Melbourne’s Shittiest Dive Bar is Closing and We Are Devo’d

Of all the gross clubs in Melbourne, why is it that the Liberty Social has to close down? Emerging out of nowhere (my first experience being a Metronomy dj set after party in early 2012), the dark and often terrifying venue has hosted some of Melbourne's most unique acts, ridiculous parties, and strongest club nights in recent memory. It also had the dimmest bar.

Libs has nurtured a community of musical freaks, ravers and misfits - a community that had been desperately seeking somewhere that was honest and accepting of everyone. The Liberty Social has hosted the Drums, Le1f, Seekae, Foals, Straight Arrows, Bass Drum Of Death, Yeasayer and more on it’s ttiny stage but it’s the community of locals coming together every week that made the venue so special to so many people.

Yeah it’s sad that the venue on Flinders Lane is closing but the Liberty’s spirit will ‘spin’ on. In honour of that disco ball that never spun, we spoke to venue owner Andy Kavadis, Requiem goth night promoter Kate Fox and regular performer Miles Brown (The Night Terrors) about the past, present and future of the Liberty.

.

NOISEY: What impact do you feel Liberty Social has had on the Melbourne music?
Andy Kavadis: I believe the club was an example for Melbournians to realise that in our city, there is opportunity for people to pursue what they love and achieve it. Being such a ridiculously under resourced venue, it attracted desperateness. I watched this directly lead to real artists developing their craft to find their audience, and bad kids learning to play nice ha!

Why do you feel Liberty Social was the perfect location for Requiem?
Kate Fox: Requiem running at Libs happened in this really organic way. I'd heard The Liberty was opening and that the owners were into goth music. This really shocked me - they obviously weren't goths themselves and at that point goth as a subculture was pretty damn uncool. Convincing venues to take a chance on something niche had been difficult say the least.

We needed a venue so I got in touch with the guys. They were clearly super passionate about music which was really refreshing. It was perfect timing - Melbourne darkwave was just reaching its stride and the club became the centre of that. I don't think Requiem would have worked anywhere else.

What was your favourite memory from your time at Liberty?
Kate Fox: The Zebra Katz, Njena Redd Foxxx and Le1f gig is definitely right up there. I got the chance to talk with Zebra Katz afterwards, he's really something else - so charismatic and intelligent. We discussed queer politics, the history of the New York gay/drag scene, dance music, everything.

Miles Brown: My favourite memory of the Liberty was one of my first times there. I remember seeing Jake Blood DJ for the first time and being absolutely blown away. It was really great as everyone had been raving about the amazing dark techno he played and he totally lived up to the hype. That was the night I first met JD and Nick Kuceli from Prolife/Repairs and I remember us have a bloody huge night which ended up with one of us passing out and waking up lying on a grave in the Carlton cemetery. Good times.

Are there plans to create another venue to continue the Liberty Social legacy?
Andy Kavidis: I have no plans for now, though presenting acts that I like is hopefully something that can continue. The legacy of the club lies with some of the incredible artists that spent much of the early stages of their career in our bat cave, the absolutely bonkers club kids that we seemed to attract, and definitely the friendships made!

And now that Liberty Social is closing, where will all the goths go?
Miles Brown: Probably back to Flinders Street steps, it's only half a block away! The Liberty was the perfect place for the rock scene and the club scene to blend together, the owners Jaff and Andy were huge fans of both cultures and a lot of new friendships and creative projects were spawned because of their shared interests. The dark electronic scene really solidified around this venue and I think it's safe to say it's had a lasting influence on the development of underground music in Melbourne.

Check out the final shows at the Liberty Social:
March 27 - Regional Curse (album launch) with Repairs, Miles Brown and Vacuum
March 28 - HELL presents R.I.P. with Oscar Key Sung (DJ set), Friendships (Live), Glass Mirrors, Post Percy, Fossa Beats, Michael Ozone, Tranter, Club ESC, Kiti, Jake Blood (live), Bunker, Kate Fox, Mutant Dance, Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Shedbug.