Excelsior Hotel’s last drinks
On Saturday night, the live music stage of the Excelsior Hotel will be forever silent.
Outgoing owner, Mark Chapman, is taking down the photographs and mementos of good times gone. Sunday was his last day of trade.
“I’ve got a lot of personal items behind the bar and on the walls and photos that I’ve taken over the years” he said. “They’ll be going up in the next place I buy, or taking pride of place at home.” The venue has been purchased by the Merivale Group whose flagship venues are the Establishment and the Ivy in the CBD. Plans for the band room space are for a Mexican Restaurant.
The change of hands marks the closure of another iconic live music venue in Surry Hills, following the Hopetoun in September 2009, and the end of another local live music event, following the last night of the “YourSpace Muso Showcase” at the Townie in Newtown, which had its last show on April 27.
“Unfortunately we are one of the last little venues in Surry Hills,” says Chapman. Despite this, he says that new venues will open up. “A lot of them don’t have the same history as here or the Hopetoun, but give it time and they’ll have plenty as well.”
Rumours are that another Merivale Group owned venue in Surry Hills, the Beresford, will become a large live music venue, though it will focus on more established acts rather than on smaller up and coming acts.
John Chesher, organiser of the Monday evening singer/songwriter open mic held at the Excelsior for the last seven years thinks that Sydney is losing an important incubator of new talent.
“I’m sad to see it go. I think Sydney will miss an intimate venue like that, I don’t think there really is another one in town”.
The Excelsior hotel has been in operation since 1923 and has been hosting live music acts for more than 35 years. Some of the well known acts that have come through the joint are Radio Birdman, Vic Farrell, Phillip Bracken and Cog.
Russell Neal, who runs several other live music nights around Sydney for up and coming acts, says the music at the Excelsior inspired him to start promoting other up and coming acts.
“I started doing gigs [there] three years ago and I’m now organising a whole lot of gigs all over Sydney,” Mr Russell said.
Musician and singer/songwriter, Helmut Ulman, who was at the Ex on one of the final nights said it was “quite sad because there are not really many live music venues” and that playing there was special because of “the sound system and vibe”.
When asked where else in Sydney offers a similar vibe, John Chesher is positive. “We’re going to recreate it somewhere”, he says. “I’ve had phone calls from three or four different venues, saying hey, what about here – and some really good ones”.
The new venue of the open mic is yet to be announced.
By Christina Goodman
