When news of Karova Lounge closing hit, it hit hard.
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So many Ballarat punters had spent years in the venue, sweating it out in the mosh while enjoying the best Ballarat and the rest of the world had to offer musically.
One of those punters was Zac Hill, the owner of The Hop Temple.
"This is a venue that I spent a lot of time in... I pretty much grew up here," he said.
So when the opportunity arose to take over the venue, it was too good to refuse for Mr Hill.
Now, alongside band-booker Lachy Anderson, Mr Hill speaks with a huge smile on his face, eagerly awaiting the opening of Ballarat's newest venue, Volta: Arts & Culture.
Set to open to the public on February 1, Mr Hill could hardly hold back his excitement as the date draws closer and closer.
"I'm super excited, I've been excited since day one. I don't even have that much anxiety, this is just such a lovely venue and such an awesome thing to bring to the community. I've been wishing it was February 1st since the start of November."
The change from Karova Lounge to Volta was not without some anxiety from the greater community, who were left wondering why their favourite venue had closed and being replaced by a new venture.
Mr Hill and Mr Anderson explained they expected some push-back, but said the overall response they had received since the change was announced has been very positive.
"I think there's always going to be anxiety when it comes to an iconic venue like this changing... we anticipated it," Mr Hill said.
"In all honesty pretty much everyone we've been involved with and people within the live music scene have been very positive when looking at both the changes coming and the continuation of having a live music venue.
"I think Karova's closing was a very emotional process and it was important people were allowed to have that... a big part of the reason we've gone with the re-brand is so we're not changing their memories and experiences because we're moving in a different direction."
"This venue served a great purpose as Karova Lounge for many years," Mr Anderson added.
"I think people are just really excited that it's staying as a live music venue... people outside of here are just really anxious and excited to see what's in store and we're excited to give that to our audience."
Mr Hill said while it would have been great for the venue to remain under the moniker of Karova Lounge, it just wasn't viable because of the way in which the venue closed in October.
"It would have been great to carry the name on for 100 years but sometimes that's just not a viable option. It wasn't frustrating... there was a clear understanding that this is what needed to happen."
The venue has already locked in some impressive acts to perform across the first few months of the year. See the full list here:
Tek Tek Ensemble 1st Feb, Ali Barter (Solo) 7th Feb, Tex Perkins 8th Feb, Nasal Spray 9th Feb, Eternal Crush 14th Feb, Deadwest Presents 22nd Feb, Dyson Stringer Cloher 21st March, Josh Pyke 27th March.
Looking further at the name, the pair shared how the Art & Culture part of the venue's re-brand will play a massive part in how the space operates.
"We want to create an arts and culture venue that champions live music. While it's heavily going to be a live music venue we're also going to be focusing on a lot of other avenues," Mr Anderson said.
"We're wanting to breathe some life back into the walls with some local art pieces and small installations to help stimulate creativity.
We want to make this venue a creative hub for Ballarat, so the more things we can commission the more help we can give local artists.
- Volta booking manager Lachy Anderson.
The venue will also look to produce different opportunities for artists to contribute to the space, such as with creative arts workshops and by producing a series of podcasts with both local and traveling artists.
As for how the space operates in general, the back room will now act as the venues front bar, featuring a new bar, tables, booths and the return of the Big Buck Hunter 2 arcade machine, much to the excitement of Mr Hill.
"For a lot of people, including myself, that game was a big reason we came to Karova on many nights," he laughed.
Ultimately, Mr Hill and Mr Anderson, along with all the other people involved with Volta are looking to carry on the legacy of Karova Lounge, not replace it.
"To re-establish this venue and keep moving forward in a positive way is going to be massive," Mr Anderson said.
"Starting and managing any venue has its challenges but as two guys who really wanted to have a crack at live music it's pretty exciting."
"It's a big focus of ours to bring a level of respect to the old venue and we feel that comes from moving forward and and maintaining the live music scene in Ballarat," Mr Hill added.
Volta: Arts & Culture is slated to open its doors to the public on February 1 with a big party night featuring Melbourne six-piece funk and disco group Tek Tek Ensemble.
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