In a huge blow to regional music in Victoria, popular Geelong live music The National Hotel (aka The Nash) will cease to operate as a live music venue on 10th November.
The pub will continue to operate without bands past the 10th November at this point, but council officers have found major problems with the foundations that the building is built upon. The structural problems put the viability of the venue as whole in question, and the owners have been ordered to begin major works to assess the extent of the damage.
The shock announcement comes as the Victorian live music scene has found itself in a state of flux, with revelers saying goodbye to the East Brunswick Club, Miss Libertines, The Buffalo Club, Pony, Blue Tile Lounge, and Phoenix Public House, as they welcomed new comer The Spotted Mallard, and the refurbished Ding Dong Lounge and Public Bar.
The news was broken by events manager Al O’Neill who according to Mess+Noise took to the venues Facebook page to explain the situation after rumours and speculation starting popping up around social media that the pub would be shutting down for financial reasons.
I know some of you may have heard some rumours regarding the future of the venue, so here it is, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Effective as of the 10th November The Nash will cease to operate as a live music venue, the pub itself may be open after this date, but we are not sure of a concrete date of when or if the pub will close indefinitely.
We had to bite the bullet and confirm a last date for shows as we didn’t want to inconvenience bands more than we have to, pulling the pin on it now seems a better option rather than having 48 hours notice to close the building down and leaving a lot of touring bands with no options.
The reason the venue is closing is not financial, nor did we not have enough punters through the doors, the venue is closing as the structural integrity of the foundations supporting the building has been compromised and the council has issued an order to the landlords to commence major works to investigate whether these foundations can be repaired.
If these works reveal the building can be repaired, hopefully, it will be repaired, at this stage this is out of our hands. So please come down, have a beer, see a band, there are some amazing acts coming up between now and the closure.
The Nash is popular with many Australian bands who use the venue as a regional stop off on tours around the country. O’Neill, who has worked at the venue for nearly seven years estimates that during his time close to 2000 bands have graced the stage.
“I wish I could thank all the bands individually,” O’Neill told friends and fans of the pub. “I have seen some amazing bands over the years and the venue has opened up so many doors for me. I will miss the place terribly.”
“To all the sound engineers, DJ’s, lighting guys, Music Workshop guys, various door bitches, thank you. I would also like to thank all the various staff, managers and owners over the years for giving me this opportunity.”
“Please respect the venue and say goodbye the way she would like it, with a beer, tapping your toes, listening to a band.”
Upcoming Shows At The Nash
Royston Vasie
Sat 20 Oct
Atolls
Sat 27 Oct
Lord
Sun 28 Oct
Nevermind The 90’s
Fri 2 Nov
Henry Wagons & The Unwelcome Company
Sat 3 Nov
Lower Class Brats
Sun 4 Nov
House Vs Hurricane
Thurs 8 Nov
