Just as the national Slam Day approaches comes so pretty dire news from Adelaide today that ten-year-old venue The Jade Monkey and its downstairs counterpart Two Ships will be forced to close in October this year as developers wish to build a new hotel.
According to Luna Magazine, the actual building the venue is hosted in is not due to be part of the development but the owners of the building also own the adjacent block where the hotel is to be built and have decided they’d rather not have a live music venue annoying the hotel’s future patrons.
A statement posted on The Jade Monkey’s official Facebook page broke the bad news to fans of the venue saying “After 10 years of much loved service to the wonderful and diverse Adelaide (and beyond) musical community at Twin St, the end is nigh.”
“Our wonderful 131 year old bluestone walled building at 29 & 29a Twin Street, Adelaide will be no more. Because even though we aren’t on the exact spot, it seems that the owners don’t want a live music venue next to their shiny new Hotel, something I’m sure this city needs…”
“BUT! Despite the sadness and turmoil this will bring, we still have till early October to send the Jade buidling out in style! So if you have ever played/celebrated or simply been at the Jade (or Two Ships) in the last Ten years then we invite all of you to come and do it one last time.”
Music lovers in Adelaide have reacted with a mixture of distress and anger at the news. Some have contacted Adelaide’s Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood to see if there is anything the council can do to stop the developers but according to Yarwood the developers actions are perfectly legal.
https://twitter.com/#!/StephenYarwood/status/171500560992833536
A petition has been set up by fans of the venue to pressure the Lord Mayor to find a solution to the problem and at the time of publication had been signed by over 2000 individuals. You can check out the petition here.
News of the closure is just the latest in a string of closures around the country and particularly in Melbourne including the East Brunswick Club which will say goodbye next month and The Prince Bandroom which seems to be holding on by a thread after a restaurant group bought the Prince complex.
Also in the last two years Brisbane has lost The Troubadour, Sydney has lost Low Bar, Tone Bar, and The Hopetoun, and in Melbourne they lost The Arthouse, and The Public Bar.
The temporary closure of iconic pub The Tote in Melbourne two years ago galvanised the Melbourne music community who fought back against the government culminating in the SLAM rally, which saw 20,000 people march through Melbourne to the tune of AC/DC’s definitive ‘Long Way to the Top’.
In a strange twist of irony the announcement of the closures in Adelaide comes just two days before Slam celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the rally by holding events around the country at local music venues. You find a full gig listing of the celebrations around the country here.
Check out our slideshow to celebrate the second anniversary of the rally where we’ve ask some of Australia’s leading musicians what live music in small venues means to them.
