The Espy got sold. 95% of the building was not actually being used and it was very run down. Most of the people who used to be able to walk home from gigs there back in the day could not afford to live in that suburb anymore.
@@Gioia67totally diff now. Gone are the sticky red carpets, the front bar, the arcade machines, the all you can eat buffet out the back. Fun but basic times in the 80s. All changed now.
The owners destroyed the espy! It’s not the building we loved it’s what went on in the building. The front bar with music and amazing bands every night. I haven’t been back since the renovations and I’m glad. Watching your video made me sad as now it’s just a generic soulless husk of what it was. The council is to blame as well allowing those terrible apartments to be built behind and the dickhesds who brought there and then complained about the noise. Yep, sad.
I agree completely. I did my first ever public performance in mid 1990 at a 'Spot The Aussie' gig one Saturday afternoon in the front bar, using the Reverend Mick O'Connor's Hammond organ (RIP). The last time I played the Espy would have been around 2010, approx. Those afternoon gigs in the front bar were fantastic. They'd wind up around 7 or 8pm, then we'd head up Fitzroy St to Topolinos Pizza Joint, then on elsewhere for the rest of the night. This was back when many gigs were free entry snd drinks were affordable, of course. I'm happy the Espy is still a pub, and that it honours it's past, but it's not the same, sadly, and neither is the crew/clientele.
i would have been to the Espy hundreds of times, literally. I first wandered in not knowing what happened inside around 1982, I had been shopping at the Sunday beach market. Yes, it had a wonderful bohemian, sleezy, arty sort of feel, I explored back from the front bar, kind of where those pool tables are and got a seat. There was a duet playing, in a category I class as so bad they were good, it seemed to a father daughter act, heavily eastern European influence, Dad on a clunky electric organ never smiled and Daughter heavily made up with fur coat and dress jewelry singing standards with a strong polish accent..brilliant !! I told my friends about the venue and act and we started making Sundays at the espy a fixture, soon more traditional bands took over the front bar, with long residencies, 'spot the aussie', relax with max', 'Phil Para', 'Steve Hoy', 'Ross Hannaford' .. remember it was free and music every night !!!! I was so smashed one night from a long day of 'party activities' the singer from relax with max pointed at me and said 'whatever she's on, I want some'.. ! most embarrassment .!
Aged 21 on a solo trip from Perth in 1982 I got to see The Angels with support act The Divinyls. The place was packed, hot and sweaty. An unforgettable night.
Fantastic memories ........... What staggers were had ......... from the Seaview to the Prince to the Espy to the Venue ........... early 80s - early 90s what a time to live it up!
RIP Trish Shoesmith - She was a good friend. She had great taste in music, she gave my band our first break when we came across the pond in the early 2000's. I worked with her for a few years at Lock'N'Load too. Great lady, sadly missed.
I have great memories with my band Dropzone back in the late 90's early 2000's - we played the Gershwin over 10 times as the guys down there always supported local music. I remember the band room out the back of the Espy was covered in wall to wall posters and band stickers, it felt like we were part of history playing there. We'd sit there with our free 6pack rider supplied by the venue and marvel at the band posters that have been on that stage. The sticky carpet, the down to earth people. Nothing like it.
I was lucky enough to play The Gershwin Room three times and the front bar once. The atmosphere and vibe was profound. Front bar at midnight was just insane. So thankful i got to play this iconic venue 🤘👍
I used to live in a share house in Caulfield south on the dole. We used to smuggle a cask of wine into the espy. We would buy one drink at the bar and spend the rest of the night filling up that glass from the cask. We had the best times there.
Another great documentation of another iconic Melbs music venue in beautiful bayside St Kilda. I played plenty of gigs in the area. Also loving the Horsehead t-shirt Giola great work with the channel.
TO the people who loved and supported the Espy for decades the venue is DEAD . It's just a shell without those people, the music and the culture that made it a leaving breathing part of Melbourne. It's became a shell of its former splendour when it when it was "renovated" into a trophy Yuppie venue for well heeled nobodies to sip wine and congratulate themselves in. but everything returns...
LOL Must say while it looks great, it does feel a little soulless...it sounds like it had a massive following and sadly doesnt seem to be the case anymore Cheers
Very well put Norman. " a trophy yuppie venue for well heeled nobodies to congratulate themselves in" You have summed it up in a nutshell. It is a dump now.
