Keep the shows coming at Singing Bird

It’s Andy and Stu here from Singing Bird. We are reaching out for some support from the greater music community. We have come up against some financial struggles at The Bird. As you may know, we have an awesome gig space here at the bird and have invested lots of time and money into making that space as awesome as possible. We love putting on shows and looking after all the bands as well as our devoted staff and team. The only thing that makes these shows possible is the money we make from selling beers/alcohol at the gigs. The venue hire fee only just covers the cost of putting on a show which includes the PA leasing, sound person, lighting person and door person. (as well as rent and bills on top of course!)

We took a big hit during covid and through the support of our loyal rehearsal customers, our families, and some support from the Government, we miraculously stayed alive.

liquor licensing Victoria have said that they will no longer allow us to apply for temporary limited licenses for each show (which is what we have been doing so far). This means we need to apply for a permanent license which we are in the process of doing. In the meantime, we will be running shows at a loss. In order to keep putting on shows at the bird long into the future, we need a bit of a chop out! We love what we do and we love supporting the scene but it comes at a cost! Help us get through this tough time so that the bird will continue being a place that supports the scene above all else!!

We run this place out of passion, we both have families and at the end of the day we make sure that everyone gets paid, the bands, the staff and the suppliers; sometimes (more often than not) it is at the detriment to our own livelihoods, as in, we are the last to get paid and often that pay is nothing. (or less than nothing!)

We really want to keep doing what we do and running a space in frankston that is inclusive and supportive of the live music scene. Once we have the correct licenses in place we will be off and running!! We have never asked for a handout in the past, we are fiercely independent and proud but we need a hand!