Deeply sad news for Melbourne’s live music scene this morning, with the announcement that beloved inner-west institution The Reverence Hotel will be calling its final last drinks imminently.
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The pub, which has been operating for the past six-and-a-half years, confirmed the sad news this morning on Facebook, revealing they’ll be closing the doors for good come early March next year.
Lease issues appear to be at the crux of the venue’s closure, with the pub’s official statement asserting they had been unable to secure a new long-term lease, after operating on a month-to-month basis in recent times.
Let us first say, the community and support The Reverence Hotel has had since we established ourselves in Footscray 6.5 years ago has been incredible.
Unfortunately it’s now time we call last drinks with last day of trading planned for March 2nd.
We haven’t managed to secure another lease on the pub and have been operating on a month-to-month basis. Without a lease or any certainty for a home, we are unable to plan long term and have had to stop investing back into the venue.
Looking back we are really proud of our achievements, the community that has congregated, and the memories that have been made are immense. What we’ve created here has far exceeded our expectations!
The pub has served as a cornerstone of Melbourne’s punk rock and alternative live music scene, having risen from the ashes of publicans Matt and Mel Bodiam‘s previous punk paradise, The Arthouse in North Melbourne.
A laundry list of bands have performed on the Rev’s two stages over the past handful of years, including the likes of Modern Baseball, Jeff Rosenstock, Paul Dempsey, The Flatliners, Joyce Manor, Sorority Noise, The Menzingers, Frank Carter, PUP, A Wilhelm Scream, Cosmic Psychos, to name but only a few. The venue also served as the spiritual home and stomping ground of local acts like Camp Cope, The Bennies, Luca Brasi, and The Smith Street Band.
On a personal note, it also served as the home of a monthly comedy night (booked by the bloke writing this article) for 4.5 years, which featured the likes of Aunty Donna, Greg Fleet, David Quirk, Aaron Gocs and a heap of up-and-coming comedy talent.
Beyond that, the venue developed a strong reputation for its menu; an entirely respectable offering of affordable, vegetarian/vegan friendly Mexican food that rivalled (and often exceeded) any Mexican offering elsewhere in the city.
The Rev’s final trading day is set for March 2nd. Details on the venue’s final run of shows are expected over the coming weeks. For now, Press Club are performing at the venue this coming Saturday night.
Love you forever, Rev. Get around ’em.
