A few words on the departure of a Melbourne institution

What a difference a day makes...

Lynn Kosky failed The Tote...
R.I.P The Tote & Hound...
Save The Tote...
1,000,000 Aussies to Save The Tote...
Keep The Tote Open & Close The Casino
Support The Permanent Closure of the.... oh wait, that one never quite took off.

All these groups have at least 50 members, some ranging into the thousands. Now I don't think any of Melbourne's gig goers old enough to have been to the Tote will ever forget it, perhaps for it's martyrdom. A fallen soldier in the war against the wider issue of government liquor licensing rules and an ever evolving music industry just looking for somewhere to play.

I was never a fan of The Tote. I admire Bruce Milne as a businessman, but it was not a venue I really enjoyed. So I've avoided joining most of the facebook group invitations inundating my inbox in the past few days. Stiff biscuits.

To quote Jay Mie, the creator of the Tote & Hound facebook group, we have lost too many original live music venues. The Exford has ditched original live acts (mostly), The Punters Club, Richmond Club has moved into accomodating , Duke Of Windsor, The Ninth Ward, Perseverance and now the Tote. And that's what has hit me hardest about this turn of events. I'll miss knowing the Tote was there, and admired the employees, barflies and musicians that treated it like it's home. But I won't so much miss the venue itself. And I'd rather put forward an honest truth.

As a society, a protest has become more important than the long term cause. Fight the cause, join the facebook group. It's not enough. A colleague pointed out that for every person that has stood up and supported the Tote, had they donated to the cause (or any cause) perhaps we'd be looking at a different state of affairs.

Already there are businesses and industry personnel (fans included) doing their best to keep the site of the venue and perhaps the venue itself (whether it be on its current site or elsewhere) alive, which is a fantastic way of displaying dedication to a cause, rather than just joining a facebook group about it.


I spare a thought to those who have supported the Tote through thick and thin. To you, I tip my hat.

All we can hope is that when one head falls, four small ones will move up.