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Central Coast Nightlife
Can someone please explain to me why it is that many pub and club owners on the Central Coast have a complete lack of understanding of the younger generation?
Why is it that establishment owners expect a generation of 18-25 year olds to be content with the current state of the Central Coast’s nightlife?
To give you an image of what I am talking about, picture a Saturday night on the Central Coast, you’re ready to go out and enjoy catching up with friends over a few drinks. The first thing you do, is decide where you want to go. According to whatsoncentralcoast.com.au, on the Central Coast you have a choice of 18 RSL’s and Leagues Clubs, and 19 pubs.
Of these, the primary forms of entertainment available to choose from are; Painfully pathetic cover bands and duos, trainee DJ’s spinning the same songs night after night, or if you’re incredibly unlucky, you’re local haunt will provide you with a hybrid form of crappy covers AND high rotation music in the form of karaoke nights.
After you have chosen your destination and preferred form of torture, you then have to perform a logistical miracle in order to get you and your friends to and from the venue. If you are lucky enough to live within five km’s of one of the few venues that have a courtesy bus service, then you’re set. If not, in order to avoid the risk of dangerous drink driving (which unfortunately, many people do not avoid) you must choose between forking out a massive fare for a taxi, conning a friend into being ‘deso’ (which is a feat in itself) or preparing yourself for one hell of a walk.
With all of these fantastic options ahead of you (can you sense the sarcasm?) is it any wonder that of a Friday or Saturday night you witness the following?
- Groups of young people walking the streets with a case of beer under each arm in preparation for a long journey?
- House parties that get out of control because there is nothing better to do?
- Hundreds of young people lined up at the train station waiting for the next train outta here?
- Young people littering the streets near establishments because they can’t afford the cover charge to get into an already expensive club?
- Young people fighting with each other after being confined to a small, densely occupied section of the club like animals in a cage because of new curfews?
The fact is, that the population of young people living in the world’s biggest retirement village that we call the Central Coast, are BORED, and much like a dog that has been locked in a yard with nothing to do, it is highly likely that we are going to chew up your laundry, dig up your garden and piss on your petunias.
What amazes me the most, is the fact that establishment owners and community leaders alike are still scratching their heads as to why they’re not making money, and why we have a disproportionate amount of vandalism and destruction on our streets.
Well let me solve the problem for all those failing hotel owners out there.
- Improve your entertainment scene by adding more ORIGINAL, live performances.
- Improve transport to and from your venue.
- Reduce or completely remove entry fees and cover charges.
I can almost hear your jaws dropping now;
- I have to find something more interesting than pokies and cover duos????
- What? People actually need transport to get to my pub????
- Why would people want to come here for free when I can charge them 15 bucks a pop for the pleasure instead????
Oh yes, I’m sure you’re having trouble getting you’re heads around this new and strange concept of giving the people what they want, but the reality is this:
Young people have money to spend. We don’t have mortgages, electricity bills or house insurance to pay off, so the majority of our money is spent on leisure activities. If you offer us live entertainment, tailored to our age group (we are particular fans of original bands) we are more likely to spend our hard earned money at your establishment. PLUS, you will be making a valuable contribution to the improvement of our disappointingly small and pathetic live music scene.
Once you’ve made your establishment a place where young people want to spend their money, then you have to help them get there and home from your joint, because if they can’t get there, how will they be able to spend their money on your drinks and food? Improving your transport with a courtesy bus, or by organising a night owl bus with other venues is the best solution, which also gives you the added bonus of reducing the amount of angry residents calling to complain about their front lawns being vandalised, and the unlawful watering of their petunias.
Lastly, make these services available for free! It seems odd, but the fact of the matter is, nobody wants to spend $10-$20 to hear an unknown band, or listen to songs they already have on their iPod. You will turn away the majority of potential customers by slapping a ridiculous cover charge on cheap entertainment, and you will make very little profit from the whopping 7 people you get through the door.
Establishment owners have the potential to make a larger profit by putting a live, original performance on for free, then raking in the profits from the huge jump in bar sales.
Also, it should be noted that many up and coming local acts are willing to play for free, or for a pittance just to get the exposure on stage.
This formula works incredibly well in establishments in Sydney (such as the Landsdowne hotel and the Annandale hotel) who provide free entry to see live original bands, are located close to transport and offer cheap meals in the deal. Every Friday and Saturday night you will see these venues filled to the brim with customers who are spending large amounts of money on drinks and food as they enjoy the entertainment, and it is certain that the owners of these pubs and clubs are raking in the profits.
It is time that hotel and club owners put aside their misguided attempts at squeezing every dollar out of their dwindling customer base and start listening to the needs of the younger generations, who are starved of entertainment and accessibility, and open their doors to the possibility of an improved reputation and increased sales. We as young people need to start demanding more attention to our needs from both establishment owners and community leaders alike so that our existence and importance can be acknowledged in the ever-aging Central Coast.