Because Sydney has such a unquenchable bloodlust for venues that actually cultivate and nurture culture and DIY ethics, another small venue has announced that it will be closing up shop in the first half of this year.
Black Wire Records exists in that blurred line between Annandale, Petersham, Stanmore and Leichhardt, and is the latest space to fall under the sprawling gentrification of the Inner West.
Through the poster for an upcoming show, the venue has announced that it will be marking the death of Black Wire.
What does this mean for the live scene in what can be considered the prime hub for alternative music in Sydney? Well it’s a fucking kick in the teeth, to be perfectly honest. It’s ripping away a space that is not only an institution in the underground DIY community, but a welcoming and safe space for folks who want to explore their creative expressions in a venue that is free from prejudice and judgement.
It’s a space where one can sit in the back courtyard with a beer and watch folk music and heartfelt poetry, and then come back the next night to an absolute sweatbox of a room filled with writhing humans as a band thrashes about between the iconic bear claws in the corner of the room.
Bands and artists have found their feet and been laid to rest in Black Wire Records, and to have to say goodbye for now is something that I’m sure a whole lot of us are not ready to do.
This announcement from the artist/volunteer-run, not-for-profit record store and venue comes as Newtown Social Club prepares to also run its last few shows in the coming months before also shutting its doors.
We will update this story as more information about the future of Black Wire comes to hand because tbh I don’t want it to end ever.
Photo: Instagram / @ellottski_r.
