In truly upsetting news for Sydney gig rats, the iconic Lansdowne Hotel is closing its doors after nearly five years of being possibly one of the best venues in the city.
Mary’s Group — who built out the multi-level pub that boasts a restaurant, live music venue and rooftop — put up a lengthy post on Instagram on Wednesday afternoon, confirming they’ll be calling time on the space at the end of their lease in a few months.
The group behind the crucial live music space said the pub’s landlords decided to shut down the upstairs gig room to make way for more hostel-style accommodation. That move wasn’t part of the group’s vision for the pub, so they’ve instead decided to step away from the Lansdowne entirely.
View this post on Instagram
“We are heartbroken to announce that our time with the beloved Lansdowne Hotel is coming to an end,” the post reads.
“Our lease is due to expire in the coming months, and the landlords have chosen to close the gig room to build more hostel accommodation.
“This was not a part of our vision for the Lansdowne, and as such, we have decided to call time on our custodianship of this iconic live music venue.”
It’s undeniably a devastating blow to the Sydney music scene, which is only just starting to pick back up after the last two years of pandemic-induced cancellations, postponements and closures.
A space like the Lansdowne is rare as hens’ teeth in Sydney these days. A live music venue with a 300-odd capacity, providing a stage for big names to play intimate settings and newcomers to cut their teeth alike. Losing it as a venue is a gut-punch to the local music scene, because spaces like it are few and far between.
The Mary’s group said it will be working with the landlords of the Lansdowne Hotel to see out the rest of the gigs booked in until the end of April. After that, they will be focusing on putting on shows at Mary’s Underground in the CBD and “at venues yet to come”.
Man, this sucks.
