Remembering The Best Nights At The Lansdowne, Sydney’s Beating Music Heart
Whatever the mood, The Lansdowne always got it right.
Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone?
A week ago, Sydney venue The Lansdowne announced that it would no longer be hosting live music after April. So, what’s to blame — Ms. Rona? Financial troubles? Even better: The landlords overseeing one of the most recognisable and historic live venues in the city came to the remarkable conclusion that the renovated upstairs bandroom would be put to better use as hostel accommodation. It makes perfect sense, of course: More and more people are going to want to travel to Sydney, because there’s so much to do, like going to a live gi… hey, wait a minute.
Of course, this isn’t the first time the Lansdowne has been bludgeoned into the ground — it previously shut in 2015 before the new management of Mary’s came in to revive it two years later. Funnily enough, the rebirth of the Lansdowne in 2017 felt like a beacon of hope following the closure of the Newtown Social Club and Black Wire Records — that live music would still have a place to grow and thrive in an increasingly-conservative city.
This time around, however, it feels especially disheartening — news of its impending closure came within the same week as Giant Dwarf and The Old 505 Theatre shutting their doors, as well as the beloved Narrabeen RSL over the bridge announcing they’re in troubled waters. After the last two years of the live music industry going through the absolute ringer, the last thing venues need right now is to be dropping like flies.
Still, in amidst the chaos, the last five years of The Lansdowne 2.0 gave both Sydneysiders and out-of-towners a myriad of nights to remember. Whether we were seated or standing, moshing or line-dancing, laughing or crying, The Lansdowne always seemed to get the mood right. There’s almost too many to mention, but hopefully this chronologically-ordered highlight reel can indicate just some of the grand times that were had in the pub overlooking Victoria Park and Broadway — where just one flight of stairs would make you feel like you were on top of the world.
First, the Honourable Mentions list…
Lo! and The Nation Blue (July 23, 2017), The Gooch Palms (October 5, 2017), Pagan (July 31, 2018), Polish Club (December 5, 2018), Pianos Become the Teeth (February 17, 2019), Banoffee (April 4, 2019), Children Collide (December 18, 2019), Tiny Moving Parts (January 25, 2020), STUMPS (April 23, 2021) and too many more to mention. Seriously, we’d probably be here reminiscing until it actually shuts in April. So let’s get a wriggle on.
Amyl and the Sniffers. Photo Credit: James Adams
Tropical Fuck Storm — November 25, 2017
When you’ve been around for less than a year and only have a couple of seven-inches out, selling out The Lansdowne is a pretty big deal. Admittedly, Tropical Fuck Storm had a slight headstart — half the band was fresh from The Drones, the other half seasoned performers from Harmony and High Tension (more on them later). Even so, there was a sense of new beginnings and a square-one determination as the band set off on their maiden Sydney voyage.
Flanked by an incendiary undercard of the perennially-underrated Dispossessed and IDYLLS (not to be confused with IDLES — again, more on them later), this was a classic up-to-11 pub-rocker that relished existing on the fringes and making as much noise as it pleased. From the Wait Long old guard to the Gizz-worshiping next gen, The Lansdowne was the perfect setting for Tropical Fuck Storm to begin their path of destruction.
Jen Cloher — March 29 and 31, 2018
After nearly a straight year of touring her fourth (and best) album — fittingly titled Jen Cloher — Jen Cloher saw it off with a two-night stand at the Lansdowne. It was a full-circle moment for the veteran singer-songwriter, who frequented the pub in its 90s heyday while she lived and studied in Sydney. In a way, coming back to the venue in its second life was fitting, given she was experiencing her own chapter-two at the time.
Formerly a folk hero with her troupe The Endless Sea, the 2010s saw Cloher reinvent in an electric sense. The guitars became heavier, the themes grew darker and a hitherto-unseen mean streak struck out. This change was also reflected in her live shows, which further raised the emotional stakes and didn’t shy from extensive jams and walls of feedback when the moment called. Part Patti Smith, part Crazy Horse, all Jen Cloher.
Courtney Barnett — April 19, 2018
Officially, this show never happened. Upon arrival to the Lansdowne you were asked if you were here for “the event.” What was the event? As it happened, Courtney Barnett had a new album coming out, called Tell Me How You Really Feel. Instead of simply holding a little industry get-together where the album would play over a PA, however, Barnett and her band were there to play the whole thing in its entirety.
