Drone, the All Ages music venue on Hunter Street, has announced that they are shutting the space immediately.
In a post on their Facebook page on Saturday night, owner Bec Solman officially announced the closure of Drone; A decision that was spawned by pressures from Newcastle City Council.
Drone had been running as an All Ages space in the heart of Newcastle since November 14th, 2015. Previous to that, it was known as Hombre, which also ran All Ages events.
In a heartfelt post, Solman explained the closure, and took the time to thank the people that made Drone possible:
“Thank you to EVERYONE who has helped me in setting up and running the space, to those who have played at the venue, booked and organised shows, and to all you beautiful people I got to see every week attending shows. I have nothing but love for everyone who encouraged and supported the space. It meant the world to me.
I wish all of you young local bands all the best in your endeavours and encourage you to keep playing and doing what you love. Providing a space for young bands to perform and young people to attend in Newcastle is very important and hopefully there will be a space in Newcastle again soon, for good this time.”
The closure of Drone is another sad chapter in the history of Newcastle’s All Ages spaces. Drone and Hombre were DIY reactions to the hole in the Newcastle music scene that was left when The Loft Youth Venue was shut down by Newcastle City Council in 2013.
Owner Bec Solman also announced that although Drone is officially closed, they will be running one last All Ages event at The Small Ballroom to send off the venue. More details about that will be released in the coming week.
Newcastle Live would like to send their best wishes to Bec and the team at Drone. Thank you for creating an All Ages space for Newcastle, it’s a true tragedy when any music venue is forced to close, and especially one that caters to the youth of the city.
