14 January 2010 — The Tote is Closing
The Tote, one of the most loved music venues in Melbourne, is closing this weekend (you can read the statement put out by them on many sites, including Mess and Noise).
It's always sad when a venue like this shuts down - it wasn't too long ago that local musicians were mourning the loss of Sydney's Hopetoun Hotel, a similar sort of venue in terms of its status in the music scene.
New venues keep popping up in Melbourne, a fact that a lot of people conveniently ignore when they talk about things like this being the beginning of the end of the live-music scene, but they never really fill the gap. I always had a good time when I played at The Tote, and the staff always treated the bands well, which is not as common as you might expect. As this is its last weekend, I encourage anyone to go down and have a last drink if you're in the area.
UPDATE: There's a good article at The Enthusiast, which covers the problems that live-music venues have as a result of changes in liquor licensing laws.