Pretty Simple completed its GOODBYE gig last Saturday. Over the past three years they have presented to Melbourne audiences some very fine local and international music performances. Dave Pham and Mike Callander combined forces for this final show to pull off an extremely solid 5 hour set – impressive stuff.

It was all pretty casual, with DJs either on the decks, on the dance floor, at the bar, wherever. Each Ffour gig I have attended has enjoyed this delightful easy vibe – almost akin to a house party more than a nightclub. The venue was brimming with enthusiastic folk who came to bid the crew farewell. There was much whooping and whistling throughout the evening, in both rooms. Whilst the main floor cooked along, Pretty Simple resident DJs Matt Radovich and Dean Millson, and others, provided some cracking tunes of an alternate flavour in ‘The Suite’, where the atmosphere was more intimate, but no less rocking.

Pretty Simple has, in its brief but full life, given many hours of fine (predominantly techno) tunes to the punters who attend this venue on a Saturday night. Other local regular artists have included Christian Vance, Phil K, Steve Ward, Danny Bonnici and others. International artists, some of whom have attended more than once, have included Kazu Kimura, Robert Babicz, Tom Clark and John Selway, to name a few.

A very special mention must go to Steve Costa. Steve, himself a DJ, has run this club over the last seven years and been an integral component of all the regular acts. He is somewhat like the father figure of a big musical family. Ffour will shortly close its doors forever, and it will be sorely missed, as it has provided a warm hearth of support and home for many local artists. As a patron I report that this has, in my experience, been ne of the most welcoming and urbane nightclub establishments in this city – the other being MyAeon. But as much as we shed tears for its closure, we also feel a jolt of excitement – what new initiatives will come as a result?

When a star dies, one of two things results. Either a black hole, whereby a massive star can no longer produce energy from its core, and floats through universe as the devilish quintessence of relativity negativity. Or, a supernova! What will follow the closure of Ffour will most certainly be the latter. Budding physicists may find this reductive – allow me some poetic license.

A supernova explodes in to space with extraordinary energy and luminance. From it, new stars are born. The careers of the members of the Ffour family have very much been supported and promoted by this venue, and they shall continue to blossom beyond it.

All good things must come to an end – it seems. But true greatness can transcend all standard limitations and spawn new life forms from a single well-planted seed. Ffive, perhaps?