It ultimately makes perfect sense. Barnett’s music is best experienced live, and Really Feel is no exception. From the shaking rage of ‘I’m Not Your Mother, I’m Not Your Bitch’ to the tranquil companionship of ‘Sunday Roast’, the range and depth of the record is most prominently felt when Barnett is locked in with her trusty rhythm section. Guest guitarist Dan Luscombe, formerly of the aforementioned Drones, was a nice touch as well. A rarefied Lansdowne gem.
The Preatures. Photo Credit: Chris Frape
The Cribs — May 3, 2018
Despite never breaking up or going away for too long, it’s safe to say that Wakefield trio The Cribs held most of their power in the early stages of their career across the mid-2000s post-punk revival. You wouldn’t expect them to still have much of a draw over a decade on from indie anthems like ‘Mirror Kissers’ and ‘Men’s Needs’, but this particular gig proved otherwise.
For one, a barmy army of blokes seemingly from the exact same part of England as The Cribs were front and centre. For another, everyone in attendance was going absolutely berserk across the entire show — to the point where the crowd would spill onto the stage in every other song and knock a stand or a cable loose. The end result was simultaneously a nostalgia trip and an enthralling grasp on the present. Men’s needs, women’s needs, whatever — all were thoroughly met.
Horrorshow — May 8 to 12, 2018
One of the more interesting elements of The Lansdowne’s second life was its use as a level playing field. For some acts, playing there meant a step up in their trajectory and a progression into upward ascent. For larger acts, however, coming to the venue meant a rare chance of intimacy and direct engagement with their biggest fans.
Horrorshow, were very used to bigger theatres by the time of the 10-year anniversary of their debut album The Gray Space. By electing a four-night stand at the Lansdowne to commemorate it, however, the duo paid tribute to the kind of venues they started out in. It was a move that paid off, as the performances were met with a rapturous and at times deafening response. Solo’s raps were all echoed back tenfold, while the chorus of ‘No Rides Left’ still rings in the ears of those lucky enough to get in.
The Living End — June 19, 2018
This one has made the list if only for the surreal nature of one of the biggest bands in Australia — who could comfortably fill the Metro or the Enmore on any given day of the week — playing the kind of place they would have cut their teeth in circa the mid-90s. This is the kind of environment that the Lansdowne 2.0 could facilitate — where upcoming bands and veterans alike can share a space and feel equally at home on-stage.
It was a rare treat to see The Living End play in such close quarters after a decade-plus away from the pub scene — and while the show wasn’t without its flaws, it unquestionably ranks as one of the most memorable cameos in the history of the venue’s second run. The smallest live sing-along to ‘Second Solution’ in years may well have also been amongst the loudest ever.
Palms. Photo Credit: Chris Frape
High Tension — June 29, 2018
High Tension are a band that thrive in every possible live setting. Pub gig? Crushed. Theatre gig? Crushed. Mid-arvo at a festival? Crushed. Tick, tick, tick. You could be making a list of the best gigs at just about any Aussie venue, and Tenno would at least make the shortlist. There was something especially electric, however, about the Melbourne launching their third (and best) album Purge on this fateful night.
Diminutive frontwoman Karina Utomo fearlessly went toe-to-toe with burly metal blokes twice her side, prowling the floor while the band kicked into overdrive in a career-spanning adrenaline rush. Throw in a set from underdog Sydney punks Canine, and you’ve got yourself a headbanger for the ages. With members primarily focused on newer projects Tropical Fuck Storm, RUN and Rinuwat, memories like this are timely reminders to never take having all of High Tension in the same room for granted.
Ceres — October 26, 2018
From their cult-classic LP Drag It Down on You onwards, Ceres shows felt like borderline spiritual experiences. With every line screamed back in frontman Tom Lanyon’s face, there was no room for fencesitters in the throes of their high-octane, high-emotion and high-reward gigs. By the time Ceres’ night at the Lansdowne rolled around, however, Drag It Down had been out for two years. Even with new singles in the mix, this gig was important for proving the band’s staying power.
You needn’t have doubted it, of course — a swelling crowd promptly clamoured atop another and stood in arms claiming every last song as their own for the ensuing hour. Having already been riled up by local heroes Jacob and Melbourne legends Press Club, Ceres realistically could have just tapped the ball into the net. Never ones to do things by halves, however, they came out swinging with utmost conviction.
The Beths — December 19, 2018
Days before Christmas, the gift of indie-rock with four-part harmony was under the tree at the Lansdowne — just what you always wanted, right? It had been a massive year for the Auckland four-piece, who released their impeccable debut Future Me Hates Me and quickly found themselves in high international demand. Rather than rock up to their Sydney date in a state of exhaustion, however, the band made a sprint to the finish line with their rousing, endearing, and utterly charming album performed almost in its entirety.
