Darwin’s iconic original music venue Happy Yess moved premises in 2010…

Happy Yess moved to its new home at the Brown’s Mart arts complex in Smith Street Darwin, almost exactly 4 years to the day its doors first opened in 2006.

Formerly located at Bennett Street in the CBD (opposite ABC Radio), Happy Yess is a “community-run, not-for-profit live original music and arts venue”. It was started by a collective of dedicated musicians and locals, largely in response to the lack of support for original local music within Darwin’s entertainment venues. (A battle still wages today between ‘covers’ and ‘originals’, the majority of venues preferring to engage cover bands to keep the local/tourist crowds happy).

Its founders include Kris Keogh, Debbie Hudson, Justin Moon and Ingrid Smith, all of whom were a part of Darwin’s legendary Club Kongo DJ nights in the 90s. Ever since Happy Yess has been run and maintained largely by a dedicated band of volunteers, and the ‘Happy Yess Community Arts Inc. Board of Management’, who oversee operations, development and paying the bills.

Other familiar names such as Roddy Balaam, Gretchen Ennis, Zeb Olsen, Simon Stafford, Jessie Davis, Ruben Maher, Karen Cieri, Genevieve Meehan, Kat B, Oliver Budack, Amy Brand, Colin Holt, Liam Maher, Lari Gadza, Hatstand Pincer Movement, Annalise Walker, Lari Gadza and many more have also contributed a lifetime of hours to keeping Happy Yess up and running, with many-a local musician also on the roster of those who help out at the drop of a hat.

Since opening in 2006 Happy Yess has grown a reputation as strong interstate, as it has in the Top End. Largely funded by community grants, it has been instrumental in developing a generation of young musicians and bands, who, were it not for Happy Yess, might never have made it onto the stage let alone recording studio.

Plenty of interstate acts have also passed through, including Darren Hanlon, Jen Cloher, Tin Pan Orange, Liz Stringer, DIPLO, Skipping Girl Vinegar, Sietta, Presseject, Snapsuit (from The Herd), Combat Wombat… All for five bucks.

But it’s the breadth of local talent who’ve make Happy Yess what it is today.  A startling raft of NT bands and artists have played their guts out to highly appreciative audiences, who’ve happily jammed into the tiny space every Friday and Saturday night for 4 years. (Sometimes Thursdays too):  Horse Trank, Shellie Morris, The Aviators, Snow In Cities, Burrfoot, ZEDMAJOR, Jess Ribeiro & The Bone Collectors, 2 Cats 1 Hat, Blastcorp, Super Raelene Bros, Country Town Collective, Roy MacKonkey, Narbalek, Jigsaw, Enth Degree, Stir Fry Music, Birdwave, Straight Skirt, The Presley Boys, Brooke Barnett, Mark Hilton, Test Theory, The Bloody Marys, France Is Burning, Cinco Locos, Tashka Urban, Worldfly, Matt Ryder, Cooperblack, Culture Connect, Leah Flanagan Band, The Moving Targets, Moses, Elemental, Nira Quinn, Pott Street, The Fairweather Dolls, The Groovesmiths, June Mills, Kim Orchard…

The list goes on and on, suffice to say that without Happy Yess the Darwin music scene – and some might even say Top End music culture – might be a very different landscape from today…

With the Bennett Street building in a prime CBD position, Darwin in the grip of a steroidal re-development fever, and the current building pretty much held together with love, resourcefulness and gaffer tape, the lease situation at best has been unstable. Serious moves to relocate to new premises have been afoot since 2008. While it has been a protracted process, the main aim was to find a place where Happy Yess could continue its work with the local music community unabated – including running workshops, art exhibitions, and special events.

At the time of the move in May 2010, Dave Garnham was the incumbant manager of Happy Yess, and was one of the people patiently ushering through the big HY move. Dave was kind enough to answer some questions about the new venue at Brown’s Mart, and what meant for the Happy Yess of the future... “Happy? Yess!!”

Music NT: Can you tell us about the new venue for Happy Yess at Brown’s Mart?

Dave Garnham: We are moving to ‘the courtyard room’ in Browns Mart, where the ‘Aussie Bush Traders’ were before. It’s a room twice the size of the Bennett Street venue.  We are looking to christen the room on the 17th June.

MuNT: What’s the reason behind – and background to – this decision to move Happy Yess?

DG: Well for quite some time now the Bennett Street abode has been on a month to month lease – meaning the land is up for sale/development, and the council is waiting for someone to come along with a bag of cash to build a sky scraper… Or so I imagine.

MuNT: How long has the move been in the pipeline?

DG: It has been hanging over the head of HY for the last two years (a move in general that is), but this particular project has been in negotiations for the last 6 months.

MuNT: Who has been instrumental in making this happen?

DG: Browns Mart has long been thrown up as an appropraite venue since the debate began, but it has been the recent abolition of the Browns Mart Trust (which is still in the administrative process) and the appointment of Browns Mart Arts Ltd, who have helped make this happen.  They have held the grand view of turning BM into a production hub, whcih brought HY into the fold.

We were approached by Sean Pardy (Venue Manager) and Alex Ben Mayor (Creative Producer) to ‘join the revolution’ so to speak… From there our Board had months of discussion and worked with Sean to nut out an agreement that benefitted both parties. So back and forth between Boards and we’ve finally gotten there.

From HY there was a huge amount of work done by our forefather Kris Keogh, and board member Phil Brennan, to get the agreement up to scratch. Sean has been great to deal with, and very supportive from the start.

MuNT: Did it take a long time to find the right venue? And did you encounter any resistance from ‘rival’ music venues in Darwin?

