Sydney Venue Celebrates Profit After Ditching Pokies For Live Music

A Sydney inner-west venue is celebrating turning a profit today for the first time since ditching pokies for live music, with the Club President describing it as a “rock'n'roll” recovery.

The Petersham Bowling Club was taken over by members of the community in 2007 after the building was under risk of being developed into town houses. The venue was re-aligned to be community-focused, with live entertainment, barefoot bowls and craft beer.

“We're just going from strength to strength,” President Mark Lucas told theMusic.com.au today after the venue's annual general meeting yesterday.

Lucas first became involved with the night when he was booked to play Friday nights and from there began to take on booking roles himself and eventually rising to Club President.

The integration into live music and community has been a long-term vision, and it's only now they are starting to reap the rewards.

Lucas admitted today that, “In 2011 we were having meetings with students from Sydney TAFE to put together an exit strategy.”

The venue now hasn't touched its overdraft for 12 months and in a social media post Lucas said they were “well on the way to being debt free.”

“Of course these things ebb and flow,” he told theMusic, “and as we invest in the business, which we have to do, we may return to the red, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.”

As much as live music as played a part, the venue has looked to engage the community and open its doors to families and children. The logistics and regulations surrounding all ages gigs mean they still steer away from all ages shows.

“Live music is working but our commitment is to the community,” Lucas said.

The news is a rare feel-good story for Sydney venues, where an extensive report into contemporary music was recently tabled by the City Of Sydney's Live Music Taskforce. There has also been encouraging news from the Victorian Government, who will relax the regulations on all age gigs early next year.

The Petersham Bowling Club will host Dollar Bar and Catherine Traicos, amongst others, before the end of the year. Full details here.