EXCLUSIVE: Inside The Renovations Of Iconic Sydney Venue The Basement

Work is nearing completion at iconic Sydney venue The Basement, which is about to finalise one of the biggest renovations in its history.

Opened in 1972 the Circular Quay venue is set to re-launch in February with a new stage and green room in a complete overhaul of the downstairs set-up. It will in fact be open for tonight’s show with Ratking and all dates moving forward.

Venue booker Nathan Farrell previously told theMusic.com.au that they are hoping to expand into comedy, burlesque and specialist nights and are expanding the stage the stage to cater for that, as well as larger musical ensembles. He said today that they will be putting the finishing touches on the venue in the coming weeks while finalising the upgrades to the Blue Note and Green Room bars. The venue will be operational ahead of the full relaunch.

“Our goal from the outset wasn’t to reinvent the wheel but rather bring the production, facilities, decor and functionality of the room up to the world class standard that The Basement deserves,” Farrell told theMusic.com.au today.

“Artists and punters alike will enjoy our brand new custom designed sound system with greatly improved coverage and quality. We’ve also dramatically improved our stage and room lighting and undergone dramatic acoustic treatment to get the sound perfect. Our stage has been widened by 2.5 meters which will make for bigger ensembles and performances and also centres the stage in the venue slightly better, we’ve also improved sight lines wherever possible.

“Personally, I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it’s coming together, its going to be a really special space for years to come!”

We now have exclusive photos of the renovations, taken at various stages of the process. The expanded stage is clearly visible in the shots below.

A few earlier 'in progress' shots…

And ahead of clean-up for tonight…