The Agincourt Hotel sold for $30 million in May.
Siobhan Cotchin @ The Alley, Agincourt Hotel (Credit: Peter Dovgan)
Sydney’s Agincourt Hotel—which hosts live music in its basement bandroom, The Alley, and Club 871 on its first floor—has reportedly stopped live music within the venue following its sale.
In May, the Australian Financial Review reported that the Agincourt Hotel had been sold to another pub group for $30 million in an off-the-market purchase.
All gigs at the Agincourt Hotel going into mid-June will no longer go ahead. The news was initially confirmed by the team at Last Words, who have hosted emo/punk/metal club nights at the venue since last year. Luckily, the Lansdowne Hotel saved the event, which they confirmed to The Music earlier this week.
“The Agincourt Hotel / The Alley has been sold,” the Last Words team wrote on Instagram last week. “The new owners will not be featuring live music or entertainment in the venue at all moving forward, and they will not be honouring any existing bookings past mid June.”
Airing their disappointment in the development, they added: “Fuck the pokies and the investment groups that line their own pockets off of the misfortune of others and fuck those same people that are destroying live music in Sydney.”
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The Agincourt Hotel has made no official statement about its stance on live music since Last Words’ posts went live on Instagram, but have been contacted for comment.
Last Words will recommence at its new home this Saturday, 7 June. The alternative club night runs weekly every Saturday, combining live music and DJ sets and offering a dedicated space for Sydney punks and emos. The event launched in December 2024 at the Agincourt Hotel and created a safe space for a community of live music lovers to feel comfortable.
Last Words founders Matt Raciti and Dan Harvey (B.A.D. Mgmt) said of the move to the Lansdowne, “When we started Last Words, it was just two mates throwing a party we wished existed - loud, emotional, inclusive, and a little unhinged. We never imagined it would grow into the community it is now.
“To be moving into a venue as iconic as the Lansdowne is surreal, and it’s only possible because of the people who’ve screamed, moshed, DJ’d, performed, and poured themselves into this night with us. We’re endlessly grateful to every artist, every punter, and everyone who’s ever believed in what we’re building. This isn’t just a party – it’s a scene, it’s a family, and it’s only getting louder."