Melbourne institution the Punters Club, remembered for its heyday from the mid-eighties to 2002, is set to reopen in August under the same name.
The Brunswick Street venue was well known as a top player in Melbourne’s indie music scene, hosting a swathe of new Australian indie bands including Rocket Science, Frente!, Spiderbait, You Am I and Magic Dirt.
The owners made the decision to close the pub in 2002 citing the changing demographics of the area, ending the era with an epic 12-hour music marathon.
The venue was transformed into pizza bar ‘Bimbo Deluxe’ and following an office fire in 2018 transformed again into Kewpie Nightclub.
Kewpie closed in 2020 due to the pandemic and remained shut until 2021 when Australian Venue Co (AVC) was actively looking for further leaseholds. Identifying an opportunity to revitalise the Melbourne market in 2021, the group acquired Kewpie in April that year.
Two weeks ago, broadcaster Jane Gazzo announced the pub’s return to its indie roots on the Sound as Ever Facebook page.
The new owners, a group of friends including Mark Wilson of Jet, have already begun work on returning the pub to its former glory, painting the exterior in its old colours and restoring the interior wood panels.
Plans are also going ahead to include 90s band posters and a CD jukebox playing Australian indie music.
Fans of the old venue have come forward to donate posters, cds and more. A post the day after the announcement advised that Sound As Ever had been swamped with donation offers.
“We really hope this spurs other States to revive their live music venues,” SAE stated.
A statement made by the new owners said the group was excited by this venture.
“We see this new era as a love letter to the original pub which Matt and Penny Everett so beautifully created. We plan to focus on music and music events but also create a community for all music lovers and locals. We want to honour what it once was while also creating something new.”
The owners plan to offer high quality classic pub food with some Aussie nostalgia thrown in.
The group also plans to continue the Punters Club legacy of showcasing new Australian bands by turning the current function space into an intimate band room.
An AVC spokesperson confirmed the transition to PubTIC.
“It is a fantastic Melbourne venue and is in great hands for its next chapter.”
