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Music venues are struggling to put on viable live shows as they battle crowd restrictions and noise complaints outdoors, raising fears it will take years for Melbourneâs prized live music scene to recover.
While the pain was nationwide, Melbourne bore the brunt due to prolonged restrictions during the second wave of coronavirus infections.
Liam Matthews at Old Bar in Fitzroy.
Credit:Joe Armao
National music charity Support Act said 44 per cent of its crisis relief went to Victorian artists, crew and industry workers between May and December last year.
A survey by RMIT last week revealed 58 per cent of Victorians working in music had considered leaving the industry, and more than 3500 musical names begged the federal government to extend the JobKeeper wages scheme beyond March 31.
The Lomond Hotel launches petition after local council shuts down their outdoor gigs
Words by Tom Parker
At the time of writing, the petition had already garnered over 3,000 signatures.
The Lomond Hotel is one of many Melbourne live music venues on the comeback trail following the extended shutdowns enforced throughout 2020.
In December, once restrictions had been eased, the venue took the initiative to transform their carpark area into an outdoor stage, which would host gigs during the day on Saturdays and Sundays.
They went on to put on a number of successful shows, including a Christmas show from local legend Nick Charles, performing alongside fellow blues luminaries, Ian Collard and Jimi Hocking.
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A Melbourne musician is devastated after Moreland Council banned The Lomond Hotel in Brunswick from holding outdoor gigs in its carpark, following a number of noise complaints.
In a statement, the Moreland Council said the noise complaints led to an investigation into the outdoor set-up, which revealed the stage did not meet statewide permit exemptions . The Lomond Hotel converted a private car park to seat patrons for outdoor dining, the statement said. This conversion is permitted without needing planning permission under the statewide permit exemptions designed to support businesses recover from shutdowns during the pandemic. We found a stage that was constructed to host live music gigs and unfortunately this is not allowed under the statewide permit exemptions.