Sydney Live Music Venue Mural Defaced: 'A Lack Of Respect For Culture & Art'

The mural outside of beloved Sydney live music venue The Vanguard has been defaced only weeks after the Newtown hotspot relaunched.

The artwork was hand painted by April77 and completed earlier this month after “a long period of developing the design”, with The Vanguard saying “the graffiti was extremely disappointing to see”.

“The mural was designed to be an expression of the creativity and identity of the venue,” venue manager Rhianna Lucas told The Music.

“We had it painted on the exterior of the venue to create some excitement about the reopening of the iconic venue, and act as a backdrop of customers to take photos with.

“Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of respect for culture and art, with a tagger defacing the piece not even a month after its completion."

Anyone who has information about the tag or vandals is being asked to come forward.

After operating as Leadbelly since 2016, the 42 King Street venue rebranded to its original name, The Vanguard, earlier this month, upgrading its sound system and more.