Hi Chris, can you please tell us a little about your role at Max Watt’s and your background in the industry?
Bizarrely enough I actually used to be a plumber, but I’ve always been very into music, so a career in the industry had always played on my mind. After finishing my four-year plumbing apprenticeship I finally got the guts to quit and did a music business course at the Australian College of the Arts. Everyone thought I was a little nuts, but it was the best thing I have ever done. The course was practical so it was good for my CV when I went for the job at The Hi-Fi (now known as Max Watt’s). I’d done a fair bit of weekend bar work at events and clubs over the years so that also helped.
As with any job, you learn truckloads more from the chaos of having 800 people crammed into a venue for a sell-out heavy metal gig than you do sitting in a classroom. To do this job you to have to have a pretty cool head, be quick at thinking on your feet and multitasking needs to be second nature. The hours are long, the nights are late and there is no downtime once the music starts. I’ve now been in this job for almost three years, you couldn’t last that long unless you loved it.
Tell us about your day-to-day tasks at Max Watt’s Melbourne.
I manage the venue so that’s everything from running the actual gigs, managing bar staff and security, liaising with promoters, maintenance of the venue, stock ordering, engagement with external stakeholders and suppliers such as City of Melbourne, Victoria Police, liquor licensing, cleaners, rubbish collection and of course my internal stakeholders, which are the other venue managers in Brisbane and Sydney, our production team, our talent bookers at The Venue Collective and management in head office. Each week we all attend a production meeting, this is our main prep for the week head. We talk music genres, past experiences with the type of crowds that will be attending, staffing requirements, special requests from promoters. We often have the same gigs in each state so it’s important for us to touch base. It means things run smoothly and we always put on a good and safe show.
If you could curate your dream lineup for a killer night at Max Watt’s, who’d you pick?
Always loved the local nights, Silverkane//SLVRKN, DJ Catt, THC-125 and The Fauves.
Since the refurbishments, what sets Max Watt’s apart from other Melbourne venues?
This venue is an institution on the Melbourne music scene. Max Watt’s is everything you loved about the old Hi-Fi but with a few upgrades to better the experience you will have watching your favourite band. Improving the experience for the patrons was the main reason behind the refurbishments. We have a great crew of people working at the venue who are so passionate about live music and super friendly. Oh and our PA system is pretty kickarse.
What can punters expect to see at Max Watt’s in the near future?
We have some great gig coming up: Yelawolf, The Story So Far, TesseracT, Misfits and Lagwagon to name a few.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Melbourne’s live music scene is one of the best in the world. I can’t encourage people enough to get out and experience what’s on offer. Plus, you will be supporting Australian live music.
MAX WATT’S is located at 125 Swanston Street, Melbourne. They have an incredible round of shows coming up – find out more at maxwatts.com.au.