They killed The Espy. Absolutely awful but something so good was doomed to be bastardised eventually. We used to have dinners there, see the bands and in between set we could run across to the beach for a quick dip then rush back in time for the next set. I was keen to see the reopening and was gutted immediately when I was approached by a door greeter. Wtf??? It’s now just a food court in a wanky shopping mall. I’m just glad that I was able to enjoy it while it was booming.
18 yrs ago the Espy hosted Wasted Festival with Beerzone , Peter and the Test Tube Babies , Slick 46 , Bastard Squad , Marching Orders , No Idea and about 20 other band... Brilliant day/night
@@Gioia67Great video, best thing about it was the sheer number of bands there and plenty were free. If you grew up in Sydney plenty of great venues there, especially the Trade Union Club!
@@FromThe3021 there's a couple from the start that I'll redo eg Stage door Tavern Governors Pleasure ...I got the location wrong as I couldn't find it plus they need more stories. 😆
I used to go to a lot of gigs at the Espy back in the early 2000s. The Spazzys, Mach Pelican and The Gingers were the bands I used to see play there the most often back then. The Espy show that stands out most in my mind was the gig I saw by the Japanese band 50 Kaitenz, and Zombie Ghost Train’s album launch show in the front bar. Another gig that sticks in my mind for some reason was going to see the Brisbane band Gazoonga Attack play a midweek basement show there (I think on a thursday night) with Sin City (aka The Local Pricks). It was completely dead, there was hardly anyone there but I still have the CD I bought from them that night, and it just sticks in my memory for some reason. I saw a lot of bigger bands play in the Gershwin room over the years too, but they sort of all blend into one blurry memory after a while. But my most loved Melbourne venue was The Arthouse, which closed down quite a few years ago now. The Tote is next closest to my heart.
I Went to the Espy quiet a few times it was always packed. It’s still is now, for different reasons but up the road was a place called “bananas” which had live bands upstairs. I played there a few times when I was about 15 years old as a support band and we had to carry the Soundsystem up Quite a few flights of stairs, but we never complained..
The Espy was my hangout during the early 90s. I knew a lot of the resident musos and remember after hours lock-in sessions with Bruce the Licensee, Linda, Russell Smith, Stewie Speed, Phil Para, Ross Hannaford, Steve DiCesare and all the enterage of old mates and story tellers. Many memories of the Band Room that must remain unspoken and the sticky carpet! Met a few femme fatales there too. Hi Jo and Margie! The Espy was unique and was one of those right place, right time phenomena. It couldnt happen now, its a different world. I loved that place! Trumpet Chris.
Cheers🤩 yes its definitely a matter of right time place right people all coalescing and might I say I felt a real vibe there even with noone there on a Sunday morning....lucky Melburnians 🤩🤩🤩
@@Gioia67 on a recent trip to Melb I did something very similar; walked in before opening and reminisced, following familiar footsteps in a very much changed atmosphere. That was fortunate as the vibe would be very gentrified now with new clientele. Enough remained to feel the old Espy vibe for a moment and relive some treasured memories. Thanks for your charming little film and thorough research, you did well.
Legendary pub! Iirc Don was also a major figure in the POW and later the Greyhound Hotel. St Kilda in the 90's was peak culture before the money came in and destroyed it. Good times❤
Hi Gioa. Another great video and interview. Visited Melbourne about 10 months ago and my wife and saw Russell Crowe's Garden Party band in the Gershwin Room at the Espy which was my first time there. Great atmosphere with a big crowd. Thanks for the history and great to see that it was saved from the developers bulldozer. If we are destroying places like the Espy we have lost the plot. Coming from Sydney I have really loved and appreciated your Melbourne videos. Keep them coming,
Thank you I really appreciate the feedback . I think Russell’s playing there again this year. I’m annoyed I never saw gigs there in it’s heyday 🤗 what a fab venue regardless of “gentrification” I loved it
What's happened to the Espy is a microcosm example of what's happened to all of Australia. The reason mullets are back in fashion for the younger generations is because they're scraping the barrel of what's left over of our culture. Money vultures have sucked the nation to life support status. It's not all doom and gloom though. Sometimes we have to loose something to really appreciate what we had. Then we can revitalise it again. What is essential is to share the cultural possibilities of the 80s to 00s to the younger generations. Otherwise the only culture they'll know and perpetuate is sterilised commercial culture. Videos like this are an excellent start (So are all the comments), so bravo! Let's also come together to make tangible creative and social community again too.
I’ve only been in Melbourne since 2007, but I’ve been there a bit. Went twice in the last year first night was late and saw a couple of local bands in the basement which was ok. But last time I thought I’d try out the Asian fusion restaurant upstairs. It was one of the worst meals I’ve had in Melbourne. Every course had issues and even the drinks were made poorly. But I will always jump at the chance to see something good in the Gershwin room.
