ROGUE Scholar owner Adam Hardy has unveiled his ambitious plans to create Newcastle's first social club for arts and live music.
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The Midtown Social Club, under his proposal, would be a not-for-profit community space for members to use for anything from art exhibitions, education workshops and rehearsals, to live concerts catering for up to 400 to 500 people.
"Musos and creatives could be a member of the Midtown Social Club and use the space however they want," Hardy said.
"Through the week it might be a rehearsal space, or used for workshops and education. Then on the weekend we pull together to do some decent events and build revenue and keep putting it back into the building.
"It's a not-for-profit, so to speak, that funds itself."
The site, located on the corner of King and Union streets, has been vacant for many years and previously housed a physiotherapy and a boxing gym.
The building requires significant renovation to realise the Midtown Social Club dream and Hardy has applied for various grants from the NSW Government and City of Newcastle for funding.
"To do this building, you would need a pretty big bank balance, it's pretty old and a shell now," Hardy said.
"If you saw it two years ago, it was squatter's heaven. We've cleaned it up compared to what it was."
The proposed Midtown Social Club is next door to Jam's Karaoke & Bar and a stone's throw from Hardy's Rogue Scholar brewpub.
The Newcastle West block between Steel and Union Streets has undergone a renaissance in recent years to become one of the city's most vibrant nightspots.
Last year an expanded King Street Hotel re-opened as a multi-room venue catering for live music, Bernie's Bar (formerly the Star Hotel) emerged as Newcastle's newest LGBTIQA+ venue and last month small music listening bar, Mad Poet, opened at 537 Hunter Street.
The Family Hotel, on the corner of Hunter and Steel Streets, is being renovated and is expected to reopen mid-way through this year as an expanded live music pub.
The aforementioned venues, along with the established Happy Wombat, have hosted gigs during the West Best Bloc Fest.
"I think this is the live music precinct of Newcastle," Hardy said of the block known colloquially as "Midtown".
Hardy is also in the process of gaining development application approval to open his 120-capacity Scholar's Den, next door to the Rogue Scholar.
Scholar's Den will be used for small local gigs and will take the pressure off the 120-capacity Rogue Scholar, which has become a popular late-night music venue, rather than your typical microbrewery, since opening in October 2020.
Scholar's Den was opened briefly for Bloc Fest last October through a one-off license.
"I started off brewing beer and thought that's what it would be and music and beer would be side by side," Hardy said.
"But music has taken over I think. We're more known for that."
In November the NSW Government passed "vibrancy reforms" to allow councils to declare special entertainment precincts, where businesses could trade longer with more "favourable noise controls".
The laws were passed in a bid to rejuvenate the night-time economy, which includes the live music industry.
Newcastle council are yet designate which zone in the city could become an entertainment precinct.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
