Melbourne’s Gasometer Hotel to close its doors on March 31

A Melbourne pub that got dragged into a “woke” storm with a local radio host last month has now announced it will be closing its doors indefinitely.

Melbourne’s beloved live music venue, The Gasometer Hotel, is set to close at the end of March.

The iconic watering hole announced the news on social media yesterday, confirming that its director is stepping down after three years at the helm.

The search is now on for someone new to take over operations and keep The Gaso’s doors open with “as minimal disruption as possible.”

The venue will shut its doors indefinitely on Monday, 31 March, leaving a short window for music fans to soak in what could be the final gigs at the iconic Collingwood spot.

The Gaso team urged patrons to pack the place over the next month and signalled their hope that the closure isn’t permanent.

Venue director James Martelletti shed light on the tough realities of running a live music space in today’s climate.

Melbourne’s beloved live music venue The Gasometer Hotel is set to close at the end of March. Source: Facebook

The venue has been a hotspot for fledgling indie bands for several years.

“Unfortunately, my pockets are only so deep, and I cannot afford to keep the doors open myself anymore,” Martelletti said via The Music.

“Hopefully, we can find someone to take over and keep things as they are, and we don’t lose another live music venue.”

The news comes as a blow to Melbourne’s live music scene, which has already faced a string of challenges in recent years.

The local community is rallying in the hopes of seeing the cultural institution rise again under new stewardship.

“Just fell to me knees in my driveway,” one person wrote under the Instagram post.

“Incredibly sad news. Hopefully a transition can be organised. Much love,” another wrote.

The pub was hit with accusations of “going woke” by 3AW host Tom Elliott in January after a controversial Facebook post.

“We are proud to work towards a more equitable music community at the Gasometer and we ask that you prioritise people of colour and LGBTQIA and fem-identifying artists,” the post read.

In a radio show broadcasted in January, Elliot phoned the pub and confirmed they “will no longer accept line-ups booked entirely or overwhelmingly of white performers or cis male performers”.

Elliot said the pub, under its own new rules, would be forced to turn away the Rolling Stones, the surviving Beatles and the Killers if they turned up wanting to play a free show.

That quip was quickly turned into a meme by the pub, which promptly announced a “free Rolling Stones show” on their social media.

“In response of recent remarks by Tom Elliot of 3AW, accusing us (The Gaso, woke pub) of not allowing all male bands to perform at the venue.

“Get a grip, d**khead.

“It’s hilarious how easily information can be misconstrued to cause this level of anger from the 3AW listener community. Please put your thinking caps on and use common sense.”

One person commented “go woke, go broke” under the Gasometer’s closing-down post.

Originally published as Melbourne’s Gasometer Hotel to close its doors on March 31