Turning off The Tap

the old Sydney Tabernacle - now the Eternity Theatre

Darlinghurst's Tap Gallery closes permanently tomorrow much to the relief off neighbours in the upwardly mobile East Sydney suburb. No doubt a smart architect's office or advertising agency will arise in it's place.
Whispers has never actually been to the Tap but it was popular with Sydney's hard-core group of gate-crashers who would be acceptable if they brought something to the party, like at least personality- that was good enough reason to never enter it's doors.
The other was for very good reasons like safety. the Tap began giving live "performances" some time ago with rather large audiences. The problem is that they never had fire safety doors. That's an
 insult to all the other theatres and galleries that spend a small fortune complying with safety laws apart from the shocking matter of risking visitor's safety.
The Tap's persistent claims for help from Sydney Council who shut down Tap's performance space have also fallen on deaf ears much for the same reasons. Council did not have or were not prepared to rent premises to a gallery that flouts safety laws. Council should be applauded for that.

The last word on the closing of the Tap Gallery goes to the owner who has been talking to various local newspapers about the lack of financial help from Council who have just spent $millions on restoring the Sydney Tabernacle right across the road from the Tap and turning it into the wonderful Eternity Theatre (with all the correct safety features) along with planned renovations to a Community Centre on the opposite side of the road: on one hand she was extolling her promotion of unknown artists over the years (most who still remain unknown today) and was quoted as saying: "now I will have to dump all the art into a skip". As for the claim that Tap fitted new fire doors at a wasted cost of $10,000 (apparently raised via donations ) -the building has been sold- and that this was the responsibility of the building's owner, what was not revealed is that the owner happens to be a relative.
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Also soon to close it's doors and already in receivership is Kings Cross nightclub Hugos Lounge which has hosted numerous visiting stars over the years like Kim Kardashian and Mick Jagger.

Eastern Suburb's newspaper LatteLife hosted a recent party there and many moons ago Whispers also celebrated with a dinner party at Hugos with guests like New York's uber social snapper Patrick McMullan, PR supremo Deeta Colvin and the late Lady Sonia McMahon.
Hugos, despite the best efforts of owner Dave Evans, brother of controversial chef Peter Evans, is yet another victim of the new lock-out laws that is devastating Kings Cross and Oxford Street.
So Vale Hugos, we will miss you & thanks for the fun over the years.