Melbourne’s cherished live music mainstay has secured a crucial lease just days before doors were set to close for good.
Call off the funeral – the beloved John Curtin Hotel will live on. Just days before the event space was set to say its final goodbye on November 30, a lease was penned that will keep it going for at least another ten years.
The venue had been on the brink of collapse since being sold to an offshore investor this past April. Current publicans, the Russell family, have struggled to find a saving grace for the iconic bandroom.
Long live the John Curtin Hotel
- The iconic venue has been revived after signing a ten year lease
- It had announced its closure in April, much to the dismay and devastation of local music fans
- After several community efforts to save the event space, fans are now guaranteed another decade of Curtin gigs
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“Not many people know this, but we have been running the Curtin on a year-by-year basis, since first taking over in 2012, and taking on an extraordinary financial risk because I love what I do and I love the community we have built,” says publican Benjamin “Rusty” Russell.
When the Lygon street venue announced its closure earlier this year, fans were left brokenhearted. As one of Australia’s oldest pubs, The Curtin has been a fixture of the Melbourne music scene for decades. Wallpapered with gig posters and known for its welcoming and laid back vibe, it has given countless emerging artists of all genres a place to find their footing.
A bid to get the Curtin listed on the state’s heritage register looks promising, but the final decision may only take place in February 2023. The team is hoping a heritage status would enable them to make the changes the venue “desperately needs” and continue rocking on long into the future.
There are no new gigs booked past November 30, when the Curtin was scheduled to shut, but the final week of shows will now be a week-long party celebrating ten more years of local love.
To snatch up one of the last few tickets to the celebratory shows, head here.
