Here comes a new Newtown bar, Leadbelly — slated to open in August.
Ben McFarlane will draw on his time at Merivale and most recently Urban Purveyor Group in leading the drinks offering for the new bar, and he told Australian Bartender that the “the foundations of the venue will be bringing back a good live music based bar to Sydney, whilst offering great service with drinks to match!”
Given the long history of live music in bars in Sydney, we’re pretty excited to see live music being put front and centre of a great bar again.
It will be the second venue for owners Luke O’Donohoe and Zac Davis, who are branching out from their Surry Hills bar, Tipple Bar & Bistro. “We are excited about taking over such an iconic live music venue & will be keeping the live music element very much alive,” they said.
The name of the bar, Leadbelly, is a hat tip to someone they describe as a “pioneering blues artist whose songs have been covered from everyone from Elvis to Nirvana, Led Zeppelin and even the Beach Boys,” and as such you can expect food with a southern US influence.
The bar will offer free live music three to four nights a week, and given McFarlane’s pedigree you can expect great cocktails that are driven by fresh produce and emphasising Australian spirits.
Leadbelly will open at 42 King Street Newtown in August.