The Valley is Australia’s first designated music entertainment precinct, right? Tens of thousands of people flood into the area every weekend looking for some fun, to listen to a live band or dance to a DJ and enjoy a drink or 10. So all you have to do is set up a nightclub, put up a shingle and the money comes rolling in, right?
Well, sadly, no. The Valley is littered with the corpses of nightclub and music venues that have come and gone, mostly simply because they did not make a quid. A few, like the recently closed Troubador, had a healthy support base but still folded, albeit for other reasons. For other venues such as The Indie Temple and Rockafellas they simply could not turn a profit. So what do you say to a man who is bucking the trend and stating up a club, especially at a time when the Valley precinct’s image as the place to go for live music is at risk from other parts of town. “Are you crazy” is one thing we should have put to Tony Wardle (pictured) who with his wife Chris runs the Valley Adult Shop and Peep Show in Brunswick Street West. While veterans of the adult entertainment industry, they are making their first foray into the nightclub music scene with the Basement 243 nightclub next to their outlet, which will be devoted to showcasing some of the up-and-coming bands from around town. Tony is aware of the chequered history of nightclubs in his area through bitter personal experience, but he still believes he’s onto a winner with this venture. “People think they can just open the doors and patrons will come,” he says. “But it’s very expensive running a club.” “I’ve leased out the space to two or three different people over the years. It’s been the Hellfire Club and the Lock-Up but it just hasn’t worked.” He sees that changing with a focus on live music. “There are a lot of original bands out there and we see Basement 243 as an opportunity to give them a go,” he says. He has recruited the help of local station 4ZZZ in securing bands, and he hopes the music on offer covers a broad spectrum including rock, blues and jazz. And every Friday night from 25 February, the venue will be home to Underground Sounds. Opening night will feature Shotgun, Halo Rekoil, Desolution and Upside Downside. • Basement 243 opens on Fridays and Saturdays from 8pm to 3am. Saturday entry is usually free but the Underground Sounds events on Fridays have a $10 cover charge.
Live one: Tony Wardle outside his Basement 243 nightclub in Brunswick Street, Valley.
