Adelaide's music scene venues

[Nathan]

Rev, it's more about your idea that "little bands" and the gigs they play are irrelevant. 1100 people at a show is not a gig by a small band.

[Waewick]

Truth hurts
That's not truth, rev. That's ignorance. At-least know what you're talking about before bashing your keyboard.

Do you people want to have a discussion, or simply state that I'm wrong and you're right?

Tell me where I'm wrong, and point out the "truth" then.

I say HQ is shit, you say I'm ignorant. Tell us why it's good then.

I say most of the small bands and groups that play at HQ couldn't fill the 3,000 capacity smaller EC venue. You say I'm ignorant. Tell us a group or band that has played at HQ that has sold out a venue that big.

I say a gateway/entrance to the CBD deserves better then a crappy nightclub, and an ugly residential proposal. You say I'm ignorant. Tell us what a gateway/entrance to the CBD deserves then, if not something better then the two above 'things'.

Burden of proof lies with the person making the claims


you can't prove your last claim as it is entirely a matter of opinion to whether a proposal is ugly.

[Patrick_27]

Do you people want to have a discussion, or simply state that I'm wrong and you're right?

Tell me where I'm wrong, and point out the "truth" then.

I say HQ is shit, you say I'm ignorant. Tell us why it's good then.

I say most of the small bands and groups that play at HQ couldn't fill the 3,000 capacity smaller EC venue. You say I'm ignorant. Tell us a group or band that has played at HQ that has sold out a venue that big.

I say a gateway/entrance to the CBD deserves better then a crappy nightclub, and an ugly residential proposal. You say I'm ignorant. Tell us what a gateway/entrance to the CBD deserves then, if not something better then the two above 'things'.

What Nathan said. I agree HQ's appearance is an eyesore and I would love to see something better occupy the site, however not without provisions for live music. If the government were to assist HQ's owners in finding a CBD location for a venue of a similar size then I'd be fine to see the building go but until then you can't just rip a venue out of the mix because it'll scare off a heap of middle-ground promoters.

There have been plenty of bands that have sold out shows there, two I can recall off the top of my head are Deftness and Nightwish.
I called you ignorant because you're throwing claims around that you can't support, such as your comment that bands don't sell out shows there which is completely untrue.

[Jaymz]

I went to a sold out Pennywise concert at HQ a few months ago, awesome night.

And while the venue has an excellent layout inside for watching a band, it is very run down and smelly. I think Adelaide can do much better than this place..... and if there's money to be made, then someone will do it.

[rev]

Rev, it's more about your idea that "little bands" and the gigs they play are irrelevant. 1100 people at a show is not a gig by a small band.

Perhaps it is a big gig for some of the bands.
But in comparison with the "big" gigs that do come to Adelaide, these are small gigs, hence why they are playing in a small venue and not Adelaide Oval or the Entertainment Centers main arena, or even AAMI stadium or Coopers(Hindmarsh) stadium.

What Nathan said. I agree HQ's appearance is an eyesore and I would love to see something better occupy the site, however not without provisions for live music. If the government were to assist HQ's owners in finding a CBD location for a venue of a similar size then I'd be fine to see the building go but until then you can't just rip a venue out of the mix because it'll scare off a heap of middle-ground promoters.

There have been plenty of bands that have sold out shows there, two I can recall off the top of my head are Deftness and Nightwish.
I called you ignorant because you're throwing claims around that you can't support, such as your comment that bands don't sell out shows there which is completely untrue.

Why should the government help a private business that's being affected by a development that isn't being run by the government nor involve government/public money? The matter should be between the developers, the venue's operators, and any other third party that wishes to have a reincarnation of HQ on their property.

There's already a private proposal for a small live music venue in Hindmarsh near the EC. Why can't these small bands go there when it's up and running? It's down the road from HQ, so people interested wont be impacted by a few extra minutes drive..or tram ride and short walk.

I never said bands don't sell out shows at HQ.
I said they couldn't sell out the Entertainment Centers theater venue on Port Road. If they could, they'd use it. They don't. What does that tell you?
The EC theater has a capacity of 3000. HQ has a capacity of 1100 for concerts(overall capacity is 2200 across the entire complex with all the smaller rooms and upstairs, but concerts use the main room not the rest of the complex. Using the rest of the complex means more bar staff, more security, which means promoters pay more.)

Burden of proof lies with the person making the claims


you can't prove your last claim as it is entirely a matter of opinion to whether a proposal is ugly.

I thought it rather obvious that I was stating MY opinion that it's an ugly proposal.

[Nathan]

No. Big gigs are 1000+. Arena shows are a completely different kettle of fish. Rolling Stones, Elton John and Foo Fighters are very much the exception, not the norm for touring artists.

There's only one Entertainment Centre Theatre. Tours aren't solely booking venues due to capacity. There's also scheduling. If you're trying to fit in an Adelaide show in the middle of a country wide tour, and there's only one venue with a suitable capacity and that's already booked, then you're shit out of luck.

[rev]

No. Big gigs are 1000+. Arena shows are a completely different kettle of fish. Rolling Stones, Elton John and Foo Fighters are very much the exception, not the norm for touring artists.

There's only one Entertainment Centre Theatre. Tours aren't solely booking venues due to capacity. There's also scheduling. If you're trying to fit in an Adelaide show in the middle of a country wide tour, and there's only one venue with a suitable capacity and that's already booked, then you're shit out of luck.

And there's only one HQ.

There's a live music venue proposed for the industrial/warehouse area of Hindmarsh.

[PeFe]

This thread has been completely derailed from its original topic...
Time for a moderator to step in and separate the charf from the wheat..
I suggest creating a new thread in the Pub called "Adelaide's Live Music Venues" and moving the extraneous discussions there

[SouthAussie94]

All bands have to start somewhere, they don't start playing venues such as the Entertainment Centre or Adelaide Oval right away. HQ is an important stepping stone in terms of venue size and capacity.

There are a few bands that I have been following for a while. Many first played at small venues (ie: Enigma Bar), before moving to a larger venue (Uni Bar). They then moved to The Gov which is larger still, before playing at HQ. I have been to sold out shows at each of these venues. I suspect that in the years to come some of these bands may graduate to a larger venue. There is definitely a need for a venue of HQ's size within the Adelaide live music scene.

While I do support the planned development, thought needs to be given to what impact the loss of HQ as a live music venue will have.

[crawf]

Article in the tiser today mentioned that HQ will remain open until at least early 2017 and are already on the hunt for a new home (potentially building a new complex).

Whether you like HQ or not, Adelaide needs a club of it's size. It's the pinnacle of Adelaide's clubbing scene and draws many interstate and international bands and DJs to our city. HQ has also won numerous national awards.