues.

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A polite conversation was had by all, with some off the record insight that gave a little more heart to the matter. Noticeably the common thread of blame in the eyes of the AHA, in terms of the struggle to obtain small venue license, seems to continually lie with local government.

It is no surprise that an organisation that represents hundreds or more hotels around the state, which represents hundreds of millions of dollars, would be defensive when talk of something that may weaken their market share is spruiked. To the credit of the AHA, though, they seem to want to be part of the conversation, perhaps recognising the inevitability of it all. In this cynics opinion though, there are many forms of easier revenue raising for pubs and the AHA then the unprofitable struggle of lobbying for live music.

What is a beer without a good chat? What is a glass of wine without a wanky conversation about where it was grown, and the shit art that’s hanging up in front of you? What’s tequila without the tapas to soak it up? And what the fuck is a pub without a sweaty, stinking shit band that can’t play. The fucking Havelock.

This week’s feature song was going to be Old Fool, as performed by Matt Banham and Summerflake, but those arseholes didn’t allow it to be streamed from their bandcamp. But we’re good chaps, so here’s The Real Thing by Summerflake.

The Hon.

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This story begins many many weeks ago. Adelaide was much younger then, and in need of some soft nurturing hands and some bars.

I was standing in the offices of Radio Adelaide (228 North Terrace, next to the Anthopolgy building, for all you subscription needs). Restless, I tapped my collegue John on the shoulder and asked whether he would fancy a skip and a hop down to Format. I beleive we took the route of North Terrace down to King William, as to avoid the consumers in Rundle Mall, and perhaps stick our noses into Tuxedo Cat to ascertain whether the selling of beers was occurring.

The sun was near completing it’s decent beyond the gulf of St Vincent, when in actuality it was the Earth itself, particularly the South Easternish hemisphere, turning away from the sun (or if your point of view is America/Europe being the centre of the world, turning toward the sun.) We were on Hindley Street by that stage, I could tell because the shop fronts took on a decidedly lesser brow.

We turned, fighting the unavoidbale g-force of vibrations, down into Peel Street where standing there was none other than Tea & Magazine merchant, and some times bicycle chaining felon Joshua Fanning.

“Oh, hello dear sir. Jolly funny that we should bump into you like this. What may I ask brings you to this most vibrative of bitchumen paths”, I said.

“Waiting for a bunch of beaurocrats”.

Mr Fanning went onto explain that the capital city committee had decided to tinker with the already fine workings of Leigh St and that, he beleived, they should perhaps focus some time and energy on the laneways that weren’t doing so well, such as the very one upon which we stood.

We bid him good luck, tipped our hats, and journeyed forth to Format. Despite the sign on the door reading that the shop were to open at Three PM, and it being a quarter past that time, the door was locked. We therefore turned heel, and traveled back to Josh. It was at this time that the capital city committee turned up.

I said to my collegue John.

“Hold up good chap, let’s eavesdrop”.

And that we did.

It turned out that this group of bureaucrats included Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood and Premeir Jay Weatherill. We inconspicuously waited back, leaning on pillars like the cool guys that we were (although I think John was standing upright, like a person above the age of 17). All of a sudden standing next to us, like a ninja from a thin mist, was a woman.

“Are you with Josh”, she asked.

A conversation ensued, the woman introduced herself as Lois Boswell, deputy chief of staff of the Premier. We introduced ourselves as The Scenery, we make lots and lots of money with our radio show. Seconds later we were shaking hands with the Premier, giving our personnel details to the governent, and then shaking hands with the Mayor.

Then Stan came. It involved the Mayor, there may have been talk of ball tickling, but that’s another story…

Some time after that the Scenery was involved in a conversation that may well have changed the course of Adelaide’s destiny: The Cultural Impact of Licensing and Regulation for Small Venues and Bars CODENAME: VIBRATORS.

So we all know what happened there, or we SHOULD all know ^^^. Anyway I found myself with a pint of Little Creatures Quiet American, sitting in the front bar of the Wheatsheaf with a host of good people and Stan. Joe Hay was talking excitedly about an idea that we’ll come back to a bit later. Then Lois Boswell leans over, like a ninja from a thin mist, and says.

