Just days after it was reported that The Gasometer Hotel in Melbourne would be continuing as a live music venue, former proprietor James Martelletti has shared a biting post about the venue on its own social media accounts – which he has still maintained access to even after he was no longer running it. In response to the venue and its new owner, chef and Melbourne-based restauranteur Scott Pickett, Martelletti wrote that it was “a little easier to establish a business when you start by stiffing the previous owners out of around $250k”.
“Landlords being greedy landlords, they decided to refuse our perfectly reasonable offer for another party to take over the business with the name and other business assets – which lead to us losing the sale price, paying for liquidation and having to make our staff redundant,” he continued. “This is no longer The Gaso; this is a cheap, shady imitation, [run by people] who have decided to shit on its legacy instead of support it. Stolen, not saved.
“Fuck this place off, and go somewhere that actually supports local music.” Martelletti then showed support to several Melbourne venues in the post’s caption: The Tote in Collingwood, Creatures Of Habit Bar & Bandroom in Fitzroy, the Bergy Bandroom in Brunswick, The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar and Miscellania in Melbourne City, Rubix Warehouse in Brunswick, New Guernica in Collingwood and the Leadbeater Hotel in Richmond. Pickett is yet to respond to Martelletti’s posts or claims.
James Martelletti: “Fuck this place off.”
Responding to a commenter who accused Martelletti of being “hardly fair” on the matter, the former venue owner replied that he “wouldn’t have posted it unless it was fair”. “The property didn’t change hands, the owners chose not to pay us for the trading name/domain names/social media accounts under the proviso they wouldn’t be using the name anymore,” he wrote. “So, this is the bed they made for themselves; [I’m] happy for them to make an offer to take them back.”
Earlier this week, The Age reported that Pickett wanted to “pay homage to what the Gaso has been for so long” by taking over the Collingwood venue. “The back room I will keep for live music,” he said. “I want to support live music, and be a pub for the people. [There will be] an open-mic night that can be any kind of performance, there weill be a jam night for young up-and-coming artists, [and] three nights of big live music [a week]. It will be leaning into a cool dirty dive bar [look], but [also] clean.”
Further Reading
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