Gershwin room is amazing. I know its a different place these days but I do think it looks amazing and they still have bands there so that's gotta be a good thing
It has lost its charm. Sad. Used to have tons of atmosphere. I spent many a boozy Saturday Arvo at the Espy back in the late 90's. I went back there not long ago. The vibe is gone, imo
Ah the memories, getting my drink spiked, seeing bands, working for shit pay, seeing drugged up guys getting teased and i dont even have the good stories. It’s a never stopping always changing place.
Unfortunately if you go on a Saturday night and not a Monday morning, you'll very quickly see that the Espy is now a real shell of what it used to be - the complete opposite. I went there frequently in the early 2000s to see metal gigs and it had such a welcoming vibe but went again late last year to see a band and it was the most unwelcoming venue I'd ever been to, had a very Gen Z Instagram club vibe to it. You can be nostalgic for it but it wouldn't bother me in the slightest if they pulled it down now.
Excellent look back. The Espy was a classic sticky carpet venue by the 1980s. But, surprisingly, there was very little, if any, serious trouble like there seems to be these days at Melbourne's so-called "night clubs'. The vibe was generally cheery and good-willed. The Prince of Wales in Fitzroy Street was more upmarket. They presented quite a few big name English and American retro acts...as in former Top 40 stars. They had an excellent showroom....think it was called the Seaview Ballroom. As I recall, PBS was in the Prince building? I lived in York Street, West St Kilda...(parents were long time St Kilda-ites). That area was an absolute hub of the entertainment business. Bands like the Easybeats , Master's Apprentice, Seekers all had connections to the suburb. There was a very well known recording studio in Acland Street called Tele-Fil? (Television Film?) where people like Normie Rowe recorded. Much of it sprung up originally, due to the Palais De Danse that was a huge ballroom on the Lower Esplanade (owned by Americans...the Phillips brothers) from the 1920s through to the '50s . ...and, yes, you would be surprised who lived in St Kilda if only temporarily ...people like the legendary Hollywood comedian W.C.Fields...who was working at the Tivoli.
Good to hear this feedback and your personal recollections....I wish I had visited this venue in its heyday...it sounded like it had such character. Cheers
It’s just a shopping mall pub now. Was inevitable I guess given the value of the real estate. Unfortunately It couldn’t survive in its old state and business model.
Such a great venue.phill para n the perswaders. Wow i got drum lessons of paul he was jammin out with jordie from the tatts.. !!! Another great pub was the riverside in richmond .. black sorrows thats when i fell in love with the bull sistersu.
The front bar used to rock and was usually pretty packed.Plenty of great bands used to play there and it had a great atmosphere but sadly post Trishs management those days are gone.Just my opinion but I must say it looks great.
Yes I heard many people enjoyed the front bar area and I think Horsehead played there many times to packed crowds. Great venue indeed and I think it looks really nice still
Yes, the old Espy will never be again, but at least it’s still standing. I’m not a fan of the direction life in general is going, but the old girl is still there, and even though l probably won’t spend a dollar there, l’d have to say she’s lookin the goods🤙
It’s terrible what happened to this iconic Melbourne indie hotel $18 beers and it’s not even craft beer? Who from ordinary students, punters can now afford this in cost of living crisis?
My local club was Bananas! Which you mentioned here. It was situated atop the St Moritz building which is now sadly destroyed along with another live band venue downstairs forget the name of it Jimmy Barnes comes and sits at our table and starts to flirt with me. I have just had a massive fight with my bf so I’m upset and tell him to f-- off! My sister kicks me under the table and glares at me when he goes because I wasn’t very nice to him my sister says that’s Jimmy Barnes! I said Who the f is Jimmy Barnes lol!! (this is just before they cracked the big time)
@CryptoSteve007 oh actually sorry you’re right I confused it with Manly vale Sorry I’ll definitely get to that one Doing Strawberry hills hotel/Evening Star /Gaelic and musicians club next - but all in one vlog
Good video, but it's well and truely gone to the dogs. Go there at night you'll see it's just a lame baysider bar with terrible music, no atmosphere, overpriced drinks and you'll just feel out of place. It's for people who like the teski bros and 30 seconds to mars
Drink prices sadly are ridiculous now in Australia unless u go to boring old bowling clubs - whilst I think it’s changed dramatically I think for a Sunday arvo visit or a particular rock band night it’s still an amazing venue 😜😄
Played the Gershwin , saw many in the Public and Bottom bar. Played the Old Greek in Richmond arrived at the Bottom bar then promptly to the Cat House at the Palace to get smashed with Heavy Metal , wander around totally fucked up then to Greasy Joes for a Burger, to plan our next campaign .
