Lockdowns just spread the pain says music promoter

Clubs in Kings Cross suffered an upsurge in violence after late-night lockdowns and earlier closure of late-night venues was enforced in Newcastle, Manly and the Central Coast, says a promoter who places over 50 DJs per week in well-known Sydney venues.

“We weren’t ready for that flow-on effect, and it took us a while to get our heads around it,” said Tal Chalak who runs The Music People, Vamp and DC.

“Groups of males were coming down in the train, drinking on the way. There were suddenly more drunken groups of males on the street with a bit of a pack mentality – because they came down from Newcastle they would stick together.”

Then club managers put their heads together and in co-operation with Police, tightened security, restricting entry by groups of males.

“Our problem is that as public venues there are only certain grounds we can bar someone at the door,” said Mr Chalak. “They are: if there is violence, if they are intoxicated, if the club is at capacity and if they don’t have ID.”

He said club staff patrolled the streets, spotting people who were carrying alcohol and then refusing them entry. Organised drug dealing had just about gone from the club scene, because when club managers recognised an operation they would eject the dealers for life and immediately warn surrounding clubs, denying drug rings customers.

Mr Chalak warned that shutting down the night economy in Sydney would have worse effects.

“We regularly import DJs from LA,” he said. They had a big lockdown there and the DJs tell us this just displaced the action to illegal venues and private homes. Drug dealers were organising the parties, and there were no age checks or proper supervision. Young girls were being raped. Other parties were organised by DJs and producers.”

“It makes sense to have designated entertainment precincts where things can be supervised,” he said.

He is also alarmed at the economic impact of lockdowns.

“It will cause unemployment – I employ six people in this office. How many would I have to sack – three?”

He says Sydney DJs and producers are creating new music, blending rock, jazz and other genres with house, and this was popular in Berlin. He was planning to open a new agency in Berlin, and has funded a studio attached to his office for producers.

“Lockdowns will kill all that, and kill the next big Australian act to go international,” he said, naming as examples INXS, AC/DC and electronic duo Pnau who started at venue Candy’s Apartment, situated below his Bayswater Road office.

The economic knock-on effects would be severe, he said, naming taxis, door staff, bar staff, poster printing companies, graphic designers, publicists, the street press, CD shops, iTunes, and copyright agencies APRA and PPCA – and a significant loss of tax revenue.

“We pay $15–18,000 a quarter in GST, and that’s just us, and we’re much smaller than the big guys.”

“These policies punish the rest of us because of a very small minority of badly behaved idiots – maybe half a percent.”

“They will recess trade, liberty and culture,” he said.

“If they put a mobile police station in Bayswater Road on late nights, any problems would reduce. As soon as the kids see police, they straighten right up.”

by Michael Gormly