Whether it was the double-claps of ‘You Wouldn’t Like Me’, the makeshift choir backing up ‘Whatever’ or the band’s adorable rendition of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, there was absolutely no way you were leaving this gig without a massive smile plastered all over your face. If that’s not the reason for the season, then what is? God bless us, every one.
IDLES — January 29, 2019
Of all the gigs on this list, this feels like the one most will clamour to claim “I was there” for. Rightly so, too — by the time IDLES made their maiden voyage to Australia, they were clearly on the verge of becoming amongst the biggest rock bands in the UK. To get to see them in such intimate surrounds — while we still could — felt like an absolute no-brainer.
The January summer heat, combined with the hundreds of bodies in close quarters, meant this one was absolutely steaming even before the band began the slow, methodical crawl of opener ‘Colossus’. An inferno followed suit, with the audience not standing still for a second that IDLES were playing. Joe Talbot may as well have not brought his microphone for all the singing that the crowd was taking care of. No man was an island at the Lansdowne that night.
Seeker Lover Keeper — July 12, 2019
On the opposite end of the spectrum, it’s always quite something when a rowdy rock & roll pub can be brought to silence — and by three mums in their 40s, no less, singing songs no-one has heard before. That’s the power of a trio like supergroup Seeker Lover Keeper, though, who took the Lansdowne stage to preview their long-awaited second studio album Wild Seeds just under a month out from its release.
Similar to when The Living End performed at the venue a year prior, it’s not every day Sarah Blasko gets up to sing at the pub. Add in her formidable cohorts Holly Throsby and Sally Seltmann, and the three of them singing in perfect harmony, and you’ve got yourself an exercise in stunning, artful contrast between medium and message. Boy & Bear’s David Syme and drummer-about-town Laurence Pike made for a pitch-perfect rhythm section, too. Delightful stuff.
Billy from Hockey Dad & Noah Deane. Photo Credit: Lansdowne
Charly Bliss — July 23, 2019
Coming off the back of their exceptional second album Young Enough, Brooklyn’s Charly Bliss were in the fine print of that year’s Splendour In The Grass line-up but performed every show on their debut Australian tour as if they were in bold letters up the top. Which, to be fair, is where they actually belong — if there was any sense to this crazy world of ours, this gig would have been packed to the brim down the road either direction, at the Metro or the Enmore.
Still, in retrospect, we should be thankful to have had the bubble-grunge besties come through and play such an exciting, intimate show for the devotees that had been waiting years for their arrival. Bouncing back and forth between Young Enough and their explosive 2017 debut Guppy, each song was met with a fittingly overjoyed response both on and off-stage. In a word: Blissful.
girl in red — October 8, 2019
The Lansdowne may be a licensed 18+ venue, but those in attendance for the debut Sydney show of Norwegian indie queen girl in red must have been getting in by the very skin of their braces. Anyone over 25 in the room would have felt like a chaperone that night, with seemingly the entire Gen Z LGBTQ community of Sydney huddling around the front of the stage to hang on every word of their latest idol.
As her recent appearance in the Hottest 100 will attest, however, girl in red is no flash in the pan. This hugely-impressive show, flanked by her exceptional band, was the start of her forward momentum that took her from niche Tumblr fodder to a next-gen indie figure to be reckoned with. The proverbial writing was on the wall — which, coincidentally, she crowdsurfed to and back from during her final song of the night.
Slim Set — November 23, 2019
If there’s one thing you need to know about the Lansdowne, it’s this: When the sign says ‘Open Late’, that’s very literal. It’s open so late that it crosses the border entirely and transforms into early — and somewhere, within that space, Western Sydney duo Slim Set took over upstairs with one of the wildest shows of the year.
Having already amassed a cult following with belting tracks like ‘Cooked’ and Shady Nasty collab ‘Warrang’, the MC-and-DJ combo assembled enough night owls for this one to be an absolute hoot. The singles all got a workout, but the biggest surprise of all came when imbi got up on stage to perform the then-unreleased ‘Heatsink’. Spoiler alert: When the drum-and-bass beat kicked in, the entire room’s collective shit was completely lost. Whether you were sweating up front or a gronk at the back of the doof, Slim Set delivered.
Art vs. Science — December 12, 2019
At the end of the 2000s, a dance-punk band took over Australian airwaves with a synth-driven, all-killer EP — buoyed by a brilliant bilingual banger that took out the silver medal of that year’s Hottest 100. To commemorate a decade since that breakthrough moment, Art vs. Science convened upon the Lansdowne to party like it was 2009 — and you best believe we got down accordingly.
