Heavy handed bouncer culture makes it hard to enjoy Sydney nightlife
A heavy-handed bouncer culture in Sydney has led one award winning hospitality group to open shop in Melbourne.
According to one nightclub boss, enjoying a night out in Sydney now entails passing through an army of security and being questioned by heavy handed bouncers.
Odd Culture Group CEO James Thorpe said, “The past 20 years of lockouts and regulation from the state government in Sydney has raised a generation of publicans fearful of police and being shut down.
“I’ve seen a lot of colleagues employ heavy-handed guards to protect venues and make sure they are compliant.”
Odd Culture Group owns The Old Fitz in Woolloomooloo, The Duke of Enmore and Newtown’s popular Odd Culture among others.
It will open Odd Culture in Melbourne’s Fitzroy this week.
“Walking through Fitzroy in Melbourne, most venues don’t have security guards. But if you walk down the main street of Newtown, there is an army of security guards,” Thorpe told The Daily Telegraph.
He said it wasn’t uncommon for punters to be heavily questioned by bouncers about what they have been doing during the day and where they were previously.
Thorpe blames liquor licensing laws in NSW, which are strict compared to global standards. He also said there was a lack of skilled security in a post pandemic landscape.
Thorpe removed security from his Newtown venue.
“We train them to be emotionally intelligent, because we believe our obligation as a hospitality business is to create an awesome night out, even if that means being kicked out of a venue,” he said.
Odd Culture also employs a strict “hands off” policy for contracted guards.
Thorpe did tell the Telegraph that there is hope for change. He will soon open The Pleasure Club in Newtown, which will be the first venue in 99 years to have a 4am trading licence.
“The tide is changing and is slowly moving in the right direction,” Thorpe said.
“We just need to keep conversations going about what we want Sydney’s night-life to look like and how we can better train and educate people to get there.”
Jonathan Jackson, 5th July 2023