On one hand I'm so glad it was restored let alone preserved, but on the other, it's sad the old grunge vibes have been eliminated in the process. It's the reality of economics.
I used to live in a share house in Caulfield south on the dole. We used to smuggle a cask of wine into the espy. We would buy one drink at the bar and spend the rest of the night filling up that glass from the cask. We had the best times there.
The Espy got sold. 95% of the building was not actually being used and it was very run down. Most of the people who used to be able to walk home from gigs there back in the day could not afford to live in that suburb anymore.
Yes much like Sydney gentrification changed everything
@@Gioia67totally diff now. Gone are the sticky red carpets, the front bar, the arcade machines, the all you can eat buffet out the back. Fun but basic times in the 80s. All changed now.
The owners destroyed the espy! It’s not the building we loved it’s what went on in the building. The front bar with music and amazing bands every night.
I haven’t been back since the renovations and I’m glad. Watching your video made me sad as now it’s just a generic soulless husk of what it was.
The council is to blame as well allowing those terrible apartments to be built behind and the dickhesds who brought there and then complained about the noise.
Yep, sad.
I agree completely. I did my first ever public performance in mid 1990 at a 'Spot The Aussie' gig one Saturday afternoon in the front bar, using the Reverend Mick O'Connor's Hammond organ (RIP). The last time I played the Espy would have been around 2010, approx.
Those afternoon gigs in the front bar were fantastic. They'd wind up around 7 or 8pm, then we'd head up Fitzroy St to Topolinos Pizza Joint, then on elsewhere for the rest of the night. This was back when many gigs were free entry snd drinks were affordable, of course.
I'm happy the Espy is still a pub, and that it honours it's past, but it's not the same, sadly, and neither is the crew/clientele.
i would have been to the Espy hundreds of times, literally. I first wandered in not knowing what happened inside around 1982, I had been shopping at the Sunday beach market. Yes, it had a wonderful bohemian, sleezy, arty sort of feel, I explored back from the front bar, kind of where those pool tables are and got a seat. There was a duet playing, in a category I class as so bad they were good, it seemed to a father daughter act, heavily eastern European influence, Dad on a clunky electric organ never smiled and Daughter heavily made up with fur coat and dress jewelry singing standards with a strong polish accent..brilliant !!
I told my friends about the venue and act and we started making Sundays at the espy a fixture, soon more traditional bands took over the front bar, with long residencies, 'spot the aussie', relax with max', 'Phil Para', 'Steve Hoy', 'Ross Hannaford' .. remember it was free and music every night !!!!
I was so smashed one night from a long day of 'party activities' the singer from relax with max pointed at me and said 'whatever she's on, I want some'.. ! most embarrassment .!
yes! I remember! they also played at the Lindentree (where I used to once)
I spent months in St Kilda and loved that place. Seeing Phil Para doing Jimi Hendrix on Saturday afternoons was great.
Great days ✌️
Ah, the memories. There was a time in my life where l virtually lived at the Espy. A place where all were welcome.
Sounds like such an amazing venue 💥🎶👌
Had some of the best nights at the old Espy back in the late 90’s
Awesome 👌
Aged 21 on a solo trip from Perth in 1982 I got to see The Angels with support act The Divinyls. The place was packed, hot and sweaty. An unforgettable night.
Fantastic memories ........... What staggers were had ......... from the Seaview to the Prince to the Espy to the Venue ........... early 80s - early 90s what a time to live it up!
Absolutely 💯 Great days indeed
RIP Trish Shoesmith - She was a good friend. She had great taste in music, she gave my band our first break when we came across the pond in the early 2000's. I worked with her for a few years at Lock'N'Load too. Great lady, sadly missed.
She sounded amazing 👏 🤩 😍 💖
I have great memories with my band Dropzone back in the late 90's early 2000's - we played the Gershwin over 10 times as the guys down there always supported local music. I remember the band room out the back of the Espy was covered in wall to wall posters and band stickers, it felt like we were part of history playing there. We'd sit there with our free 6pack rider supplied by the venue and marvel at the band posters that have been on that stage. The sticky carpet, the down to earth people. Nothing like it.
Melbourne Bitter cans in a plastic crate! That was the rider back in the day.