“Y’know, we got to get the Premier on your show”

“Sure”, I said.

And the rest is history. Thanks Lois.

And so the Scenery, along with Ianto Ware, welcomed Premier Jay Weatherill. We weren’t short of any topics of interest for the Premier, but decided on three main points of focus:

1)The budget decisions regarding the Thinkers in Residence Program and the Integrated Design Commission and what that meant for the future of South Australian design.

2) The government’s response to suggestions of a small venues liquor license, and amendments to building codes in order to stimulate Adelaide’s fine grain culture and night time economy.

3) How important is the relationship between State and Local Governments in achieving the related goals of the above.

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The announcement of a Thinker in Residence, most likely the last of the program, to tackle the live music industry and the related issues, was met with great anticipation from the Scenery and de facto member Ianto Ware. The idea for this goes way back to before that night at the Wheatsheaf.

“So who do you think we should get to be a Thinker for the live music scene”. Joe Hay asks putting me on the spot.

“Nick Cave”, I say.

“Lemmy”, says Ianto.

(The Scenery shall hold a poll as to who you think would be the better thinker.)

Following the show the Premier visited the Jade Monkey, and spoke with Zac before sitting down for a beer and a chat with Mateo, Ianto and myself. Then it was time for an impromptu tour of down stairs bar Two Ships, during Mutiny. Only in Adelaide.

Goodnight, and goodluck.

 

 

His Worship

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In 2010, just before the Council Elections, I interviewed Stephen Yarwood for the University of Adelaide’s student publication On Dit. The premise given to me was ‘There’s a bit of noise around this candidate, see what you can find out’. What I found was a guy who spoke like a politician, but said exciting things. His ideas were sound; building a progressive, sustainable city and selling it to the world.

There was talk of ‘activating’ and ‘vibrating’, ‘laneways’ and ‘Copenhagen bicycle lanes’, ‘green technology’ and ‘sustainable infrastructure’ and so on.This didn’t mean much to some people, but for those that were dreaming of a Scandinavia closer to home, or didn’t want to undertake the great migration to Melbourne or Sydney, it was music to their ears.

These people, were more or less, a mixture of artists and young entrepreneurs, the next generation of Uni graduates, or just regular people who liked engaging with their city and it’s culture. What he did was tap the largest unused potential vote, the youth vote. He engaged the next generation of taxpayers, and told them that change was coming and that they finally had a chance to create the Adelaide they always wanted. This resulted in many an influential cultural purveyor of the city spruiking the idea of a young mayor that shared their ideas, to an extent.

And so it came to pass that with a flurry of excitement, and hope for life and change in our city that Stephen Yarwood became the Lord Mayor, beating his next opponent by some 800 votes.

Then this happened..http://renewadelaide.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/the-curious-case-of-the-bike-in-the-laneway/ and every one became aware that just because the face of the machine has changed, doesn’t mean the cogs have.

But nevertheless, Adelaide feels like it wants to move forward more than it ever has in my lifetime, and Mayor Yarwood must receive some credit in nurturing that evolution. We were very excited and appreciative to have the Mayor come into the studios and have a chat with us. Here John and Ryan are joined by the Mayor and Scenery adoptee Ianto, to talk about the Liquor Licensing forum, as well as the current state of Adelaide. A great conversation, and hopefully one of many with the Mayor.

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Following on from the Mayor, John, Ryan and Ianto continued their chat that led on into Mateo’s interview with John Wardle. Facing similiar problems in Sydney some years ago, John undertook a successful campaign to amend New South Wales’ liquor licensing. With the help of Arts SA, Renew adelaide brought John over to head the forum on Liquor Licensing.

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John also has started a Raise the Bar campaign for South Australia. Have a read, and if you decide to join an email will be sent to all the relevant politicians.

This week’s feature track comes from ‘Adelaide’s Best Guitarist’, according to Ianto.  It’s Summerflake! with Run Run Run.

