HELL YEAH: Syd’s Lansdowne Hotel Has Been Saved By The Oxford Art Factory In The Nick Of Time
By Courtney Fry
Published May 16, 2022
Sydney’s Lansdowne Hotel has narrowly escaped being shut down as a music venue after the Oxford Art Factory team swooped in and took over at the eleventh hour. Huge stuff, love this for the music scene.
The Marys Group — who relaunched the Sydney music institution back in 2017 — announced it would be moving out of the Chippendale pub earlier this year. The team said the building’s owners were keen to transform the upstairs band room into hostel-style accommodation, which wasn’t part of the vision the burger empire group had for the space.
Thankfully the Oxford Art Factory team have stepped in and saved the venue from being shut down entirely.
Per Concrete Playground, the OAF group have been in negotiations with the cult pub’s owners and managed to come to an agreement about the future of the venue. The agreement means the band room is safe and will only be housing bulk riffs under the OAF team’s watchful eye.
In a statement released on Monday, Oxford Art Factory’s CEO and founder Mark Gerber settled the rumours and whispers once and for all: damn the man, the Landy is saved.
“Oxford Art Factory can confirm the rumours,” the statement read.
“We are pleased to announce that we have agreed with the owners to put aside any plans that could see the demise of this iconic venue of Sydney and Australia’s live music and arts scene.”
Apparently, the pub is going to have a bit of a renovation before it’s back up and running once again. Gerber said that there will be better amenities and bathrooms (thank God) as well as improved audio and visual set-up and a whole new menu of food and drinks. That last change makes a bit of sense considering Mary’s were just slinging their signature burgers and pizzas out of the kitchen.
Oxford Art Factory have taken over The Lansdowne Hotel and it will continue to have live music. Great news for the Sydney music scene!
— Sally Seltmann (@SallySeltmann) May 16, 2022
Spread the good news.
“Music and art can never die. They make us stronger and live longer,” said Gerber.
“Sydney doesn’t need to lose any more live music venues; it has suffered enough.
“The lockout laws and COVID-19 have severely impacted a once flourishing and vibrant nightlife, and I wasn’t going to let yet another music venue fall by the wayside — not on my watch.”
A massive 12-hour party is locked in for June 25 to celebrate the Oxford Art Factory’s rebirth of the Lansdowne Hotel. The Rejuve(nation) party is set to have a heap of local fave bands and DJs hit the stage from 5pm to 5am, so keep your eyes peeled for that one.
Image: Getty Images / Ryan Pierse
