Bird | |
Address | 181 William Street, Northbridge, WA, 6003 Perth Australia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 31°56′59″S 115°51′32″E / 31.949647°S 115.858787°E |
Type | Music venue |
Capacity | ~150 |
Opened | 2010 |
Website | |
www |
The William Street Bird, known colloquially as the Bird, is a live music bar[1] located in the Northbridge suburb of Perth, Western Australia.[2][1] It opened in 2010.[3]
The Bird plays host to local musicians, with some known performers having gone on to successful international careers.[5] Notable artists to have performed at the venue include Flume, Stella Donnelly,[6] Spacey Jane, Tame Impala,[a] Gum, and Methyl Ethel.[8]
The inside of the venue resembles a large jam room for a resident band. The interior design is simple, with large amounts of exposed brick. The back of the venue is an open-air courtyard.[3]
The live music bar was opened by mechanical engineer and entrepreneur[9] Mike O'Hanlon in 2010.[10][11] During the same year, the venue was involved in a campaign against a decision by the Liquor Commission to put its late-night trading application up for review. This decision was publicly opposed at the time by Perth's lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi, and the West Australian Music Association.[1] The restriction would have imposed a 10 pm closing time upon the bar, which O'Hanlon criticised as unworkable.[1] The decision to put the license up for review was made despite approval by the Perth city council for a midnight license earlier that month.[1][b]
In 2016 the venue was purchased by O'Hanlon's friend Kabir Ramasary, a former financial planner who also owns multiple nearby venues.[13][14]
The venue has periodically hosted fundraising events for RTRFM, a community radio station based in the city.[15][16]
In her 2016 live music review for the Perth outlet Isolated Nation, contributor and local musician Tanaya Harper praised the "Wednesday nights at the Bird" weekly local music event, saying:[17]
this has to be one of the best live music congregations in Perth. Weekly line-ups consistently showcase the best of what Perth has to offer [...].
According to the University of Western Australia's student magazine Pelican, the venue is known locally for its "artsy, chilled out atmosphere".[18]
The venue has been compared by PerthNow to the Ellington Jazz Club "for people who are too young to know who Quincy Jones is".[3]
The owners of a new live music bar set to open in Northbridge have launched an online campaign to show the Liquor Commission that a 10pm closing time is unreasonable.
Media related to William Street Bird, Northbridge at Wikimedia Commons