Last Drinks For The Tote
News posted Thursday, January 14 2010 at 12:00 PM.
Related: Tote.
Melbourne’s Tote Hotel will shut its doors this weekend. The news was confirmed by nominee Bruce Milne in a press release circulated 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.
The venue has been plagued by liquor licensing issue of late, including a technicality that almost derailed it last year.
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wow.
shit
Gutted.
No no no no no NO. This is awful. The Tote has been a big part of my life. I've been going there since I was 18 and have even played on The Tote stage.
I will definitely be stopping by this weekend.
Fuck a duck. Again.
Fuck. This is turning out to be a pretty terrible day for rock'n'roll.
WHAT.THE.FARK!
this is awful
Dang! That's a shame.
2015: Music will be played in holes in the groud, Grab ya spades!
Can I have the Surealists poster?
Just got this email. Sorry Melbourne kids - this is sad :(
2010 - the death year of places to go in Aus?????
Let's hope not.
jesus.
sigh
FUCK!!!
this can't be happening!
JunkiePhil said:
Can I have the Surealists poster?
No, you parasite.
woah its gonna be crayzee like the punters club and the floor cave in!
I will really miss the Tote. I admire Bruce Milne for his contibutions to Melbourne/Australian music and wish I was loaded with cash and not slap bass so I could truly help fund the fight needed to resolve these issues. Makes me angry that it is ending this way.
shattered.
:(
they should auction the wall photos, if so my moneys on the two dicks from brisbane
How is it that, in a democracy, Liquor Licensing are somehow always unaccountable, arbitrary, dimwitted CUNTS?
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its a headiine on abc news. story should be on soon
sorry 3 seconds too late
thanks hazlewood just caught it, boy did the police minister sound NERVOUS
didn't ^
Hetro takes centre stage!
How was Bob Cameron on the news. What a miserable prick
is the abc news thingie on the net somewhere? I had a quick look on abc.net.au but can't see any stream there. darn.
the bit about the tote was good then you get the bullshit from bob cameron saying the governments one size fits all policy is right giving you the impression they are digging in. A lot of pressure is going to be needed to get this government to get the point
Another Bureaucratic Farce!I played the Tote back in the early 90s touring with a band from NZ.It was my 1st pub gig in Aussie.Back when the floor was sunken and the Manager used to park his Harley out in the Garden Bar.We played with Venom P Stinger.Fond memories of that show and the fantastic staff.Anyway - it's sad to see icons like this go ... a huge loss to this city's cultural history.Heading down for a beer for sure.
Anyone know if the Tote is open tomorrow or just Sunday for last rites and fianl drinks?
Open tomorrow.
Open Sunday.
Big gig Monday night.
Empty shell on Tuesday
thank you for 4.50pm monday. an excellent and very personal farewell for me.
my lips are sealed btw
you can't do that dudewolf!! cheeky sod..
Jesus Crap what bad news.
Bruce: ''will be an early sell out.''
I fly in to Melbourne Monday around 7, reckon I'll be too late?
Tickets will be for sale before gig online.
We may not announce lineup at first and limit tickets to two per person.
Hopefully, that will help everyone who wants to be there get a ticket.
And trust us that they will get more than their money's worth.
Info will be via M&N.
I would like to come on Monday but really don't have any money, I am sure hundreds of other photographers will be there.
am, or pm?
i know of some people living in syd trying to get down in time.
tonight it was more packed than i've ever seen it. the really really sad bit is that is if every person who was there tonight stopped in for a beer or two once a week or so, they probably would have made enough money to keep going.
and i include myself in that, totally. none of us appreciated what we had until it was too late.
go to your local. pay $5 to see a band you've never heard of. even if it's shit, you're contributing to the wages of the barstaff, and that's worth more than you would think.
It strikes me that there seems to be a proliferation of new strip clubs (by any other name) opening willy-nilly (oo-err!) that are divisive, exploitative and not culturally or socially uplifting whatsoever, and have (alleged) links to organized crime, prostitution, drug trade and lots of black-economy money etc. Seems like a 'nightclub patron' could be a cardie-wearing uni graduate seeing Pikelet, or a drunk cashed-up-bogan made bold by his tradies-wage-bought Jaegers and spoiling for a fight, with no differentiation between the demographics.
My sister lives on the Gold Coast and when I visit I could sometimes scream at the paucity what passes for intelligent and/or ‘alternative’ entertainment there, in the supposed fun-time capital of Australia (it's probably OK if you're a schoolie or have no taste/an uncultured palette…). On paper it looks like there’s loads of options for ‘young people’, particularly to the untrained eye. I’m not a boozer and rarely go to pubs for the sake of having a drink (heck, supermarket OJ’s fine by me), so it’s the entertainment that draws me in. We’re so lucky in Melbourne to have/have had venues like The Tote, Yah-Yahs, the Espy, Old Bar, Pony, (RIP Punters etc). Closing or legislating out of existence venues means it’ll be like a frog being boiled for the mainstream – they won’t even notice until there’s no ‘organic’ Australian rock acts in the charts because they haven’t had the chance to ply their trade and get their chops (or inspiration) at grassroots level. (Mind you, the mainstream seems to be perfectly happy with Lady GaGa, so f*** ‘em.)
nice kez.
...so bump!