The Corner Hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, Victoria, Australia, is a remodelled 19th-century pub which has been a live music venue since the 1940s and, since 1995, a popular rock music venue and rooftop bar.[1]
History
1871-1983
In 1871, the premises was licensed to David and Jane McCormick. Business thrived because of the close proximity to the Richmond railway station. In 1881 it was renovated by William Malone, who improved both the accommodation and the liquor quality. Malone was the licensee until 1895. Between 1895 and 1929 the hotel changed hands seven times. From 1929 to 1935 it was operated by Nelly O'Connor and her husband.[1]
The pub is thought to have begun presenting live music during the 1940s jazz era. During the 1950s it was owned by the Melbourne Cooperative Brewing Company, an offshoot of Carlton & United Breweries.[2] They rebuilt the hotel in 1954,[3][4][5] obtaining permits to serve alcohol during the reconstruction.[6] This was the peak time of an Australian custom known as the six o'clock swill, where venues were required to stop serving alcohol at 6 p.m. This law was a relic of World War I and operated from 1915 until its abolition in the mid-1960s (1966 in Victoria). It meant that workers would rush to pubs after finishing work and consume as much alcohol as possible before the bar closed.
In 1966 the pub was demolished and rebuilt in a slightly shifted location, to make space for the widening of the railway lines.[1]
1984-1995
Brian Hartung from Carlton & United Breweries approached Wayne Gale in 1984 and asked if he could start music at The Corner Hotel. At that time Gale was running venues at The John Barleycorn Hotel in Collingwood, The Tiger Lounge (Royal Oak in Richmond) and The Prospect Hill Hotel in Kew.[citation needed]
The first bands to play the venue were The Adventure and Big Music Works on Friday 28 February 1983 with Big Pig following on the Saturday night. At first live music was played only on Friday and Saturday nights.The first band to hold a Saturday night residency was the Spaniards which was fronted by Australian music legend Mick Pealing. During the period that Wayne Gale was the owner and band booker the cream of Australia's music industry played there. At one point he achieved 15 full houses in 16 days and the missing day was a break to allow the staff to recover. This was an outstanding achievement considering the strength and fierce competition in the Melbourne music industry at the time.
Bands such as Johnny Diesel & The Injectors, Spy vs Spy and Baby Animals all used the venue to build their profile in Melbourne and achieved this by playing on rotating monthly residency.
Both Mick Jagger[7] and David Gilmour performed separate, unannounced, shows during 1988.[1] Pink Floyd first played at Corner on a Monday night with the resident band the Party Animals and they had so much fun they returned to play as the whole band the following Friday night.
During this time the Corner Hotel played host to many music industry master classes and at one class by Liberty De Vito (drummer for Billy Joel ) to everyone's surprise Billy Joel jumped up and sang.
The Corner Hotel also played host to many overseas bands such as Ian Gillan, Spencer Davis, Canned Heat, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Lonnie Brooks, Charlie Musselwhite and Junior Wells. The majority of major Australian played during this period and some of the names were Ian Moss, Don Walker, Jimmy Barnes, Tommy Emmanuel, Painters and Dockers, TISM, Joe Camilleri, Nick Barker, Screaming Jets, Kevin Borich, Stevie Wright, Masters Apprentices, Weddings Parties Anything.
Other bands such as The Saints, The Stems and Ups & Downs also played the venue during this time.
During the time Wayne Gale was the owner The Corner Hotel became known as the place to see Melbourne's up-and-coming bands.
1996-present
Owners Tim Northeast & Mathew Everett took the reins of the Corner in the mid-1990s.[8] Everett owned the Punters Club in Fitzroy, also a popular live music venue at the time, and currently owns the Northcote Social Club in the eponymous suburb.
The Corner has also played host to a number of significant moments in music history. The White Stripes created the iconic riff to Seven Nation Army during their soundcheck[9] in 2003. In 2006 U2 filmed a video for their single Window in the Skies in the band room and rooftop garden of the hotel.[7] Crowded House chose the venue for their final Melbourne show in 1996, though they later reformed. The Living End used footage from their 1997 Corner show for the film clip to Second Solution.[citation needed]
The venue was one of the first in 2005 to make all shows smoke-free and has also been stamping out sexual assault and harassment,[10] and unspecified environmental initiatives.[citation needed]
The Corner Hotel launched the Corner Award in 2016, an annual award for local artists. Previous recipients of the Award include Sampa The Great, Cable Ties and Baker Boy.[citation needed]
The Corner has received a number of accolades over the years including Music Victoria Best Venue 2013–2018,[11][12] NLMAs Victoria Venue of the Year 2016,[13] and AHA National Awards for Excellence - Best Entertainment Venue 2019, AHA VIC State Awards for Excellence - Best Live Entertainment Venue 2017 & 2018. It has also held its place as the top Australian venue in the Pollstar Top 100 Global Club Venues since 2013, the highest placement being #13.[14]
The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006. The award for Best Venue was introduced in 2016.
^ abcdJohnston, Chris. "Corner–House of Rock" in The Age magazine, issue 13, November 2005. Text available at "Corner: 15-year Anniversary" Page 31, on official website. Accessed 24 August 2015
