One of Australia's Top Punk and Metal Venues Is Taking Over Leichhardt's The Bald Faced Stag

Since opening in 2012, Crowbar has become one of Brisbane's most popular spots for live punk, hardcore and metal music. Now, the team is expanding to Sydney, to take over Leichhardt's The Bald Faced Stag.

Just as in Brisbane, Crowbar owners Trad Nathan and Tyla Dombroski will be making the pub not just a venue, but a community base for musicians and their fans. If you've frequented the Stag, you'll know there are facilities to fulfil such plans. Among its spaces are an expansive front bar, a beer garden, an indoor smoking area, a kitchen and a big band room. There's room for 500 ticket holders, fitted with a curtain, which can reduce capacity to 250 for intimate shows. This will all be utilised under the venue's new name, Crowbar Sydney.

Nathan and Dombroski plan to bring Crowbar's strong community values to Sydney. "We've both spent a lot of time in Sydney over the years and have watched a lot of venues close down," says Dombroski. "We don't want to see this happen to the Stag. We have an opportunity to rebuild it, and we are going to make that happen!"

The Crowbar team will have a five-year lease, after which the lease will either be extended or the building developed. According to Commercial Real Estate, The Stag was bought earlier this year by local investment group Caper Property, who plans to turn the into a co-living space at some point. Here's hoping that, whatever happens, its life as a live music venue lives on.

The Bald Faced Stag will continue to operate at 345 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt before it becomes Crowbar Sydney in December. It's already started taking bookings for the bandroom here.