The home of punk rock, hardcore and metal in Melbourne, The Arthouse, has announced some massive final shows.
The Royal Artillery Hotel in North Melbourne has been the fulcrum for heavy music in Melbourne for two decades.
Now, the Kelly family who have run the Arthouse for twenty years have chosen not to renew their lease after disputes with the landlord and the pressures of Melbourne’s liquor licensing laws.
Almost every band in Australia’s heavy music scene has played there and some of the underground legends will return to send it off in fine style.
On Saturday 13 March, hip-hop hardcore kings 28 Days will play with Raised By Wolves, First Base and Cavalcade.
On Sunday 4 April pop kids Kisschasy return, as do hardcore rockers Horsell Common on Sunday 10 April and Carpathian on Wednesday 20 April.
A classic punk rock BBQ kicks off on Sunday 17 April with a classic line-up of Bastard Squad, No Idea, Leprosy, Cabin Fever, Glen And The Peanut Butter Men, The Worst and Last Call.
Arty veteran hardcore unit No Grace play their final ever show on Monday 18 April with Mindset, Desperation and StepxDown.
And old-school hardcore night kicks off on Thursday 21 April with Depression, Straightjacket Nation, Bloody Hammer and Scratch n Sniff.
There’s a monstrous grindcore gig from afternoon until evening on Sunday 24 April with Fuck I’m Dead, Captain Cleanoff, The Kill, The Day Everything Became Nothing, Superfun Happyslide, Roadside Burial, Garbage Guts and Die Pigeon Die.
Brawny rock outfits The Nation Blue, A Death In The Family, Lungs and Paper Arms play on Wednesday 27 April.
Power-pop heroes Bodyjar, Away From Now and Daysworth Fighting send it off on Thursday 28 April.
Some of the final shows at the Arthouse are already sold out.
They include: Melodic hardcore heroes Mid Youth Crisis, Conation, Extortion and the Gun Runners on Friday 22 April; Sydney punks Frenzal Rhomb, with Anchors and Party Vibez on Saturday 23 April; hardcore legends Mindsnare, Samsara, Against, Iron Mind and Phantoms on Friday 29 April; Arty icons H-Block 101, The Hawaiian Islands, Fear Like Us and The Critics on Saturday 30 April.
As usual, there are gigs almost every other night too, featuring the up-and-coming acts the Arty always supported. So get down and farewell one of the most legendary venues in the country before it all winds up at the end of April.
VIDEO: Check out our interview with political punks Rise Against below.
