Corner Hotel

1871-1983

In 1871, the premises were licensed to David and Jane McCormick. Business thrived because of the close proximity to the Richmond railway station. In 1881 it was renovated by William Malone, who improved both the accommodation and the liquor quality. Malone was the licensee until 1895. Between 1895 and 1929 the hotel changed hands seven times. From 1929 to 1935 it was operated by Nelly O'Connor and her husband.^[1]

The pub is thought to have begun presenting live music during the 1940s jazz era. During the 1950s it was owned by the Melbourne Cooperative Brewing Company, an offshoot of Carlton and United Breweries. This was the peak time of an Australian custom known as the six o'clock swill, where venues were required to stop serving alcohol at 6 p.m. This law was a relic of World War I and operated from 1915 until its abolition in the mid-1960s (1966 in Victoria). It meant that workers would rush to pubs after finishing work and consume as much alcohol as possible before the bar closed.

In 1966 the pub was demolished and rebuilt in a slightly shifted location, to make space for the widening of the railway lines.^[1]

1984-1995

In 1984 Wayne Gale was approached by Brian Hartung from Carlton United Breweries and asked if he could start music at The Corner Hotel. At that time he was running the music at The John Barleycorn hotel in Collingwood, The Tiger Lounge (Royal Oak in Richmond) and The Prospect Hill Hotel in Kew.

The first bands to play were The Adventure and Big Music Works on the Friday night 28 February 1983 and Big Pig on the Saturday night. At first there was only live music on Friday and Saturday nights. During the period Wayne Gale was the owner the cream of Australia's music industry played there and at one point he achieved 15 full houses in 16 days. This was an outstanding achievement because the Melbourne music industry was very strong and the competition fierce. Bands like Johnny Diesel, Spy vs Spy, Baby Animals all used the venue to build their profile in Melbourne. Mick Jagger performed there unannounced in 1988.^[1]

Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour also played an unannounced show at the venue in 1988, with all-star band The Fishermen. Bands such as saints the stems ups and downs all played at corner 86 to 87.

1996-present

Owners Tim Northeast & Mathew Everett took the reins of the Corner in the mid 90s and have continued to help the venue grow and evolve into a 21st century mainstay of the Melbourne music scene whilst etching its name into the hearts of gig-goers throughout the country. With a number of renovations and improvements to the building over the years, the venue boasts an 800 capacity band room, front bar and impressive rooftop equipped with multiple bars, function spaces and modern kitchen.

If there were ever an easy way to get a glimpse of what the Australian music scene has looked like for the past 21 years, it’d be by looking back at the history of the Corner Hotel. Mirroring the ever-evolving landscape of emerging genres, big-breaks and break-ups. Legends were born and history was made at the venue. Crowded House chose the Corner for a secret final Melbourne show, the riff for The White Stripes' 2002 anthem seven Nation Army was penned in the sound check for their Corner show, U2 took over the venue in 2006 to film the clip for 'Windows In The Sky' and with over 200 shows a year countless musicians have graced the stage of the venue.

From the alt-grunge movement of the 90’s, through to the garage-revival and rise of indie in the 00s, into the electronica of the 10’s and everything in between, the one constant has been the Corner. Through thick and thin, venue closures and reopenings, cultural change and more, Richmond’s Corner Hotel still stands strong.

Artists that have played the Corner include:

Airbourne, Alison Wonderland, Amity Affliction, Amy Shark, Architecture In Helsinki, Band Of Horses, Ben Harper, Biffy Clyro, Big Scary, Birds Of Tokyo, Black Lips, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Blink 182, Bliss N Eso, Boy & Bear, Cat Power, Charles Bradley, COG, Courtney Barnett, Crowded House, David Hasselhoff, Deftones, Derrick May, Dinosaur Jr, Diplo, Dropkick Murphys, Easy Star All Stars, First Aid Kit, Flight Facilities, Frente, Future Of The Left, Grimes, Grizzly Bear, Hilltop Hoods, Hot Water Music, Hozier, Interpol, Jebediah, Jimmy Cliff, Joe Strummer, John Butler Trio, King Krule, Lorde, Magic Dirt, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, Midnight Oil, Ministry, Morcheeba, Mr Bungle, Northeast Party House, Northlane, Opeth, Paul Kelly, Peaches, Pennywise, Public Enemy, Queens Of The Stone Age, Rocket From The Crypt, Rodriguez, Rowland S. Howard, Sharon Jones, Shellac, Shlomo, SIA, Silversun Pickups, Something For Kate, Spiderbait, Spoon, Steve Earle, Swans, Tallest Man On Earth, Tame Impala, Tash Sultana, Tex Perkins, The Avalanches, The Black Keys, The Bronx, The Darkness, The Drones, The Hives, The Horrors, The Libertines, The Living End, The Misfits, The Rapture, The White Stripes, Unwritten Law, Vance Joy, Vengaboys, Violent Femmes, Wanda Jackson, Weddings Parties Everything, Xavier Rudd, You Am I plus heaps more.

^[2]==References==