Sydney live music venue Mary’s Underground will be closing its doors permanently at the end of its winter season. Venue owners Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham made the announcement in a statement titled ‘The Final Chapter‘ posted to the venue’s website on Friday.

Mary’s Underground. Photo courtesy of Mary’s

“It will come as no surprise that this is ultimately due to financial reasons and the many headwinds the live music industry currently faces, especially for venues under 500 capacity,” they wrote.

“Declining bar sales, coupled with increasing costs and sky-high Sydney land values does not make a recipe for success.”

Mary’s took over the Circular Quay location in 2018 from iconic Sydney jazz locale The Basement, which was Sydney’s oldest licenced music venue until its closure. Established in 1973, The Basement hosted performances from internationally acclaimed artists including Herbie Hancock, Prince and Dizzy Gillespie.

Satu Vaska

Satu Vänskä performing at Mary’s Underground in 2023. Photo supplied.

Since taking over in 2019, Mary’s Underground has hosted more than 1,000 shows and 3,000 artists and sold over 150,000 tickets, its operators noted. It has featured...