It hasn’t been a terrific time for Sydney’s live-music scene, what with the lockout laws and the endless confusion of where you can still see gigs under said lockout laws.
But locals now have at last something to look forward to; Surry Hills’ historic Hopetoun Hotel has reportedly been purchased by local Adrian Bull.
While information is still scarce at this point, rumours of the purchase have been circulating online since yesterday and Bull confirmed his plans to resurrect the live-music venue via Facebook today.
Constructed between 1836 and 1839, the Hopetoun became a local icon and helped launch musicians such as Sarah Blasko and Darren Hanlon.
After its largely unexplained closure in 2009, with rumours ranging from a fractured relationship amongst the owners to excessive police fines and council-ordered renovations, fans protested and launched an unsuccessful “Save the Hopetoun” online campaign.
“It was one of the only places you could get a gig when you first started playing,” Blasko, who once played to a crowd of less than 20 at the venue, told The Sydney Morning Herald at the time. “It’s so intimate, you almost feel like you could order a drink from the stage.”
Luckily for Blasko and any up-and-coming Sydney musicians, Bull looks set to bring The Hopetoun back to something resembling its former glory. Regardless of exactly how he intends to remodel the hotel, the news is a positive step forward in an area sorely needing live-music venues.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to Bull for comment on the specifics of his purchase, and is awaiting comment.
Source: The Brag.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