DG: For sure – we had a venue sub-committee that went through every potential venue in town.  There would always be something fundamentally wrong with any prospective move – noise issues, space, location… but for mine, BM has been quite easily the most appropriate space.

I personally have never come across any flack from other venues. To be quite honest, the Mitchell Street beer barns don’t consider us a true competitor. The beautiful patrons that stroll through our doors, probably couldn’t think of anything worse than smashing a schooner at the TAB while listening to some douchebags playing Chisel/Kenny Rogers/Eagle Eye Cherry/Green Day shit…

MuNT: Will things stay more or less the same at the new venue or will there be changes?

DG: Not really.  HY will stay about the music. Subtle changes like to starting times etc may creep in here and there, but that would be about it.

MuNT: What are the advantages of moving to this new venue?

DG: Bigger space = more people = more money for bands = bigger names will find more appealing = support slots for local bands = excitement = the Darwin scene growing more clout…

And quite simply, the venue’s not falling down, and the issue of overcrowding almost ceases.

MuNT: Are you going to be able to ‘paint  + decorate’ the new venue to give it Happy Yess’s characteristic visual and design style?

DG: Oh for sure – on the inside we will go to town on it. But the facade is trickier, given the theatre is heritage listed.

MuNT: How long is the new lease for ? ie is it likely you’ll have to move again in the near future, or does the venue (finally) have some lease stability?

DG: Yay – stability!  Our lease is for a year, but with a clause citing that it be extended as soon as legally possible.

MuNT: Did you find out in the course of looking for a new that HY has supporters in Council and Government?

DG: [Darwin City] Council has long been supportive of the move, and Arts NT (NT government) have been supportive of HY from day one.  Whether it be financial or opening doors for us, both of these entities are instrumental in keeping us afloat.

MuNT: Why is it important that Happy Yess continue to exist? What would the Darwin music scene be like without it?

DG: In a word? Sad… The support for original music in this town – outside of the Yess – is less than desirable. That said, it is good for the soul to be optimistic – The Beachfront have put on some corker gigs recently (A hip hop night and Terracotta Pigeons), the [Darwin[ Railway [Club] is rising like a pheonix, the Kitty’s [Kitty O’Shea’s] original nights are not only just here to stay but are expanding for the Dry, and the Friday arvo gigs at Brown’s Mart are back, courtesy of Blue Bar.

That said, there is a giant void for young bands or acts that don’t play ‘radio-friendly’ white-bread schtick, tryig to get these other venues to put them on. That is where the real worth of HY is, and that is where the scene would be hurt the most if we weren’t around…

MuNT: Should we expect any big new developments to go along with the change of venue? Eg new music programs, partnerships with other arts bodies, festivals etc?

DG: Well obviously the link between HY and Browns Mart is incredibly entwined… We have also been working together with Darwin Festival so we can still operate during Festival time, and we’ve teamed up with Fist Full of Films (festival). I am also currently nutting out something with (youth arts group) Corrugated Iron for their Tease program, so I guess you could easily say “yes” to that one.

MuNT: Will the move also affect your programming decisions and planning? Eg are you going to be able to put on events at Brown’s Mart that weren’t able to at Bennett Street?

DG: The obvious angle is numbers. In the recent past it has become so very apparent, that complying with licensing in terms of venue capacity has proved challenging.  50 is not a lot of people, especially for tribute nights etc, so being able to utilise the Brown’s Mart courtyard 1-2 times a month will prove invaluable.

MuNT: What’s been the reaction of people when they’ve found out that Happy Yess is moving?

DG: It has been incredibly positive – as opposed to the proposed earlier move to the Gardens Oval site, which was quite splintered. The good ship Browns Mart move has almost been completely unopposed.

MuNT: Are you having an opening night party?

DG: Well as things have been so rushed, we aren’t specifically having a housewarming, but June 17-19 will be the first gigs in the space.

MuNT: What?s in store at Happy Yess over June/July, once the new venue opens?

DG: We have a few cameos at BM, like for Fist Full of Films (first weekend of June) and this Friday’s Sara Storer gig.. But July looks huge with Monkeymarc, BB & TGD, and Terrorfest II being the first full weekend in our new room.

MuNT: What’s involved between now and then in making this move happen?

DG: Heaps of stuff… The preparation of the space: painting, noise proofing etc. And in the week before June 17^th -  and in particular on Sunday June 13 -  taking the PA, fridges, and everything over to our new home…

People can join our Facebook Group for direct news and to volunteer to help… Also if there is a chippy out there, you would be immeasurably valuable!  Please contact me on happyyessmanager@gmail.com

MuNT: The last gig at the old venue sounds like it’s going to be a big one…

DG: Yes, it is confirmed that [legendary swamp rock band] Horse Trank will be playing on June 12^th with a support from Melbourne musician Simon Phillips.

MuNT: What’s going to happen to the old venue? Do you think it will be a bit like the Berlin Wall coming down ? people will try and swipe pieces of the building to hang onto as souvenirs?!!

DG: Haha, I’d hope not too much… There is still a condition report we need to fulfill..! We will be taking a few parts with us, like booths and posters, but I’m sure there’ll be some nabbing of stuff – it’s the human condition to symbolise experience with matter.  I still have a jar with some grass from the MCG with me…

MuNT: Are you excited about the big move to the new venue?

DG: Oh most definitely.  As with all things in life, you need to be dynamic and keen to grow – otherwise you just tread water.  And it feels like we haven’t been for a swim for quite some time.

“Sugar I’m a mess, but it’s where I want to be…”

Visit the Happy Yess Facebook Page. And check the official Happy Yess website for the weekly program.

Words: Megan Spencer. Thanks to Dave Garnham for the interview.