Even with nostalgia at the forefront of the show, the show never erred towards necromancy. Rather, it proved the vitality of the power trio itself — Dan Mac’s guitar shredding, Dan Williams’ splashy disco beats, and Jim Finn anchoring the whole affair in the middle of it all. Truthfully, AvS only kept getting better and better as a live act. The plentiful sweat and smiles from this December eve, each in equal amount, were testament to that. Once more into the Champs-Élysées we go.
Mary’s Loves The Bush — January 27, 2020
You ever notice artists are always first to get to the philanthropic work the government should be doing, and those same artists are first on the chopping block when the government is making cuts and regulations? On a completely unrelated note: A month before the stadium-filling Fire Fight, both levels of the Lansdowne served as home base for an all-day gig. All proceeds raised went to victims of the recent ravaging bushfires.
Mary’s Loves The Bush may not have had Alice Cooper and John Farnham on deck, but everyone from Donny Benet to the Hard-Ons to I Know Leopard to Johnny Hunter sure were. Some serious bang for your buck across this exhaustively-good line-up — and all for a good cause, too. Just as well, given the Australian music industry thankfully hasn’t had to do any kind of fundraising efforts since. Now, to take a big sip of this water…
Violent Soho — February 14, 2020
How’s this for a challenge: Get several hundred stoners to wake up long before the crack of noon in order to buy tickets to see their favourite band play the local. And so it was that the Violent Soho die-hards flocked upon Red Eye Records to snag themselves a ticket in person while the rest of the suited-up CBD stared in amazement. Was it worth it? Put it this way: It would have been worth waking up at 5am the day before in order to get tickets.
Soho have long since established their pedigree as top dog of Australian rock live shows. Packing the endless momentum of their two previous records into the sweltering Lansdowne, however, was a different beast entirely. A mosh pit started to the music playing over the PA, for fuck’s sake. It was like Lord of the Flies in there — in the best way possible.
Kwame — October 29, 2020
The “seated era” of the Lansdowne, as it were, was one of experimenting. Some, like Baby Beef, made their sets even more theatrical. Others, like the Hard-Ons, doubled down on how ridiculous it was for them to be doing a cabaret gig. For rapper Kwame, launching his Please Get Home Safe EP, it was definitely not the kind of show he was used to — but, against all odds, he made it work.
With less of a focus on hyping up the crowd, Kwame instead honed in on the gig’s intimacy. He spoke openly and honestly, packing extra emotion into each song and proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that his work could transcend a fired-up party vibe. Even after the show, the audience waited with him until midnight for the EP to be officially released online as Thursday became Friday. We’d have stayed until 3am if he’d asked.
Private Function — December 13, 2020
On paper, this gig was fundamentally like many other Lansdowne shows. A punk band from Melbourne headlining — yep, plenty of those. An up-and-coming Sydney band opening — very common occurrence. A loud, fun rock show – the Lansdowne delivers those in spades. So, what are we not taking into consideration here? As it turns out, literally everything else.
You know how Machine Gun Kelly said that he is weed? Private Function are punk shows. Even with the seated restrictions in place, the band managed to wreak absolute havoc on the venue. This included, but was not limited to: Tinsel being shoved up the singer’s arse, dining tables being taped to that same singer’s feet so he could “wear” them, the song ‘Grabbing My Butt’ being played no less than six times and the show ending with a dozen attendees performing a stacks-on like back at school. Absolute fucking madness.
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Caitlin Harnett And The Pony Boys — Every Show They Ever Played There
We close out this list with a loving tribute to the Sydney alt-country collective that effectively served as the house band of the Lansdowne’s second life. Through good times and the bad, singer-songwriter Caitlin Harnett and her rotating cast of shit-hot players always came through with the goods whenever they came through the stage-right curtain and tipped their cowboy hats to their ever-growing faithful.
When live music started crawling back in mid-2020 after the first national lockdown, the band were among the very first to play a show. No standing? No problem — sit backwards on your chair and ride it like a horse. When standing and dancing were legalised, there they were yet again to celebrate. Everyone’s best mate Andy Golledge would join on the fun where he could, too, adding some impeccable harmonies along the way. By the time closer ‘All My Friends Are Dancers’ hit, however, we were effectively all Pony Boys.
That’s community. That’s camaraderie. That’s what the Lansdowne was. At the end of this miracle mile, that’s ultimately all that matters for a live venue.
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David James Young is a writer and podcaster. You can find him on Instagram @djywrites, on the internet at davidjamesyoung.com, or front row at the Lansdowne for the next few months. See you there.
Photo Credit: Chris Frape