Iconic Sydney venues to fall silent for five minutes to protest city’s struggling nightlife industry

On the eve of the state election, a string of Sydney’s leading bars will shut down in protest at the city’s dwindling nightlife.

On Friday nights at 9:30 p.m., iconic venues such as The Abercrombie, The Marly, Stitch Bar, and Earl’s Juke Joint will turn off all music for five minutes.

Organizers hope the move will give residents a taste of what the city’s nightlife would be like without noise, less than 24 hours before voters head to the polls.

The silent protest has been organized by the Night Time Industries Association, the Independent Bars Association and is supported by the Live Music Campaign.

It comes just four days after Hiway, a live music bar in Enmore in the inner west of the city, went bankrupt due to about $110,000 in Revenue NSW from a Covid-19 support loan.

Billed as the ‘premium venue’ for emerging artists, the bar joins the famed Frankies Pizza as one of several much-loved music venues that have recently closed.

Frankies had to close its doors in December to make way for an underground train station, leaving fans of a late night slice and raucous live performances devastated.

It comes just four days after the ‘premier venue’ for emerging musicians, Hiway (pictured), filed for bankruptcy with more than $110,000 in debt after struggling with Covid lockdowns

“Without the nighttime sector, the vibrancy and excitement in NSW will completely disappear,” said Mick Gibb, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association.

‘Great progress has been made to improve Sydney’s nightlife, but we can’t throw our hands up and say ‘job done’.

“If we don’t have world-class entertainment, we won’t be a world-class city where skilled workers want to come and live.

‘Beautiful harbors and beautiful beaches will only get you so far, you need a cultural offering and live music to match.

“This initiative is not about telling people who to vote for. It’s about making it clear that the night matters and that live music matters by supporting the Vote Music campaign.”

President of the Independent Bars Association, Karl Schlothauer echoed the CEO’s statement, reiterating the importance of Sydney’s live music scene.

“Independent Bars have always been big supporters of emerging independent artists and the live music scene,” he said.

“The IBA will encourage its members to take five minutes to show the people of NSW how boring life would be without music.”

Frankie’s Pizza in the city’s CBD was forced to close in December to make way for an underground train station (pictured shows revelers enjoying a slice at the venue last night)

According to Liquor and Gambling NSW data, there are still only 133 live music venues in the state.

A 2018 NSW parliamentary inquiry found that 176 sites had closed in the previous four years.

The increasing number of venues forced to close their doors was compounded by Covid lockdowns from which many, like Hiway, never recovered.

In addition to about $110,000 still owed by the venue in Covid loans, the Australian tax office owes another $24,000 from the downtown bar.

“It never came back well and the director who was the largest creditor was not satisfied with endless more money and so decided to close it,” said Steven Kugel, Hiway’s appointed liquidator.

The NSW Labor Party announced in February that, if elected, they would introduce Sound NSW – similar to Screen NSW – as well as a host of protections and funds to boost the state’s live music scene.

Labor has pledged to lay out a 10-year plan to strengthen the industry, alongside $100 million in funding and laws that would extend trading hours, reduce licensing fees and protect venues from noise complaints.