DEAD SET2026 might just be the year Sydney’s nightlife actually begins to recover.
Major changes to the lockout laws being enacted, including the controversial 3:30 am “last drinks” rule, giving venues a chance to stay open a little longer for the night owls.
While it may seem like an infinitesimal change, for venues in the affected precincts (Kings Cross, Oxford Street, and the Sydney CBD) its an important symbolic step for the city as it splutters back to life.
The new laws will no doubt benefit Sydney’s newest hard rock club DEAD SET, which had its grand opening over the weekend.
The new dive bar sits in the basement of the Kinselas Hotel, and is rumoured to have once been the morgue beneath a funeral chapel.
Jordan McDonald, Director of NITE-RITE (who book the venue) and former co-owner of Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, says that any potential ghosts or evil spirits are a far cry from the ghoulish realities of drunk punters.
“There's all sorts of chat about, you know, spirits lurking around and bullshit like that, but they're gonna be no worse than the cunts that we might be dealing with there,” he laughs.
“Right around the corner in Darlinghurst is a fucking gallows. Like, it was a pretty dark part of town.
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“I was always really attracted to this sport,” he adds. “Rose Tattoo drummer Paul DeMarco apparently used to be the champion of these bare-knuckle boxing matches that were being held on the top floor of the roof of the building, like black market boxing shit!
“I love facilitating new live music spaces, and I'm feeling really great about this one. It's fucking awesome!”
Starting a new hard rock club on the fringe of Sydney’s bougie, monoculture Eastern suburbs sounds on paper like an uphill battle.
But McDonald notes that the club will showcase the communities queer subculture, while also connecting with existing underground of hard rock fans who might be looking for somewhere – anywhere – connect meet new friends and hear new riffs.
“Surrey Hills and Darlinghurst used to be the spots where you went to party and meet really interesting people and alternative people, and there still is that Bohemian stronghold in that part of the world, but it's kind of an older generation of weirdos and not so much younger people”, McDonald explains.
“I'm really excited to bring a bit of that rock n’ roll attitude back.”
Upon arriving at the club on opening night, it was clear that the memory of Frankie's Pizza by the Slice lives long in the Sydney underground.
Walking down a twisting stairwell into the bowels of the Kinselas, one emerges into a dimly lit, cave-like room. Covered in posters, graffiti, and with dim, moody lighting, it felt like walking straight into a dive bar in Brooklyn or London.
At the far end of the room was the stage, with Sydney/Blue Mountains quintet Large Mirage, fresh from supporting AC/DC in stadiums, conjuring up a bluesy, retro storm on opening night t the delight of the healthy throng of punters cramming the space.
Right from the get-go, things feel nostalgic – but there’s also a buzz in the air for what new, exciting artist might be gracing the stage next.
“It was always meant to be an underground rock club, but I think that the most important thing that we can all do is be somewhat original”, McDonald says. “Some of the hot spots in Sydney have more of a kind of West Hollywood influence, but this really has a New York City dive bar feel to it.
“It's a bit grittier and shittier. The walls of the place are already being taken over by the people; there’s a whole bunch of bullshit scrolling on the walls and stuff.”
A key part of the appeal of DEAD SET is its the lack of cover charge; it means punters will have the chance over the next few months to enjoy world-class acts, including King Parrot, Astrodeath, and Mannequin Death Squad, for free.
“It’s really important for me not to put an obstacle in the way of a good time,” McDonald points out.
“It's also an added pressure on a venue to provide a certain level of experience. If you're going out to a ticketed event, you have to have already bought into the concept before you leave the house. Free entry venues to me mean that you're a welcoming place that's always open and always available.”
Availability factor is key for McDonald; with Sydney’s recent history of venue closures and counter-cultural “false-starts”, building a reliable space is the cornerstone of any lasting success.
“There's nothing worse than a venue wondering why they're not full and, despite advertising that they’re open till 3am, and deciding to close up at eleven because it's not heaving,” he said.
“You've then betrayed your audience. If somebody comes because they heard it's going to be open until 3am, and they show up at 12.30am and it's closed, they are never going to trust you again. You need to stay true to whatever your opening statement is.”
Ultimately, DEAD SET will be a space that skews towards rock and heavy metal. But McDonald is adamant that the team want it to be more than just a music space.
“It's a bit of a hang … it's important not to polarise people by pushing them out with anything that's not a good time,” he insists.
“We really want to honour the part of the world we’re in – it's a very alternative and queer-centric space, so when it comes to booking rock shows into this venue, you don't actually need to be tokenistic or to try or to search too hard for bands nowadays that have queer representation.
“It's completely deeply entrenched in the whole rock ‘n’ roll scene,” he adds. “I'm interested in showing and honouring the queer heritage of the area.”
Time will tell whether DEAD SET becomes the staple rock venue and hang area that the city lost with the closure of Frankies.
What’s immediately apparent, though, is that, given the dearth of spaces for the freaks, outcasts, and fans of music that's a bit darker and heavier, there is a groundswell of support to try and turn DEAD SET into a new cultural gem.
Sydney is coming back from the dead, and this morgue that may or may not be under a bare-knuckle boxing racket is leading the charge.
DEAD SET is located in the basement of Kinselas Hotel at 383 Bourke Street, Darlinghurst, NSW. It operates from 5pm until late from Thursday through Sunday, with live bands Friday and Saturday nights.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
