The Gasometer Hotel – better known colloquially as The Gaso – has been officially purchased by a new owner, who has confirmed the Melbourne venue will live on as a live music room. Speaking with The Age, the new owner – restauranteur and chef Scott Pickett – said that he 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.” Pickett also noted he hoped to book bands such as Spiderbait and Regurgitator, neither of whom have played the venue in their 30-plus-year careers.
Jet – ‘She’s A Genius’ (Live At The Gaso)
The news follows on from the previous owner James Martelletti announcing the end of the venue back in February, saying that he and his team were “on the market looking for someone [who wants] to take over operations [and] wants to maintain our venue’s legacy”. This was followed up a month later, with Martelletti sharing that despite “some solid offers put forward” by several enquirers, the owners of the building itself “rejected the offers” and “[chose] to go in their own direction”.
“The venue that you’ve come to know, love, hang out at or dance all night in will cease to exist,” the post read. “This is not the outcome we had hoped for, and we’re left disappointed that we are unable to pass the torch on.” Among the acts that performed at the venue in what were believed to be its final few months were Area 7, Clio Renner, Greenleaf, Cliffords, Split System and Left To Die.
At the time of writing, a reopening of The Gasometer bandroom has not been confirmed. Pickett did confirm, however, that he has begun opening the venue’s front bar for weekend-only service, and will reopen other parts of the pub once they are renovated. “We have ripped up the carpets and started again,” he said. “I have carpet squares coming, as I am sure we will have to replace them every year.”
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