The Espy is a national treasure or at least it should be. Ive seen some great live music there.. long live the Espy..
Agree 💯
I was lucky enough to play The Gershwin Room three times and the front bar once.
The atmosphere and vibe was profound.
Front bar at midnight was just insane.
So thankful i got to play this iconic venue 🤘👍
Very lucky indeed💯✌️👍
I lived in East St Kilda and went to the Espy a lot. Zan & Sherine were fantastic. We used to go drink in The Lindentree after it closed.
Cool🎶✌️
We had a saying "you know youve had a good night at the Espy when your shoes start sticking" Circa early 90s.
Fantastic times ✌️✌️✌️
That was my old haunt back in the day.
Miss the old girl
❤
Always nice to revisit for nostalgia - I felt its energy even when empty - a beautiful building Cheers
I used to live in a share house in Caulfield south on the dole. We used to smuggle a cask of wine into the espy. We would buy one drink at the bar and spend the rest of the night filling up that glass from the cask. We had the best times there.
Another great documentation of another iconic Melbs music venue in beautiful bayside St Kilda. I played plenty of gigs in the area. Also loving the Horsehead t-shirt Giola great work with the channel.
Glad you enjoying the channel. Thank you 🎶🎶🎶💥💥💥👍👍👍
Had some good times there.
Sunday afternoons. Fun times in the 80's.
Those days are long gone but they where good
Great video, appreciate all the work that went into it. Great venue with tons of great memories of gigs gone by.
Glad you enjoyed it
One of my favourite places in the world, (the Espy) in one of my favourite places in the world. (St Kilda).
So much love for the Espy ✌️✌️✌️
TO the people who loved and supported the Espy for decades the venue is DEAD . It's just a shell without those people, the music and the culture that made it a leaving breathing part of Melbourne. It's became a shell of its former splendour when it when it was "renovated" into a trophy Yuppie venue for well heeled nobodies to sip wine and congratulate themselves in.
but everything returns...
100%
LOL Must say while it looks great, it does feel a little soulless...it sounds like it had a massive following and sadly doesnt seem to be the case anymore Cheers
Very well put Norman.
" a trophy yuppie venue for well heeled nobodies to congratulate themselves in"
You have summed it up in a nutshell.
It is a dump now.
Good to see the Gershwin room, it brought back memories from over 20 years ago when a band I was in used to play there!!!!!
Cool. I played there over 40 years ago. The only people in the audience were the band that played after us. Glory days!
They killed The Espy. Absolutely awful but something so good was doomed to be bastardised eventually. We used to have dinners there, see the bands and in between set we could run across to the beach for a quick dip then rush back in time for the next set.
I was keen to see the reopening and was gutted immediately when I was approached by a door greeter. Wtf??? It’s now just a food court in a wanky shopping mall. I’m just glad that I was able to enjoy it while it was booming.
I think so many people are grateful for having experienced these venues at their peak...definitely a different vibe now Cheers
It’s now a yuppie Sh@#hole prices for drinks off the charts never going in there again
So very true.. I miss the old espy😢
I got to see toto over the road at the palace..wow. that really blew my mind.
Cheers
18 yrs ago the Espy hosted Wasted Festival with Beerzone , Peter and the Test Tube Babies , Slick 46 , Bastard Squad , Marching Orders , No Idea and about 20 other band... Brilliant day/night
Great…I sometimes wish I grew up in Melbourne 😍
@@Gioia67Great video, best thing about it was the sheer number of bands there and plenty were free. If you grew up in Sydney plenty of great venues there, especially the Trade Union Club!
Love what you do. More Melbourne please!!! _Reach out if you need support on any level._ _Never hurts to ask._
Thank you. I'll probably be in Melbourne in January so will reach out Cheers 👍👍👍
@@Gioia67 - I look forward to it. I’ll be working my way through your catalogue in the interim.
@@FromThe3021 there's a couple from the start that I'll redo eg Stage door Tavern Governors Pleasure ...I got the location wrong as I couldn't find it plus they need more stories. 😆
The bottom bar. Some great times there! Planning that screenplay that was never written....
Great venue Great days 💥👍👌
I used to go to a lot of gigs at the Espy back in the early 2000s. The Spazzys, Mach Pelican and The Gingers were the bands I used to see play there the most often back then.
The Espy show that stands out most in my mind was the gig I saw by the Japanese band 50 Kaitenz, and Zombie Ghost Train’s album launch show in the front bar.
