The Newsagency
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About 18 months ago, I was ready to release my first EP. I was concerned there wasn't really a venue quite suitable for an up & coming singer/songwriter such as myself. The venues I had discovered since moving to Sydney all seemed to range in capacity from 150-10,000 seats. I didn't feel confident that I could fill these sorts of spaces let alone feel comfortable presenting my music in them with the pressure of having to bring so many people.
I had recently taken over the lease of an old newsagent to convert into my teaching studio. As I was renovating it I thought it would be the perfect size for an intimate and exclusive venue where artist & audience members could connect on a completely different level to somewhere like The Enmore, The Vanguard or The Metro.
I built a stage out of the old shelves in the shopfront, put in a few chairs, lamps, set up my PA and suddenly I had a pretty special place to launch my first recording. A lot of people ended up coming to the launch including artists who were very keen to perform at "The Newsagency". It now runs roughly 3 times a week hosting very intimate shows of only 50 audience members in total. It has presented Sydney artists such as Lanie Lane, Ngaiire, Elana Stone, Brendan Maclean, and Tim Hart (Boy & Bear). I think the space is attractive to up & coming singer/songwriters because it offers a supportive listening environment. Anyone who performs there feels valued and included in a community.
The Newsagency now defines a lot of who I am as a singer/songwriter and how I fit in to the Sydney music scene. It is the perfect way for me to combine my two passions in life, community and music. It's a rewarding feeling to contribute and give back to the Sydney music scene who are simultaneously giving me what I need to live out my passion to be a singer/songwriter.