If you’re a Melbourne music-lover, then no doubt you’ve spent a least a couple of huge head-banging nights at Ding Dong Lounge. Sadly, the live music institution has announced that it will be closing on January 13 2018 – meaning you’ve got just under a month to climb that narrow staircase and dance under the disco ball one more time.
The announcement came today from Billy Walsh, Ding Dong’s publican and founding member of Australian punk pioneers Cosmic Psychos (fun fact: he also co-founded Cherry Bar). “I’m proud of the venue and what we were able to achieve in helping to create an important part of the Melbourne music fabric,” he said. “We’ve always been a venue that presented unique offerings in the Melbourne CBD… we tried to be hospitable, caring and fair, although there have been times when we struggled to make ends meet. Our staff really cared about the welfare of our customers and we stayed true to ourselves.”
So why is it closing now? In his statement, Walsh goes on to explain that “it’s an open secret that venues in the Melbourne CBD have been struggling lately due in part to the broader proliferation of similar clubs and bars across the inner north”. He also points to the “heartbreaking homeless issue and ongoing late-night violence” as a reason for a drop in the number of revellers coming through the door each night.
Make no mistake: Ding Dong Lounge has been an integral part of Melbourne’s live music culture. In its 15 years on Market Lane, the venue has hosted the likes of the White Stripes, You Am I, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, King Gizzard, Leonard Cohen, Jimmy Barnes, the Smith Street Band, Alt J and many more bands. But equally important was its place as a magnet for party-goers hungry for alternative places to dance – which self-respecting former indie kid hasn’t buttoned up their black skinny jeans and danced to bands like The Smiths, Franz Ferdinand and The Strokes at Midnight Run, Black Night Crash, or more recently, Mr McClelland’s Finishing School or Razzmatazz Indie Discotheque?
Thankfully, Ding Dong is going out in style with a big closing bash on Saturday January 13. They haven’t given away too many details yet, so keep an eye out on their Facebook page for further info.