Another gig that sticks in my mind for some reason was going to see the Brisbane band Gazoonga Attack play a midweek basement show there (I think on a thursday night) with Sin City (aka The Local Pricks). It was completely dead, there was hardly anyone there but I still have the CD I bought from them that night, and it just sticks in my memory for some reason.
I saw a lot of bigger bands play in the Gershwin room over the years too, but they sort of all blend into one blurry memory after a while.
But my most loved Melbourne venue was The Arthouse, which closed down quite a few years ago now. The Tote is next closest to my heart.
Thanks for the support. Glad to hear the Tote still kicking 👍👍👍
I Went to the Espy quiet a few times it was always packed. It’s still is now, for different reasons but up the road was a place called “bananas” which had live bands upstairs. I played there a few times when I was about 15 years old as a support band and we had to carry the Soundsystem up Quite a few flights of stairs, but we never complained..
I've heard of Bananas. Will hav e to vlog about it soon 👍👍👍
Had a few good night's out there. Thanks for the history . Great work 🙏🙌🍻🍻
Glad you enjoyed it☺️☺️
was a pretty decent place in stkilda pre gentrification
Yes 👌🎶 so much change everywhere in Oz
MAN I WAS FRONT TABLE HESSIES SHED AND CROWDED HOUSE PLAYED. MY DREAM. PEACE
R.I.P. Hessie. Dearly missed.
amazing, yes RIP Paul H A great venue, a great man
The Espy was my hangout during the early 90s. I knew a lot of the resident musos and remember after hours lock-in sessions with Bruce the Licensee, Linda, Russell Smith, Stewie Speed, Phil Para, Ross Hannaford, Steve DiCesare and all the enterage of old mates and story tellers. Many memories of the Band Room that must remain unspoken and the sticky carpet! Met a few femme fatales there too. Hi Jo and Margie! The Espy was unique and was one of those right place, right time phenomena. It couldnt happen now, its a different world. I loved that place! Trumpet Chris.
Cheers🤩 yes its definitely a matter of right time place right people all coalescing and might I say I felt a real vibe there even with noone there on a Sunday morning....lucky Melburnians 🤩🤩🤩
@@Gioia67 on a recent trip to Melb I did something very similar; walked in before opening and reminisced, following familiar footsteps in a very much changed atmosphere. That was fortunate as the vibe would be very gentrified now with new clientele. Enough remained to feel the old Espy vibe for a moment and relive some treasured memories. Thanks for your charming little film and thorough research, you did well.
@thescythian321 thank you 😍
Love this pub. Melbourne has some great pubs.
Sure did 💥👍👌
Great video. Thankyou!
Thank you 😍😍
Bought back a lot of great memories from my early twenties. Great times!
Legendary pub! Iirc Don was also a major figure in the POW and later the Greyhound Hotel. St Kilda in the 90's was peak culture before the money came in and destroyed it.
Good times❤
Good times indeed👌👌👌
Hi Gioa. Another great video and interview. Visited Melbourne about 10 months ago and my wife and saw Russell Crowe's Garden Party band in the Gershwin Room at the Espy which was my first time there. Great atmosphere with a big crowd. Thanks for the history and great to see that it was saved from the developers bulldozer. If we are destroying places like the Espy we have lost the plot. Coming from Sydney I have really loved and appreciated your Melbourne videos. Keep them coming,
Thank you I really appreciate the feedback . I think Russell’s playing there again this year. I’m annoyed I never saw gigs there in it’s heyday 🤗 what a fab venue regardless of “gentrification” I loved it
This is awesome Gioia… great editing 👍🏻
Thanks Rob 👌🎶💥
What's happened to the Espy is a microcosm example of what's happened to all of Australia. The reason mullets are back in fashion for the younger generations is because they're scraping the barrel of what's left over of our culture. Money vultures have sucked the nation to life support status. It's not all doom and gloom though. Sometimes we have to loose something to really appreciate what we had. Then we can revitalise it again. What is essential is to share the cultural possibilities of the 80s to 00s to the younger generations. Otherwise the only culture they'll know and perpetuate is sterilised commercial culture. Videos like this are an excellent start (So are all the comments), so bravo! Let's also come together to make tangible creative and social community again too.
Played there with Gus and Frank . Great venue. Looove your work
Awesome! Thank you!✌️✌️
And when the Espy shut the doors, it was off to the Linden tree😉🤙
Lol. Yes was trying to recall name of that place. Thx. The memories of that late-nite / early morn dive were 'mixed' lol.