 

In some other exciting news, The Scenery is a finalist in Pedestrian TV’s blogster of the year awards. To see what it’s all about, and perhaps give us a vote, go here 

 

Adios.

 

We Built This City On Rock and Roll

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We are very lucky at the Scenery to speak with some of Adelaide’s most productive and brightest people, that have actively spent their own time and money building up cultural institutions that do their darnedest to keep Adelaide buzzing. There have been times in my adolescent/adult lifetime where I’ve been saddened by the inevitable closure of some iconic shops/venues/magazines around Adelaide. I remember being a delinquent punk that frequently wore NOFX t-shirts and being crushed when Veranda Music closed down, or years later when I first discovered the old Tuxedo Cat, only for it to be shut down soon after. Then there was the abandonment of the Tivoli due to residential apartments being built directly behind it, troubles shared by the block away East End Exchange/Electric Light/Producers which now stands empty. The dank jazz dwelling of Fad bar gave up the ghost, to eventually become the crisp modern Gallery on Waymouth. Across the street from Veranda was Big Star which bit the bullet in 2010, and now this year saw the closure of Mr V’s Music, and sees the closure of Krypton Discs. There are many other places, and many different reasons for each of these places closing down. Some reasons were preventable, others an inevitable outcome of an ever changing economy. Regardless you still feel noticeable loss when they’re gone, and they become a part of nostalgia that you tell you children many years from now.

Bucking the trend of many was the perfectly placed Jade Monkey. It resides down an unassuming side street that links Rundle Mall with Grenfell St. You may not give Twin St as much credit as it deserves, but it houses hip hop store Clinic 116, alternative clothing store Irving Baby, a second hand book store, the odd entrance to the Adelaide Arcade, and other oddities but importantly no apartment and no residences. This allowed the Jade to operate with very little bother.

But I guess a matter of importance to some was that Twin Street, as well as the immediate western corner of Grenfell St was quite ugly, and needed some form of re development. Enter Hines Property Group, who successfully had approved a 17 storey hotel complex (no doubt a feat in itself) that would consume the current location of the Jade.

When the news reached the patrons of the Adelaide live scene an outpouring of support saturated social media. A digital petition was set up that accumulated thousands of signatures, the commercial media had news reports, the Lord Mayor made a statement, the Premier made a statement and Ianto’s Renew blog on the subject had the most hits of any.

It seemed Adelaide had finally felt the loss of what is of great importance to it – culture. The fallout of the Jade closure has had a very positive effect, but in a very Adelaide way.  In that there is now many people talking, talking about live music, the future of small venue bars and the ultimate vibrancy of the city. There is even, as we speak, talk of the creation of a lobby like group that will look into the liquor licensing regulations, building codes and alleged corruption in the policing and distribution of liquor licenses and their exaggerated attention on smaller, and pop up venues. At this stage though it is all very much potential – Adelaide in a nutshell.

For now we say support you local venues that support local music, and give the Jade Monkey the send off it deserves.

On this episode we spoke to Dr Ianto Ware of Renew Adelaide and Zac Coligan of the Jade Monkey. Ianto discussed the obstacles and absurd licensing regulations that would prevent, in our current environment, anything like the Jade making a viable presence on the Adelaide scene. Whilst Zac spoke about his appreciation of the support, and the future of the Jade Monkey.

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This week’s feature artist is Melbourne band Witch Hats with their single ‘In the Mortuary’.

Following the LP releases of Royal Headache and The Twerps, not to mention the work of Dick Diver, Witch Hats have followed suit in maturing their sound. We love the kind of immediate revolution that have befallen bands that debut hard, lo fi and full punk only to return thought out, conceived and comfortable. I’m not sure what that says about us, or them, or consumers in general. and i don’t care.

Arrivederci

*note 1: while there is an actual children’s telemovie that was filmed in Perth called ‘Clowning Around’, Alex was of the firm beleif that a show or an epsisode of a show un attached to that production was filmed at Adelaide’s clowning around store BUT will contend that this may have been a created memory that he has for some reason imagined (and for some time may I tell you).

*note 2: witch hats are infact from Melbourne, Victoria. Sorry Mateo.