77 William Street, Darlinghurst
club77.com.au
Club 77 has been home to a few different iterations. It has been a favourite of the club kids and a home for the goth and fetish community. A victim of lockout laws and a pandemic, the revival of Club 77 sets the tone for a return for the city’s nighclubs. In May, Club 77 celebrated its 25th anniversary as one of Sydney’s best-loved music venues by relaunching as the city’s newest dive bar destination.
Primed to reinvigorate the local nightlife landscape and restore Sydney to its former late-night glory, Club 77 will be open seven nights a week until 4am with free entry Monday to Friday. Along with the best DJs and live music in the city, guests can expect a revamped New York inspired fit out, elevated by a brand new food, drink and cocktail offering.
Club 77 Director Dane Gorrel says: “The lockdown period really gave us the opportunity to analyse our business model and determine what we want Club 77 to be, and that is THE late-night live music destination for Sydney/Eora. We’ve spent the past 12 months getting feedback from the local community and influential night-time economy advocates on best practices to achieve our goals.
“Our entire team is passionate and dedicated to not only the electronic music scene, but rebuilding Sydney’s after-dark culture. We are establishing 77 as a renewed late-night live music venue that is always open until 4am, while providing a platform for artists, DJs and live acts to perform seven nights a week.”
Inspired by the makeshift aesthetic of New York’s dive bars, 77’s interior renovation showcases a redesigned layout equipped with stylish new furniture and booth seating, custom lampshades by Blake Hull-Moody, three new stages, and a cutting-edge custom DJ booth. The venue has also been completely soundproofed and acoustically treated, flaunting a pumping KV2 Audio system
In line with what has always been a vital component of the venue’s attitude and spirit, Club 77 will continue to lead the way with a forward-facing approach to inclusivity and community. A welcoming environment for all races, genders and members of the LGBTQI community, 77 is both an innovative party environ and a safe space for freedom and expression.
Jordan Blackman of Odd Culture Group was recruited to help out on the drinks front and the venue will deliver not one but two happy hours. Punters can enjoy cheap drinks at Club 77’s ‘The Happiest of Hours’ every Monday to Friday from 5pm-7pm. Then for the night owls and hospitality workers, a second late night happy hour from 2:30am-3:30am aims to develop and nurture a forward thinking and inclusive late-night eating and drinking culture.
The refreshed ‘cheap-and-cheerful’ drinks offering includes frothy beers and cider by Moon Dog Craft Brewery, Young Henrys, Grifter and Batlow, and delicious bottled cocktails courtesy of Big Mood. For the teetotalers, there will also be a great selection of non alcoholic wines and cocktails available from Heaps Normal, Big Drop and Yes You Can, plus Big Mood’s infamous non alcoholic No-Groni. On the food front, a mouth watering ‘77 Dog’ created by Antoine Nebula of cherished Surry Hills cafe Suzie Qs will be available in two versions: gourmet pork sausage and mushroom for the vegetarians/vegans.
In line with what has always been a vital component of the venue’s attitude and spirit, Club 77 will continue to lead the way with a forward-facing approach to inclusivity and community. A welcoming environment for all races, genders and members of the LGBTQI community, 77 is both an innovative party environ and a safe space for freedom and expression.
Future plans and initiatives will include activating the space during daytime hours as a community hub for first nations artists and the LGTBQI community. Programs currently being developed are DJ and production workshops, marketing and promotions workshops, projects surrounding mental health awareness within the industry, and paid internships.