Good times Magoo🤙
Locals would def know that one Cheers
I’ve only been in Melbourne since 2007, but I’ve been there a bit. Went twice in the last year first night was late and saw a couple of local bands in the basement which was ok. But last time I thought I’d try out the Asian fusion restaurant upstairs. It was one of the worst meals I’ve had in Melbourne. Every course had issues and even the drinks were made poorly. But I will always jump at the chance to see something good in the Gershwin room.
Gershwin room is amazing. I know its a different place these days but I do think it looks amazing and they still have bands there so that's gotta be a good thing
It has lost its charm. Sad. Used to have tons of atmosphere. I spent many a boozy Saturday Arvo at the Espy back in the late 90's. I went back there not long ago. The vibe is gone, imo
Vibe and atmosphere sadly has been removed from many former Aussie live music venues - Love The Corner hotel, glad thats still going strong
Its legendary for sure. Great channel I subscribed 👍👍
Thanks for the sub! 💥🎶👌 glad u enjoying the channel
Ah the memories, getting my drink spiked, seeing bands, working for shit pay, seeing drugged up guys getting teased and i dont even have the good stories. It’s a never stopping always changing place.
The gentrified killed the vibe :(
yeh i think an element of sleaziness needs to linger to give these venues some character LOL Cheers
Nice work, Gioia
Thank you 🎶💥👌
I've done a number of sus gigs at the espy but i love the place. love a sus gig
Such amazing atmosphere, even when its empty...Great venue . Cheers
Unfortunately if you go on a Saturday night and not a Monday morning, you'll very quickly see that the Espy is now a real shell of what it used to be - the complete opposite.
I went there frequently in the early 2000s to see metal gigs and it had such a welcoming vibe but went again late last year to see a band and it was the most unwelcoming venue I'd ever been to, had a very Gen Z Instagram club vibe to it.
You can be nostalgic for it but it wouldn't bother me in the slightest if they pulled it down now.
Interesting. Yeh the whole vibe seems to be the killer I guess It's a shame
👍🏻 another great video
Thank you , much appreciated Cheers
Excellent look back. The Espy was a classic sticky carpet venue by the 1980s. But, surprisingly, there was very little, if any, serious trouble like there seems to be these days at Melbourne's so-called "night clubs'. The vibe was generally cheery and good-willed. The Prince of Wales in Fitzroy Street was more upmarket. They presented quite a few big name English and American retro acts...as in former Top 40 stars. They had an excellent showroom....think it was called the Seaview Ballroom. As I recall, PBS was in the Prince building? I lived in York Street, West St Kilda...(parents were long time St Kilda-ites). That area was an absolute hub of the entertainment business. Bands like the Easybeats , Master's Apprentice, Seekers all had connections to the suburb. There was a very well known recording studio in Acland Street called Tele-Fil? (Television Film?) where people like Normie Rowe recorded. Much of it sprung up originally, due to the Palais De Danse that was a huge ballroom on the Lower Esplanade (owned by Americans...the Phillips brothers) from the 1920s through to the '50s
. ...and, yes, you would be surprised who lived in St Kilda if only temporarily ...people like the legendary Hollywood comedian W.C.Fields...who was working at the Tivoli.
Good to hear this feedback and your personal recollections....I wish I had visited this venue in its heyday...it sounded like it had such character. Cheers
Awesome❤
Thank u
It’s just a shopping mall pub now. Was inevitable I guess given the value of the real estate. Unfortunately It couldn’t survive in its old state and business model.
Sad that the people in charge dictate like they do...👍
Such a great venue.phill para n the perswaders. Wow i got drum lessons of paul he was jammin out with jordie from the tatts.. !!! Another great pub was the riverside in richmond .. black sorrows thats when i fell in love with the bull sistersu.
Great Australian. Musicians 🎶👌👍
Don’t forget Phil para Saturday Arvos! The good old days…
Yes heard he's a fab artist ✌️✌️✌️
St kilda is a very different place these days ,
Lost its alternative charm for me , just my opinion
It's a shithole,yuppies & junkies and nothing in between
Charm and cheekiness definitely not there now I agree 👌
The front bar used to rock and was usually pretty packed.Plenty of great bands used to play there and it had a great atmosphere but sadly post Trishs management those days are gone.Just my opinion but I must say it looks great.
Yes I heard many people enjoyed the front bar area and I think Horsehead played there many times to packed crowds. Great venue indeed and I think it looks really nice still
Yes, the old Espy will never be again, but at least it’s still standing. I’m not a fan of the direction life in general is going, but the old girl is still there, and even though l probably won’t spend a dollar there, l’d have to say she’s lookin the goods🤙
Its true that at least it is definitely still alive and not gone down the path of many venues in this country...Cheers
It’s terrible what happened to this iconic Melbourne indie hotel $18 beers and it’s not even craft beer? Who from ordinary students, punters can now afford this in cost of living crisis?
