Campaign group reveals rebuffed attempts to save Melbourne's Palace Theatre for live music

While uncertainty surrounds the future of Melbourne’s Palace Theatre, the Save The Palace support group have revealed attempts by a UK-based music venue operator to secure the venue as a live music location from the Theatre’s previous owners.

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.

Save The Palace highlight that the Melbourne venue is remarkably similar to KOKO London (previously known as the Camden Palace Theatre - pictured above), 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 into a 2322.6 metre² 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.

KOKO London also produces shows for the UK’s Channel 4 television chanel 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.

Their 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.

Hoping to revive KOKO’s potential arrival in Australia, the Save The Palace group explains “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.”

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.

Property developers Jinshan Investments originally planned to demolish the former live music venue in order to construct a $180 million five star hotel and apartment complex. The redevelopment has now been scaled back to a seven storey 'boutique' hotel.

Click here to visit the Save the Palace Theatre Facebook page.

Article amended 8.02am 16th February 2015.

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