The Odd Culture Group owns several Sydney venues including The Duke of Enmore, The Old Fitz and the Oxford Tavern, and has just been granted a seven-day, 4am licence for a new basement bar in Newtown.
City of Sydney Council has granted the first 4am licence in the area for over 100 years, with the venue to open in the coming months.
Odd Culture Group is known for creating diverse and inclusive venues that strongly resonate with the needs and desires of their local communities, and CEO James Thorpe said he wants to new venue to celebrate this defining moment in the push for Sydney’s 24-hour economy.
James Thorpe, CEO of Odd Culture Group, said: “This is the first 4am licence given to a bar in the area for over 100 years and is a huge win in our efforts to diversify Sydney’s late night entertainment offering. We want this venue to be a milestone in our city’s way to becoming a true 24-hour cultural destination, a place where you can come 7 days a week at all hours and experience something special.”
The new 400 square metre basement concept on King Street in Newtown will launch early next year just down from the group’s all-day dining and drinking venue, Odd Culture, which was granted an extended 2am licence last year. Housed in Newtown’s Late Night Management area, the venue will bring new life to Newtown and the Inner West and provide a different kind of late night offering with a 7-day a week entertainment roster.
Thorpe added: “We have been on the lookout for a basement property to deliver a live music bar for a very long time. In a city like Sydney that is still (re)establishing its post-midnight cultural face – a task that is so often at loggerheads with the wants of a few vocal local residents – sound attenuation is incredibly important.
“This space ticks all the boxes – being submerged underneath King St, finding itself located in the council’s tiny Late Night Management zone in Newtown, and it being centrally located next to Newtown Station.”
Michael Rodrigues, NSW’s 24-hour Economy Commissioner, celebrated this development in Sydney offering more diverse, inclusive, and multi-dimensional late night hospitality offerings that will contribute to reinvigorating the city’s nightlife and make Sydney a global destination once again.
Rodrigues said: “A major part of the 24-hour Economy Strategy is to encourage the diversification of activities and amenities at night, so today’s announcement is very exciting. It’s great to see new venues opening that offer increased choice and flexibility for people when enjoying a night out.
“Odd Culture Group has already established a number of well-regarded venues across the city, providing quality live entertainment and award-winning hospitality. The opening of its new venue is another sign of the revitalisation of Sydney’s nightlife and I look forward to visiting myself once it has opened.”
Odd Culture Group Operations Manager, Sabrina Medcalf, has helped develop The Duke of Enmore into a popular live music destination and will also be responsible for the music curation at the new venue.
“The Duke is a breeding ground for local, emerging and established artists and a home to so many people who understand the value of live music and how it brings vibrancy, buzz and atmosphere to a precinct,” Medcalf said.
“We have our finger on the pulse when it comes to providing good music and good times and we couldn’t be more excited about being granted this 4am licence for our new Newtown venue.
“The later, the better in my eyes. I’ve been amongst live music venues and late licences for most of my career and it’s the most exciting, culture-building environment around. The 4am licence is the forbidden fruit of all licences and we can’t wait to share some unadulterated music bills to the public.”
