If you’ve been wandering Sydney at 2am, wondering where all the feral, riff-loving, stage-hugging weirdos are meant to congregate now that Frankie’s Pizza is gone… good news: we’ve found your new spiritual home.
On January 30, a brand-new subterranean hard rock den called DEAD SET will open deep beneath Kinselas Hotel at Taylor Square – and it looks like exactly the kind of sweat-soaked, late-night chaos this city desperately needs.
DEAD SET: launching Friday, 30th January
Tucked away in the Basement (enter via Little Oxford Street), DEAD SET is being billed as a no-frills, close-quarters rock hang built for people who actually want to feel a gig, not watch it through a sea of phones. Think dim lighting, arcade machines, sticky floors, banging playlists and bands loud enough to rattle your bones.
It’ll run Thursday through Sunday from 5pm ‘til late, with live bands taking over every Friday and Saturday night alongside late-night DJs, surprise shows, afterparties and industry showcases. Musically, the focus is unapologetically hard rock in all its glorious forms – punk, metal, doom, alt and everything in between.
Opening weekend sets the tone with DOWNGIRL and LIQUID ZOO kicking things off onstage across Friday and Saturday, followed by DJs keeping the night moving well into the witching hours.
The name DEAD SET is a neat little nod to both live music “sets” and the building’s slightly spooky history – the basement was once part of Kinselas’ old funeral chapel and is rumoured to have been a morgue… #METAL
Programming is being curated by Jordan McDonald (NITE-RITE) – the same maniacal brain behind the legendary Frankie’s Pizza – so you already know this isn’t some corporate cash-grab. This is someone who actually understands what Sydney’s underground rock community needs.
DEAD SET also joins a growing wave of new nightlife around Taylor Square, alongside tiki bar Happy Talk and fresh digs at Courthouse Hotel – but this one feels different. Less slick, more feral.
In their own words, DEAD SET is for people who still want to stand close to the stage, feel the room move, and stay out late enough to see what comes next.
Catch you in the basement!
DEAD SET LAUNCH PARTY
- Friday, 30th January – DEAD SET, Basement (383 Bourke Street), Darlinghurst w/ DOWNGIRL + SKULLS
- Saturday, 31st January – DEAD SET, Basement (383 Bourke Street), Darlinghurst w/ LIQUID ZOO + STARCRAZY
Further Reading
Sydney Scores New Underground Live Hard Rock Club, ‘Dingbats Party Pit’
Sydney Cops New Skate-Rock Venue With Live Music, Fried Chicken & A Half-Pipe
Beloved Sydney Venue Frankie’s Pizza To Be Demolished For A New Sydney Station
