Original music returns to HydePark Hotel

Sun 31st Jul, 2011 in Local News

We reported last week that the newly renovated Hyde Park Hotel would soon be hosting original music again, and though the venue has been open for a week, Saturday’s first original music night was like a grand re-opening, or a homecoming… Or, as more than one person commented; like a school reunion, only with people you like. Punters swarmed in early to catch Cat Black, Cal Peck and the Tramps and Day of the Dead- The first bands to christen the new stage.

Walking in from the carpark provoked a profound dismay at the choice of décor, but the bouncers were welcoming, despite dodging torrential downpours without the dubious protection of an umbrella. From the beer garden the Hydey now looks just like every other swankified pub designed to attract the innercity-living crowd. (Not the squatters in their shack like homes, the people who live in the high-rise apartments that replaced the shacks.)

The back bar is no longer a giant hall for the rockabilly crowd and its various incarnations, it’s a giant bottleshop. Visible from the beer-garden is a café style dining area attached to a mess style dining area to cater for larger groups. Push on through this and you end up in what used to be the pool-room; yes, with a live band on a real stage. Photographers of Perth rejoice for the Hydey now has decent lighting and a stage!

The pool tables have been moved to where the bands used to play, and there’s an entrance to the TAB behind that. The security and management were slightly on the paranoid side; politely escorting out groups of people who looked like they might get rowdy at some point in the night – but that’s not too surprising, you too would be paranoid if you had just built and furnished a new house and 500 rocka/punkabilly-types arrived, intent on having a good time and reliving the old days.

So this all sounds disheartening, (aside from the part where the stage has lights) but the reality is that it’s the people that make or break a venue. It’s the vibe and culture they bring in through the doors, and the things they support or shun that dictate what the venue offers to its clientele (because it’s business, innit?). Reports of other evenings since the bar opened describe just a few quiet drinkers in for one or two and a nice salad after work.

It seems likely then, that the Hydey will be throwing its full support behind local music again, because with original bands on stage, the bar was packed full of people just itching to hand their money over to the bartenders in return for a beer or seven. And the drinks were more reasonably priced than any other bar in town that supports original music.

It remains to be seen whether the ‘Hydey Purists’ will ever forgive Dan Murphys, and how long it will take the laminate tables to start peeling. Bets are being laid as to when the first enthusiastic drummer will go flying out of the window directly behind him, and whether the people responsible for booking the bands still give new bands a go. But the sound is good, if a bit echoey in the pool room, the drinks are cheap, entry is free (one does wonder how the bands will get paid) and the location is convenient.

Most of all, the old crew is there, and it’s the people you party with that make your night. A coating of beige panelling, sharp edges and some backlighting isn’t enough to kill a scene, and the Hydey has been home to all of the scenes in Perth at one time or another. The only thing likely to prevent the venue going back to its old ways is lack of punter support. The next year or so will tell how badly the music lovers of Perth want their Hydey back, or whether they’ve moved on in the interim.