‘End of an era’: Demolition on former Metro Nightclub begins
A video celebrating Melbourne’s famed Metro Nightclub has been unearthed, featuring a few familiar faces. It comes as demolition begins on the former “grand dame” of night-life.
Confidential
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As a wrecking ball began tearing down beloved Bourke St nightclub The Metro this week, a classic video of the venue’s opening night — featuring Molly Meldrum with peroxide hair, bizarre statistics and Olivia Newton John promising to boogie — has resurfaced.
The Bourke St site, first built in 1912, was used as a live theatre, cinema, religious centre and, in 1986, after a significant refit, a bright beacon of city night-life called The Metro.
The club, co-owned by Sam and George Frantzeskos, officially opened in November 1987.
On opening night, broadcaster Molly Meldrum declared The Metro was “one of the most important dance disco places in the world” while revealing the new owners had spent $10 million refurbishing the place.
“That’s a lot of lulu,” Molly added.
He then crossed to Ollie Martin, who was ready with a long list of facts and figures.
Every disco in town would love to get the crowds The Metro is getting,” Martin said.
“But these days, punters no longer want a couple of off-the-shelf lights, you really have to deliver the goods and The Metro is doing it.
“But in order to build a place like this, you really have to peel off the big ones, and I’m talking about millions.”
The location, at “the sleepy Parliament House end of Bourke St … sets you back 4 million smackeroos,” Martin said.
“To proceed with that superdisco, you (need) a lot of zappy working bees to clear the joint.
“(But) still you don’t dare imagine the old dump could become a disco.
“Then you realise discos need electronics, audio, computer video and lights, which will empty your wallet of another flashy million.
“Of course, we can’t forget that No. 1 disco prerequisite — enough wiring and cabling to reach from Melbourne to Sydney.
“And just to visually enhance the old dump, you collect 50 tonnes of steel. Very important.
“You can’t have the old place bending and bowing.
“And, at that stage, you build a power station that can punch out 50,000 watts.
“That’s enough to energise the thousands of lights and machinery, and what’s left over should be enough to keep the whole of Bourke St in the glitter to which its accustomed.”
The Metro refurb used the same amount of paint, carpet and exotic wood to makeover 200 homes.
“For the glam bit, you stick a couple of 10 grand paintings on the walls, and please don’t touch,” Martin said.
“To keep the drinkers and munchers happy you’ll need two semi-trailers of champagne and beer, and 30,000 hors d’oeuvres.
“And they’ll go off if not eaten!”
Later, Martin appeared, inexplicably, in the window of neighbouring burger joint, Fast Eddies.
Celebrities sent messages of support to The Metro on opening night.
Nick Seymour, of Crowded House, said he hoped the venue would “bring Melbourne’s nightclub scene screaming into the 1990s”.
Pop superstar Olivia Newton John said: “I want to wish all you Melbournites good luck with The Metro. I look forward to coming and boogie-ing when I get there.”
Mushroom Music and Frontier Touring boss Michael Gudinski, said The Metro was “spectacular … what Melbourne needs, but a live band would make it even better”.
“Nothing wrong with great dance music, but let’s stick up for a bit of live rock and roll,” he said.
On Thursday, as pictures of The Metro being demolished emerged, Sam Frantzeskos said it marked the “definite end of an important era in Melbourne”.
“It’s sad,” Mr Frantzeskos told Confidential.
“The Metro was a big part of my life. It was a big part of many lives.”
Pictures of demolition crews inside the landmark venue did the rounds on social this week. The pictures showed excavation work where the dancefloor and stage used to be, and the once-majestic balcony being torn down.
Sam Frantzeskos co-owned and ran The Metro from 1987-99.
“I think the walls of that place still talk to me,” Sam Frantzeskos told Confidential a few years ago.
“I was told once by a shaman to light a candle to pay homage to her, because she’s been such a good dame.”
The Metro also symbolised magic times in Melbourne as clubbers, bored with pub rock, were enticed back to the disco with fresh beats: hip hop, new jack swing, the gay-friendly Hi-NRG and, on the fringe, house, electro and techno.
After The Metro, the site became a live music venue, The Palace, which closed its doors in 2014.
The theatre building will be replaced by a hotel development.
“I never thought for one minute it would reopen as a nightclub,” Mr Frantzeskos said.
“Watching it come down before it gets rebuilt, it’s like the definite end of an important era in Melbourne.”
Mr Frantzeskos said the The Metro was “very adventurous and very bold for its time”.
“It evolved into a superclub. Disco died a decade earlier, but the superclubs were multifaceted,” he said.
“The Metro wasn’t just a club.
“We had live acts, we’d work with fashion designers, touring acts, skateboarders, you name it. It was like a living museum.
“And it filled a big void in this city for a long time. Was it coincidence, happenstance, or circumstance?
“It was good fortune, I guess.”