This Melbourne Venue Is Officially Banning Phones From Their Gigs

Melbourne venue Cherry Bar is set to ban punters from using their phones during live gigs, in order to encourage audiences to “live in the moment.”

Bar owner James Young announced the plan in an interview with The Age yesterday, following an avalanche of public support for the proposal on Cherry’s Facebook page.

“It’s got to the point where someone has to take a stand,” Young told The Age. “It’s selfish, its obnoxious and not considerate of other punters. I don’t think bands like it either, they want to see people living in the moment.

“The increase in people, not just taking pictures quickly, but holding their arms up like two fucking windmills with their phone seven feet in the air recording song after song after song has become laughable.”

One or two quick photos of bands still be allowed, but filming full songs won’t be. The rule will reportedly be enforced through self-regulation, with signs throughout the venue asking people not to film.

“We’re not going to have security guards slapping phones out of people’s hands,” Young said. Which is nice.

The ban hasn’t been put in place just yet, but Young told The Age it was certain to go ahead. The move will be the first for an Australian venue, but plenty of artists have been implementing a No Phone rule in their own sets. Earlier this year Jack White announced a ban on recording devices from all shows on his upcoming tour — with phones being placed in special locked bags that can only be unzipped in designated zones.

New York band Yeah Yeah Yeahs had a slightly different strategy, simply erecting signs that said ‘PUT THAT SHIT AWAY’ at their gigs back in 2013. During their Australian tour last year, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy yelled at punters from the stage to keep their phone in their bag during the show.

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Photo via Cherry Facebook