Over the past few months, the reports coming through via the Palace Theatre wire seem to be getting more distressing with each dispatch. Indeed, it seems that the odds are truly stacked against the committed handful of activists still fighting to keep the Melbourne venue alive.
But perhaps one of the most disheartening stories to come out of the fight to keep the Bourke St mainstay standing is the vision of a potential future that was recently revealed by the members of the Save The Palace support group, who’ve been lobbying hard to retain the venue since its purchase by a Chinese development group.
According to reliable sources cited by Save The Palace, the operators of UK venue KOKO London made two genuine attempts to acquire the Palace from its previous owner in the last five years, with the intention of replicating the KOKO UK operation Down Under as KOKO Australia.
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Save The Palace claim the Bourke St venue is remarkably similar to KOKO London, which was previously known as the Camden Palace Theatre, and the group believes the UK-based operators also made an offer to present owners Jinshan Investments to acquire the site, but were knocked back.
KOKO UK have a history of saving and restoring rundown and disused venues. In 2004, the venue operators transformed the dilapidated landmark Grade II listed Camden Palace Theatre into a 25,000 sq ft multi-purpose performance space equipped with state of the art technical facilities.
KOKO’s restoration broadened the scope of the theatre’s operations and the venue now hosts live concert performances, club nights, corporate events, online content creation, podcasts, TV shows, and live broadcasts. KOKO’s content is now seen by an estimated 300 million people around the world.
Indeed, KOKO London seems to be an industry unto itself, producing shows for Channel 4 as well as podcasts, and has been home to the iTunes Music Festival. The venue also hosts regular performances from A-list acts, including Prince, who recently staged a secret gig at the venue.
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For those still incredulous about the KOKO brand, the London venue was chosen by Coldplay to launch their X&Y album and Madonna to launch her Confessions on a Dance Floor album, while the roster of past performers includes the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Lily Allen, and more.
“KOKO has the ability to enhance Australia’s music scene so we are asking you, our supporters to make a small donation of a gold coin or more to give us the best chance of making this possibility a reality by doing all we can to save the Palace Theatre,” write Save The Palace.
Donations going to the group will fund “legal expertise and representation” to support the group’s case against the looming demolition of the threat at an upcoming hearing of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which will decide the fate of the venue.
