Melbourne's Birmy to end live music

Only a year after it’s revamp, Melbourne’s Birmingham Hotel will no longer be hosting live music by the end of this month. Venue bookers Indra Adams and Chris Bosma confirmed the news in a statement, saying:

‘Sadly the owners of the Birmingham Hotel have found the financial viability of a live music venue with all costs attached does not present a sustainable business model. The venue will continue to operate without live music with plans for refurbishing the kitchen and existing function spaces.

We as the venue bookers would like to thank all the awesome bands and punters that have made our jobs so amazing and contributed to (what was) an incredibly vibrant and exciting music venue.

To all the bands who have shows booked in the calendar after the above date, we’re sorry if this is the first you’ve heard of the plans… We aim to contact everyone this week and do our best to find replacement shows for everyone.’

The news comes after the Birmy’s ‘re-birth’  last June under the run of new management where the likes of The Basics, Frowning Clouds, Will Wagner and The Greasers helped to relaunch the once tired building with a sign outside the venue reading ‘The Birmingham Hotel: It’s not shit anymore!’.  Considering the venue recently spent $3,500 soundproofing the windows of the venue with electric operated shutters to solve noise complaints, the news does come as a surprise.

Over the past year, the venue has established itself as a healthy breeding ground for local artists, housing up to 20 bands each week. What was reportedly once neo-Nazi hangout and a venue for nationalist hatecore gigs, became a welcome addition to the fertile ground of local venues around the area. Of course, $2 pots, a no-pretense code and consistent solid lineups for which the Birmy has become known for will be missed by many, but it seems like just another another casuality to the growing list of hallowed pubs culling live music.

Gigs will continue at the Birmy until the 19th, so make sure you catch the likes of Duvtons, Gosteleradio, Kins, Grenadiers (USA), Tobias Cummings, Useless Children and more who’ll be playing before the curtain drops. Check out www.birmingham.com.au for full details.