Broadsheet

Over the past two years we’ve seen a number of important Sydney venues forced to close. But few closures have hit harder than the announcement two weeks ago that sweaty Chippendale boozer The Lansdowne would close in April to make way for, of all things, hostel beds.

The Lansdowne Hotel, on the corner of Broadway and City Road, has been pulling pints since the 1930s. While it’s long been a favourite of students at nearby universities, thanks to its drink specials and late licence, it’s also revered among local and international musicians for its cultivation of Sydney’s live-music scene. After reopening in 2017 under the steadying hands of Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham, co-founders of Mary’s, it enjoyed a renaissance, with the duo committed to bringing live music back to the fore.

Over the decades the pub has been a staple for bands in the early stages of their careers, but also for juggernauts who prefer its legacy and intimacy to bigger, sleeker venues. You Am I and The Preatures played there early in their careers, The Living End has brought raucous times to its band room, and global superstar Billie Eilish took to its stage in 2017. Wolf Alice, Violent Soho, the Hard Ons and many, many more have gigged in the venue.

Here, those who have loved The Lansdowne over the years – including musicians, festival curators and even a pollie – share what the pub has meant to them, its importance to the city as a whole, and the gap it will leave in Sydney’s live-music scene.

Alice Ivy , musician

The first time I ever played the Lansdowne was back in 2017 supporting Billie Eilish. I remember hanging out with Billie, [Eilish’s brother] Finneas and their mum backstage in the green room talking about different corn chip brands and all of the fun Australian festivals to play. Wild times!

Johnny Took, DMA’s guitarist
We are so sad to see another iconic venue sacrificed to the many-headed dragon that wants to swallow up the live-music industry of Sydney. Losing The Lansdowne is particularly hard after seeing and playing so many shows there. They were especially active in providing an outlet for the decimated Sydney music scene throughout the pandemic, whether it was letting bands rehearse there, live streams, or providing jobs for so many musician friends. All this said, Jake and Kenny are icons of Sydney hospitality and we know they will continue to be.

Isabella Manfredi , musician, ex-Preatures frontperson
I’m gutted that we’re losing The Lansdowne. The Preatures met there in 2008 when it was just one of the venues you could cut your teeth on as a young band. After the lockout laws and the last two years of lockdowns it has felt at times like the last venue standing, and was a beacon and safe place for all of us who love music. I’ll really miss it.

Caitlin Harnett , lead singer of Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys
Every time I walked in the door, I felt like I was home. I felt so loved, so valued and so supported by every staff member at The Lansdowne, and by Jake and Kenny. This is going to leave a huge hole in the heart of the Sydney music scene but we will keep fighting.

James Adams , music and events photographer
It might sound cliché but The Lansdowne honestly had a “welcome home” vibe about it.
Being a safe place for all, you knew you’d be in a comfortable open environment, but you’d also have no idea who you were going to meet or where your night was going to go. It harvested a rare and magical blend of comfort and danger. Bands would forgo appearances at bigger venues to play multiple nights on The Lansdowne’s legendary small, sweaty stage. It felt special every night and everyone knew it was. The sentiment, ‘thank God we have this, thank fuck Sydney has this’, was not just a thought, it was often spoken. We knew what we had, we appreciated it and now we are going to mourn it because unfortunately it’s not something that can be replaced.

Jess Scully , deputy lord mayor of the City of Sydney
This is a terrible loss to Sydney’s cultural landscape and a real tragedy for future generations who won’t have the opportunity to experience a great night out at The Lansdowne, as so many of us have done before. These past few years – through the lockouts and the lockdowns – it’s been extraordinarily tough for live performance venues to thrive, and they’re crucial in the music and cultural ecosystem that feeds creativity, nightlife and social life in Sydney. As we navigate the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic, we must come together and put all our support behind the live-performance sector to prevent this happening again, to futureproof cultural venues and support our talented local performers. The impacts of the pandemic and restrictions continue for performers, for music crew, for venues, for festival folk – and we need genuine support for the indie and smaller end of the ecosystem to make sure we have venues to go back to and a music scene to rebuild with. I’d like to thank the Mary’s crew and The Lansdowne for the immense contribution they’ve made to Sydney’s culture and nightlife, and wish them all the best.

Michael “Monty” Tramonte, bassist of The Delta Riggs
The Lansdowne wasn’t just a live venue. It was a part of the collective soul of musicians who thrived from being around each other and playing together on the intimate stage. Jake and Kenny provided us all with our very own club house of sorts – somewhere we could come together without judgement, to collaborate or just let loose within a safe space. I was honoured to have been part of the reopening back in 2017 and when I spoke to Jake last week, my heart was heavy. Such an important venue for so many reasons and this closing will leave an unfillable void as the perfect-sized room to play and see shows in Sydney.

Michael Rodrigues, 24-hour economy commissioner NSW
To say The Lansdowne is a Sydney institution is underselling its incredible importance to the live-music scene in our great city. For music lovers and generations of gig-goers, The Lansdowne was the launch pad for so many great local bands and host of countless legendary international acts. I hope and trust it still has a bright future as a live performance venue, but for now I raise a glass to the owners and patrons that made it such a special place.

Joe Muller , Vivid Music curator
I feel immensely proud to have played my small part in contributing to Sydney’s diverse and thriving music community throughout my tenure as programmer at The Lansdowne – one of the great privileges of my career. I am, like so many others, gutted by this loss, the effects of which will echo throughout the entire Australian live-music ecosystem. In my time at The Lansdowne, though, I learned of the immense support, love and resilience of Sydney’s music community and am confident that from this community and in the shadow of this venue icon, new spaces, new artists and new live-music experiences will emerge. To all of the artists, audiences and industry who made the venue so special over the past five years, thank you. Long live The Lansdowne!