Trust fund kids, that's the clientele there now.
Yes the whole scene everywhere in Australia is the same - I guess they treat it as a business and are there to also make profits
My local club was Bananas! Which you mentioned here. It was situated atop the St Moritz building which is now sadly destroyed along with another live band venue downstairs forget the name of it Jimmy Barnes comes and sits at our table and starts to flirt with me. I have just had a massive fight with my bf so I’m upset and tell him to f-- off! My sister kicks me under the table and glares at me when he goes because I wasn’t very nice to him my sister says that’s Jimmy Barnes! I said Who the f is Jimmy Barnes lol!! (this is just before they cracked the big time)
🤣🤣🤣 great story
@@Gioia67 thanks! 🌸
💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
Also - The Espy is the worst example of destructive gentrification
Kinda. Sometimes the grubbiness of pubs can also be a negative but I get what you're saying ✌️✌️
Horsehead! In the front bar. Props for the T-shirt.
Love Horsehead 🥰👌
for queensland i think the playroom an the jet club on the goldy were the best venue in my opinion
Playroom is next
@@Gioia67 saw chisel thorogood many more its was that packed at the chisel show you had to get to the windows ( lourvers) to breath hahaha
@@arttyboo5923playroom up now 👍
the beer garden free barbies were fukn grouse in summer too
👍👍👍😀😀😀
Just like everything else in this town it had it's balls cut off.
Agree
RIP Trish - she was legit
Also, the stage in the Lounge was the most magic stage in Melbourne to play and watch.
Interesting. Thank you. Mona Vale Hotel?
Already done …I think a year ago now Check out on my channel 🤩 thank you 🙏
@@Gioia67I believe you did Dee Why Hotel. Not Mona Vale.
@CryptoSteve007 oh actually sorry you’re right I confused it with Manly vale Sorry I’ll definitely get to that one Doing Strawberry hills hotel/Evening Star /Gaelic and musicians club next - but all in one vlog
@@Gioia67 Great. Thanks again. Love the channel.
The neo-Communist flag, cant question that communism
Was it Fred Savage who used to write the Espy cartoons?
No, it was Fred Whose-name-would-be-censored-by-CZcams-if-I-wrote-it-here-but-just-means-Black-in-Spanish-or-Portuguese
always thought the espy was further back up the other corner near the main street
opposite the beach Cheers
They need to play heavy metal there
I think some metal bands might have played there over the years, Cheers
They did and now they don't anymore.
Got any more of the Tony Martin footage? Would love to see it as I was at that show in 2000. Great Horsehead T too
My brother found it Most likely on CZcams
It went down the S bend.
yes like many places sadly Cheers
Stickiest carpet ever
locals never called it 'The Espy'. . .it was either the 'Nard' or the 'S-bend'. . .only bogans called it 'Espy'
🤣🤣🤣 Australia is sadly full of bogans
Fetishist flags (not LGB) on the stairs tells me all I need to know.
I think when I visited it was Pride Week....I'm not sure sexuality has anything to do with the context of my vlog topic 👌✌️😁
Good video, but it's well and truely gone to the dogs. Go there at night you'll see it's just a lame baysider bar with terrible music, no atmosphere, overpriced drinks and you'll just feel out of place. It's for people who like the teski bros and 30 seconds to mars
Drink prices sadly are ridiculous now in Australia unless u go to boring old bowling clubs - whilst I think it’s changed dramatically I think for a Sunday arvo visit or a particular rock band night it’s still an amazing venue 😜😄
I wish Metallica played there
Imagine! Cheers
Ruined by yuppies.
It sucks
yeh not the same really Cheers
this is so cool im crying. ta
Played the Gershwin , saw many in the Public and Bottom bar. Played the Old Greek in Richmond arrived at the Bottom bar then promptly to the Cat House at the Palace to get smashed with Heavy Metal , wander around totally fucked up then to Greasy Joes for a Burger, to plan our next campaign .
On one hand I'm so glad it was restored let alone preserved, but on the other, it's sad the old grunge vibes have been eliminated in the process. It's the reality of economics.
Agree 💯
I used to live in a share house in Caulfield south on the dole. We used to smuggle a cask of wine into the espy. We would buy one drink at the bar and spend the rest of the night filling up that glass from the cask. We had the best times there.