Newtown lost one of its most beloved establishments when The Vanguard closed its doors last month, but the pain is to be short-lived with a new live music venue to launch in the space next month.
The new venue, Leadbelly, will offer free live music and is to be run by the co-owners of Surry Hills' Tipple Bar & Bistro, Luke O'Donohoe and Zac Davis.
Speaking to theMusic, O'Donohoe says they want Leadbelly to live up to the reputation of the recently-closed King Street hot spot.
"It's such a great space to watch live gigs," O'Donohoe said.
"It has a certain warmth and history to the building we don’t want to lose that. We plan on delivering the same great service and continue support the local community as [Vanguard owner Russall Beattie] has for so many years.
"The building could have easily slipped through to a function centre or a much simpler style restaurant, we are really looking forward to getting Leadbelly on the live music map."
A number of local and international talent have performed at The Vanguard over the years, including Russell Crowe, Elvis Costello and Megan Washington to name a few.
O'Donohoe says the biggest similarity between The Vanguard and Leadbelly will be "the music element".
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
"Leadbelly will be open to the public seven days per week showing accessible bands and musicians that appeal to a larger demographic," he says, adding that all live performances will be free of charge.
The new space will also serve as a restaurant and offer a pizza menu, brisket sandwiches and an extensive cocktails list.
Leadbelly will host a showcase in the first week of August before taking part in the King Street crawl this September.
