The Great Club Owner Unable To ‘Reach A Solution’ With Landlord, Steps Down

Alison Avron, owner of Marrickville institution The Great Club, has announced she’s stepped down from duties operating the venue, effective immediately.

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The news came in an update shared on social media this afternoon (June 17), with Avron noting that she’d experienced “a wild 72 [hours]” at the venue. She explained: “For some time now, I have been in negotiations with the landlord about ongoing issues at the venue but unfortunately we couldn’t reach a solution that benefited both parties.”

Avron went on to say she “look[s] forward to giving you another update as the situation unfolds”, and ended her statement with a message of thanks to the venues’ patrons for their “support and understanding”.

At the time of writing, The Great Club has events booked in until the end of November, with the furthest concert out being Nathan Cavaleri’s on Friday November 29. The next show booked is the Inner West Drum Fest, scheduled to go down at the venue this Sunday (June 23).

Avron did not mention if any upcoming shows will be cancelled as a result of this development, but noted that any bookings impacted will be handled by The Music & Booze Co (which also manages other Sydney venues like The Chippo Hotel, Vic On The Park and Waywards).

It’s unknown whether a new owner will come onboard to keep The Great Club alive, or if Avron’s exit means another iconic Sydney haunt will close its doors forever. TheMusic.com.au has reached out for clarification.

Avron has notably spent the past few years fighting to keep The Great Club open amid a ream of operational difficulties (largely owed to the COVID-19 pandemic) and noise complaints. Last February, for example, she was forced to resort to crowdfunding after racking up a daunting bill of legal fees and lost income. Thankfully, those noise complaints were ultimately dropped last June.

Over the years, The Great Club has hosted the likes of Middle Kids, MAY-A, Urthboy, Speed, Annie Hamilton, Tim Rogers, Chris Shiflett and many more.