OPINION
I’ve been a long-time regular at Perth live music venue Amplifier and while I’m appalled to hear reports of a gender-based uniform policy being forced on female staff members, this is not an article investigating sexism in the hospitality industry. This is about the music industry and how the flow-on effects of boycotting the venue could impact the Perth live music scene.
Amps is one of the last remaining live music venues from my heyday. I remember when Amplifier and Capitol were called Monkey Bar and Globe, going to watch pop-punk and alternative bands in the early 2000s. I was covered in facial piercings, with a black “emo” fringe and wore baggy black t-shirts cinched with a studded belt.
It was a home for the kids who had no interest in the laser light pill-popping parties at nearby Rise nightclub and simply wanted to bang their heads to real music and feel safe with their fellow music lovers and misfits.
There used to be quite a few grungy bars in Perth boasting the familiar stench of decade-old beer rot mixed with sweaty excitement, songs played raw and loudly, and cheap jugs of beer bought by scrounging coins from our denim cut-offs and Dickies pants.
As a punter, it has never mattered if you wore a baggy black t-shirt or a sparkly gold mini dress – I know because I’ve been there in both these outfits and everything in between. In these venues, it’s not about the fashion, it’s about the music and that’s why so many of us in Perth frequent them.
Most importantly, these venues are a place for local musicians to perform to people who are there to listen to the band. And an opportunity for them to make a few bucks to record an EP or pack a van and head east.
Live music venues in Perth declining
Over the last couple of decades, we’ve seen a trend of live music venues in Perth closing down or kicking live musicians to the curb.
Venues like The Lookout in Scarborough, the original Breakwater in Hillarys and the Hyde Park Hotel, which were all once home to live music, were updated with shiny décor, expensive craft beer and background music to cash in on the more generic mining boom trade.
Other small venues like The Castle disappeared completely, being turned into a florist!
And Northbridge’s polarising long-gone late night music venue Black Betty’s, where I worked for four years as a lighting operator for the bands, also closed up and changed hands into a new direction.
While there have of course been a number of new music venues pop up, the bigger establishments like Amplifier, the Rosemount and Newport are the remaining stalwarts of our generation of live music in Perth.
And Amplifier, being in Northbridge, is one of few that you can easily catch a train home from after a few brewskis.
The business model for many of these venues remains how it was since back when my Dad was a musician gigging in the 80s and 90s and no doubt long before that, where the bands rely on the money made on door sales and the venue makes their riches over the bar.
Bands pull out from playing at Amplifier
This week, several bands pulled out from playing upcoming gigs at Amplifier. Touring Melbourne band Storm the Sky have done it as a protest to the t-shirt-gate scandal, publicly calling out the venue on the issue on their Facebook page.
But for other bands, the threats from punters to boycott the venue, could impact musicians themselves through no fault of their own. Promoters for Perth band Make The Suffer also announced a venue change to the Rosemount, for their long weekend show.
One of the videos I made touring with Make Them Suffer in 2017.
Make Them Suffer is successfully touring the world and only play at home in Perth a few times per year. Like all touring bands, they rely on people paying the door fee to get in. But the timing of this scandal meant the weekend turnout could have been impacted.
So while I completely agree it’s important to use our dollars to vote for companies that support our values, I must point out that most of the money from ticket sales go to the bands, not the venues.
Depending on the deal, the venues take a cut but the musicians get most of it and some receive a bonus if they sell over a certain number of tickets.
Our support through going to shows is what helps musicians do what they love and provide us with ear-gasms on our fun nights out and the song recordings that get us through our daily lives.
Remember to support Perth musicians
The widespread backlash against Amplifier has already sent a clear message to management and they’ll no doubt be in damage control and reforming any underlying issues that may exist.
I’ve seen several posts on my social media feeds calling to boycott Amps. But I worry about the flow-on effect that could have on our local musicians who already have a tough slog trying to make a living off their craft.
These venues are the ones that make it possible for musicians to play for us and any potential boycott would no doubt impact these gigs.
A friend said to me, it makes no difference to the band if they play at The Rosemount or The Civic instead, but I still think it would be sad to see another live music venue bite the dust.
For the sake of supporting live music, I’d encourage you to buy a ticket to a show – your money is a small contribution to support that musician to write the song, rehearse, drive to the show, drink a beer and play their heart out for you.
If you really want to protest against the venue, you can keep your coins (or wad of notes these days) and simply sip on water!
And to the Amplifier Capitol management, if you’re reading this: we love Amps because it doesn’t matter if we rock up wearing a black t-shirt or a gold dress; it’s a safe space for us all to feel accepted and comfortable. Please make sure your hardworking staff feel the same way. Thank you
