Qirkz closure forces hand for local bands
Sydney’s underground music scene has taken a hit with the recent closure of Marrickville live entertainment venue Qirkz, but the Council says its proposed new Local Environmental Plan will give emerging musicians and artists the opportunities and spaces they need to grow their arts.
The shuttering of Qirkz last month, due to its failure to comply with fire safety regulations, has sparked an enthusiastic response from Marrickville Greens Councillor Cathy Peters, who is keen to support Sydney’s live music scene.
“It’s so hard for musicians to get performance opportunities. There’s such a lack of venues, in Sydney especially,” she said.
The changes to the Local Environmental Plan proposed by Marrickville Council would allow people working in creative industries, including musicians, to operate live music venues in light industrial zones – areas previously zoned for industrial activity only.
Describing the new LEP as “quite innovative”, Cr Peters said it would enable artists to live and work “where they wouldn’t normally be able to”.
A spokesperson from Marrickville Council said the proposed new LEP had emanated from a demand in the community for spaces for the creative industries. These include music production and rehearsal, art studios, media production, dance, and performance art.
“The areas identified in the Plan include the eastern end of Addison Road; Victoria Road in the vicinity of Enmore Park; parts of the St Peters triangle; Wilford Street, Enmore; Meeks road, Marrickville; and Shepherd Street, Marrickville,” the spokesperson said.
Qirkz owner and member of ARIA Award-winning band Monsieur Camembert, Yaron Hallis, says the Council needs to support underground live entertainment if fringe music and emerging talent were to have a place in the community.
“Every city has to have an underground music scene because really important art bubbles up from that,” Mr Hallis said.
“Our venue has always been about the music. What happens to venues that are forced to go overground is that it forces the cost of legalising the venue onto consumers. And that can only be achieved through alcohol sales. We have no interest in selling alcohol. That would change the whole tenor of the venue.”
During its two-year lifespan, Qirkz played host not only to local artists, but also to such celebrities as Katie Noonan and Clare Bowditch, both of whom used the venue to introduce new music to the community.
Whilst Councillor Peters has indicated Marrickville Greens Councillors want to resolve the closure of Qirkz, she says the venue will have to put in a Development Application and that it must comply with state-administered fire safety regulations.
“We hope that the issues that have necessitated the closure of Qirkz can be resolved as soon as possible,” she said.
Mr Hallis is eager to cooperate, acknowledging that the Greens in Marrickville have been very supportive of the arts, but says the cost of modifying his venue to comply with the building standards is prohibitive.
“The measures that one has to go to to make a private venue safe in compliance with the law are just so onerous and financially restrictive. I rent the venue, so to sink hundreds of thousands into legalising it is just impossible.
“We don’t accept that our venue is in any way life-threatening,” he said.
by Tamara Smallhorn
