QUEENS Wharf Hotel will wind back its music offerings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday after complaints led the council to intervene.
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The pub informed patrons on Thursday that “pursuant to a direction by Newcastle City Council” they would no longer have music on Thursdays or before 6pm on Thursday or Saturdays, effective immediately.
“We are working with the council to resolve the issue,” the hotel’s management said in a statement. “We thank you for your patronage and patience while this matter is sorted.”
A Newcastle City Council spokesman said no order was issued.
“However we have reminded the venue that it is operating live music outside of the hours it agreed to in 2015, and which are included in its conditions of consent,” the spokesman said.
“The council has done this after complaints to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority and us about noise and operating hours on the wharf.”
The venue’s 2015 consent restricts entertainment on the wharf area to between 6pm and 11pm Friday and Saturday, and on Sundays to between noon and 9pm.
“After several attempts to contact the licensee over the past few weeks, we have only made contact today,” the spokesman said. “We will continue to work with the Queens Wharf Hotel to resolve this issue.”
The restrictions rule out the hotel’s Harbour Lounge events, which had delivered a changing line-up of musicians every second Thursday at the iconic Wharf Road venue.
Queens Wharf Hotel management said they were committed to hosting “the best possible entertainment” despite the setback.
“Harbour Lounge isn’t over, stay tuned for when it returns,” they said in a statement. “Everything else is business as usual.”
The change follows a Labor-hosted live music forum in the city in February geared towards finding ways to protect performances in the city and beyond.