Do NOT Rest In Peace... The Harp.

I think to most people, when the Hopetoun closed it's doors, and subsequently boarded them up, it was denounced as the beginning of the end of Sydney's live music scene. Since my real introduction to the world of gigging around live music pubs and clubs a decade ago with Department, there have been a number of venues which just gave up the ghost either just to live music, or trading altogether. I was never fortunate to have played the Hopetoun. I was never trendy enough or in a band that was. In fact, there's a school of thought that I am perhaps the reason why any band I'm in isn't trendy, but that's another matter.

I did however, watch my former bandmates go on with the Saturns and make a second home for themselves on that deliciously dishevelled place. It did have the vibe, as the first thing some guy said to me as Rob and I walked in was "Do you want to buy a mellotron?" The omen was a good one.

The venue filled almost shoulder to shoulder, and although the then current Saturns repetoire did absolutely nothing for me in a musical sense, there was still a sense of occasion (It must be said I like the subsequent material much more, and should they ever bother to finish it, it's actually very exciting... and I played on a very small part of it). Quite often this 'occasion' helps a particular gig transcend the treadmill of playing live regularly.

Perhaps more pertinent to me was the closure, in October, of The Harp. This is much more personal. A fairly sophisticated and classy decorated Pub with a big band room at the back and a half-decent sized stage. And awful food.

I have played the Harp with all three major gigging bands I have been in. It was initially 'The Riverview Hotel', and I played it with Adam, Steve and Oli back in 1997, as ELH, Delusion or Altered State or whatever the hell we were at the time. Then I played there in 2001 with Department and that lead to us playing there 6 times over the next three years, including our last ever gig together on January 4th 2004. It was the first place Anubis ever played live together, and the first place that I ever really felt the buzz with this band. I know our peer and sometimes gigging partner Stuart does not share my view on this, having had one dodgy sound guy experience too many.

The sound quite often sucked. I have to say. The guy had no idea how to mix keyboards, and they were seldom loud enough (the Rick Rubin school of mixing?), but the place did have a vibe, and I have had some very happy times on that stage.

If I close my eyes, I really do associate it with Department, even though it's a vital place in Anubis' life. I can see myself crammed into the back corner, with Nathan's ride cymbal practically hitting my keyboards. I see over the top of Chris' head in front of me, Charlie's hair made even more red by the Par Can just to the left of his head, and Nick in his blue lab coat and silly hat directly diagonal to me,

usually stomping around pulling faces.

I hear the last line of vocals in Strange But Strong Believer, The 'La...aaa..ate' 3-part and Chris turning around to beam enthusiastically in my direction (and believe me, you remember something like that because it's not a terribly frequent occurance). Being a spiritual home to that band, and the birthplace of another, I do feel terribly attached to it.

Walking in for the first Anubis show didn't feel really any different. Characters and Script changed, but it was the same show in sprit. I put that down to the harp. I was back up in the corner, having my eardrums blasted by a drummer to my right. This time, Doug blocked my view, the par can was green, as was Robbie's skin, and Nick was coatless. But it was still the Harp.

Many bands got gigs at the Harp even when they couldn't get gigs anywhere else. We shared the stage there with some very odd characters who may have long given up musical aspiration and become a bank teller or something. Perish the thought. But for your 45 minutes, it was a place to communicate with your people, and you got bloody well paid for it too if you brought the numbers. Anubis alone averaged 75 per show. I have no idea what Department in it's prime did.

I can only hope it reopens its doors soon. It was a great place to play and reconnect with old faces and a big big part of my 20s. It would be tragic if others don't get the chance to feel the way I did.