It’s been a turbulent few years for the big pub on the corner of Whitehall and Napier streets in Footscray. The former Reverence Hotel, a beloved destination for indie, punk and metal music, closed in 2019.

Cult Leader, the group that runs Cherry Bar, Yah Yahs and Mr Wow’s Emporium, stepped in soon after, investing $1 million to build a state-of-the-art bandroom and reopening the building as Hotel Westwood – not knowing there was a global pandemic hiding over the horizon.

“It was brutal timing with the pandemic and the lockdowns,” says co-owner James Young. “We had digital billboards saying, ‘Hotel Westwood opens on the 13th of April’ and I think we all got shut down a fortnight before that, in the last week of March 2020. Really, we couldn’t open the door to full capacity for over two years.

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“For people in hospitality and live music, the effects of the pandemic will be well and truly felt for a five-year period. We’re struggling to pay back the 50 per cent of rent we owe for a two-year period of where we weren’t allowed to enter our buildings. We’re struggling with a 500 per cent increase in public liability insurance. I used to pay $6000 a month, now I’m paying $33,000 a month [across all four venues].”

After several years of giving it their all, Young and partners Darve Smith and Nick Jones have made the difficult decision to put the business on the market. This comes only a month after Collingwood institution The Tote was listed for sale.

“We realised the thing that was holding us back was we’d run out of money and hadn’t finished the kitchen,” Young says. “You can be booking the best artists that are touring, but at the end of the day, people want a meal. I eventually had the epiphany that I’ve gotta learn to stay in my lane. And my lane is live music and late-night rock’n’roll bars.”

In its brief time the pub has hosted the likes of Grammy-winning blues artist Cedric Burnside, US rockers the Supersuckers and Australia’s own Rose Tattoo. Mudhoney is booked to play later this month, among other acts. And in excellent news, these sorts of shows will continue under the new owners. The lease is valid for another 21 years, making Westwood a bloody attractive prospect for a similarly minded operator who’s willing to invest in food.

“There’s been a lot of interest and we’ve already had a firm offer, which is pleasing," Young says. “I don’t want to say who it is, but it’s a significant player in the existing Melbourne live music scene. It’s not a gastronomic hotel owner, and it’s certainly not a developer. That would never happen. It’s gonna be someone who can pick up the baton. It’s time for us to step aside and let someone else pick up the fantastic groundwork that we’ve done.”

Once the sale goes through, Cult Leader will be on the hunt for its next live music venue, albeit a simpler place with easier staffing requirements.

“We’re not waving a white flag,” Young says. “Look out for a very significant Melbourne purchase from James Young and his partners.”