Influential Melbourne music venue The Mercat Basement is shutting its doors. The long-standing venue, located opposite the Queen Victoria Market beneath Fancy Hank’s BBQ is being forced to shut up shop in February thanks to the upcoming re-development of the market district.
The owner of the venue Daragh Kan has told The Music that the venue will be forced to move on due to its inability to be granted a new late-night liquor license, a necessity for the type of events the venue is famous for.
While Kan claims the future of the building is unclear, a report from The Age back in July claims that a large chunk of the area, including the Mercat, will be torn down to make room for high rise apartments if plans are approved.
While Fancy Hank’s has already relocated its main places of operation, The Mercat Basement won’t be moving on, so it looks like now’s the time to fully soak up a few more classic nights before it’s too late.
The venue’s final gig is scheduled to go ahead on February 11th of 2017, with the lineup still to be announced.
