Vancouver endorses liquor licence application for the Fox Cabaret

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      The Fox is a major step closer to becoming a live music venue, following Vancouver city council’s endorsement of a liquor licence for the building today.

      Council unanimously approved staff’s recommendation to endorse the application, which will now be sent to B.C.’s Liquor Control and Licensing Branch for approval.

      David Duprey, who teamed up with Arrival Agency to transform the former porn theatre into a cabaret and performance venue, said council’s endorsement was “a giant step”.

      “I’m really happy that city hall passed it,” he told the Straight. “We had a lot of support, and there was a lot of positiveness about it in the community, and I guess city hall heard that.”

      He expects to open the venue’s doors soon after B.C. has signed off on the liquor licence. He said the revamped interior of the building is “going to look great”.

      “We just went in and painted and cleaned it up, because it was a little skanky,” he noted.

      According to a city report, the new venue will feature events including concerts, theatre, dance, comedy, DJs, and other performances. The main floor will operate in conjunction with events, and the mezzanine will operate as a lounge.

      Duprey added that another live music venue will be “a great thing for Vancouver”.

      “They’re dying like flies,” he said. “It’s great to be opening one, rather than talking about what’s closing.

      “Main Street’s really developed into this awesome neighbourhood that I love and I’m just stoked to see the Fox adding to the fabric of that.”

      Comments

      11 Comments

      Meathead

      Dec 5, 2013 at 1:19am

      Liquor is good...

      Alan Layton

      Dec 5, 2013 at 9:08am

      Even though I'm far too old to go to any of these events, I'm really happy to see a live venue open, rather than close. I have great hopes that Main St will become a second entertainment district that specializes in live music, to counter all of the awful EDM places downtown. I want it to be a mecca for western music lovers and somewhere to allow Vancouver develop it's own brand of music, like it used to have before mass international immigration watered it down. It's a shame that so many good musicians are forced to leave Vancouver, for a lack of venues, and this needs to be reversed. Hopefully this will just be the start.

      an immigrant

      Dec 5, 2013 at 1:03pm

      to whoever said ". I want it to be a mecca for western music lovers and somewhere to allow Vancouver develop it's own brand of music, like it used to have before mass international immigration watered it down."

      there are a lot of immigrants in the music scene
      including me
      i am offended and you are a racist

      also an immigrant

      Dec 5, 2013 at 1:33pm

      not to put words in Alan Layton's mouth, but I'm pretty sure when he's referring to "western music lovers", it's in the context of typically underserved Western Canadians (as a geographical distinction).

      Knowing Duprey and the Arrival crew, I'm pretty sure they won't be playing Western (as in Country and Western) music unless it is for purely ironic value

      http://youtu.be/cSZfUnCK5qk

      Alan Layton

      Dec 5, 2013 at 2:21pm

      I worried that someone would interpret 'western' for 'country western', so let me clarify my statement. I meant 'western' as in 'western civilization', but I should have be even more specific and said 'rock and roll' based music, which seems to be the genre that has seen the most decline due to loss of live music venues. But I would also like to point out that there is a need for good, live country music (especially old-style and Americana) but Vancouver never has had much of that anyways, so I'm not holding my breath.

      Alan Layton

      Dec 5, 2013 at 2:28pm

      an immigrant - I'm glad you're offended. I'm sure you probably get offended easily. But what I said is absolutely true because the musical tastes of the most recent immigrants is quite different than what was here to begin with. That's not surprising because in the last 40 years Vancouver has undergone a vast change in it's cultural makeup. In fact you would be hard pressed to find many places that have changed this much. So go ahead and call me the over-used title of 'racist' if you want. I really don't care.

      pealebee

      Dec 5, 2013 at 6:13pm

      shut up old man,,,

      what

      Dec 5, 2013 at 7:28pm

      I honestly do not understand what "immigration" has to do with the live music scene. Try real-estate speculation, and city hall ever increasing regulations which drove up the prices so much nobody can afford to run a venue anymore unless they cater to the mainstream or are a complete dive bar on E. Hastings.

      To prove you are a clueless old man, go see some 'rock n roll' bands sometime, specifically punk and hardcore acts and note there's plenty o' "immigrants" (visible minorities born and raised here) thrashing out onstage. I'm sure Ben Lai who's organized CiTR Shindig for the last 12 years to support local bands while you did nothing doesn't care what you think either.

      Dick Long

      Dec 5, 2013 at 9:01pm

      And perhaps they'll be playing clips of the old porn classics they use to show there as background visuals for the bands/musicans/DJs/comedy performances/dance performances/theatre performers etc, etc.

      Proud rock n roll minority

      Dec 8, 2013 at 6:46am

      I'd like to throw this in alans subconcious racist face & say vancity harboured the 1 of the greatest rock n rollers of all time who was an immigrant of migrant garndparents by the name of jimi hendrix. judging from alans opinions(& any1 who agrees with alan) had he been around that era -circa late 50s early 60s he would've surley opposed what little thriving black community & their brand of "immigrant music" no matter what genre &/or place of origin vancity had in that time. music has no colors & as long as the music is good couldn't care less where an artist is from.