Local venues rock music awards

TWO of the Surf Coast’s favourite live music venues have been recognised at this year’s Music Victoria Awards.

The Torquay Hotel and the Anglesea-based The Sound Doctor were both honoured at last week’s event with the title of Best Regional Venue or Presenter, in the over 50 gigs and under 50 gigs award categories respectively.

For The Sound Doctor, the win was so unexpected, no one from the team was present at the award ceremony to accept the award.

“It was a massive surprise, but a great honour too, particularly because we were up against some incredible venues and promotors,” The Sound Doctor’s Andi Lawson-Moore said.

 

 

The Sound Doctor was launched in 2017 after its founder, Anglesea GP David Corbet, contacted his favourite artist American singer songwriter Joan As Police Woman through Instagram to suggest she perform at the seaside town’s memorial hall.

While it took another two years to make that gig happen, Corbet and a team of passionate volunteers quickly established a thriving and unique live music experience for the local community.

“It’s a lot of hard work obviously, but we love it,” Ms Lawson-Moore said.

Torquay Hotel’s venue booker Luke Hindson said it was exciting for the team to be recognised by the industry for their efforts and thanked the local community for their ongoing support.

“[The judges have] seen the work that we are continually putting in to improve the customer experience and the band experience, and perhaps that’s why we won it this time and we got the chocolates.”

 

 

Although “not a perfect venue”, he said the Torquay Hotel had its own unique energy and the space allowed music lovers a more intimate gig experience.

“In a time where it seems a lot of venues are closing, we’re fortunate enough to have customers that keep returning and we’re very grateful for that.

“We’re looking forward to just continuing to be able to operate and be there for our community.

“We’ll just keep going; we’ll keep booking bands, we’ll keep booking DJs and continue to try and improve our offering.”

 

 

He said Torquay Hotel had some exciting improvements on the horizon, including new curtains to enhance the band room’s sound, PA system improvements, and the redevelopment of the venue’s beer garden to increase its utility.

Music Victoria chief executive officer Simone Schinkel said it was inspiring to reflect on a Music Victoria Award’s impact on the state’s artists, venues and festivals.

“Previous winners have often shared how these honours elevate visibility and recognition, and this year’s nominees and recipients are worthy of it all.

Neo-soul singer songwriter and Geelong local Gloria Ragesh, who performs under the moniker Wild Gloriosa, was also celebrated at this year’s awards with the Diaspora Award.