Many Adelaide clubgoers were at wit’s end earlier this year when Hindley Street hotspot the Dog and Duck announced its surprise closure, citing irreconcilable differences with the State’s late night trading code.
The loss of the venue in February left a lot of big questions unanswered. Will more venues fall victim to a changing late night landscape following the introduction of 3am lockouts in 2013? Where will newly 18 year old party animals go to get their pash on? What nightclub social photos will be the first to be inevitably untagged when we start applying for jobs?
The club has received a new lease on life thanks to Woolshed on Hindley owners John Meek and David O’Connell, who have reportedly swooped in to buy the venue’s licence. Speaking to the Advertiser, the pair detailed their plan to potentially reopen as early as July 3.
On top of the Woolshed, the pair recently expanded to a second venue when they took over and thoroughly revamped the Black Bull on Hindley earlier this year. While it isn’t clear whether the slightly rebranded Dog and Duck Alehouse will feature a similar branding overhaul to bring it in in line with its now-sister establishments, Meek did confirm to the Advertiser that they planned a “minor refurbishment” of the premises before reopening.
Now, if that doesn’t sound like industry slang for “install mechanical bull” we don’t know what is.
Ride on, Adelaide nightlife, ride on
Meanwhile, fans of the D&D’s previous incarnation can rest easy with at least one of the venue’s former DJs Mitchy Burnz tweeting his intention to return to the venue with many of the same DJs and door staff.
In the News dog & duck is coming back. I’ll be putting dj’s and doorcrew back in there some old crew and some new… http://t.co/2xFk3RcqKV
— Mitchy Burnz (@MitchyBurnz) June 8, 2015
Burnz is also a driving force behind a petition calling for the abolition of SA’s current lockout regime launched in response to comments by Police Commissioner Gary Burns flagging a shift to 2am lockouts earlier this year. With its current tally sitting at just over 1800 signatures, clearly there are a lot of late night hospitality workers and clubgoers who will be celebrating this one as a win for Adelaide’s late night scene.
Read more
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