If you want to rock ’n’ roll

Jake and Kenny at Liberty Hall

Jake Smyth is not a believer in the well-thumbed theory that Sydney nightlife is dead.

“We always tell ourselves we have a shitty nightlife,” the co-owner of the Mary’s food and hospitality juggernaut tells Local Paddo. “But the truth is, we’re just not that good at going out.

“I really believe that people want to go out. Our community values art. Look at Vivid. This year’s Vivid, it was cold, it rained. But when you went to Vivid, it was like being back in the 2000 Olympics. The amount of people streaming up and down, it was f---ing amazing. People want things to do, they just need the opportunity.”

Perhaps it is encouraging then that Smyth and business partner Kenny Graham are around. Since launching their cult burger joint Mary’s in Newtown in 2013, the pair has cherry-picked venues across Sydney to revitalise in their unique fashion that combines a rock ’n' roll sensibility with fried food, craft beer and natural wine.

Next month, the Mary’s empire — which includes Mary’s Underground in the city and the Unicorn Hotel in Paddington — expands with a new venue, Liberty Hall, opening at the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park.

A 1200-capacity live concert venue, Liberty Hall steps into the space formerly known as Max Watt’s, and before that, The Forum. Positioned near the Hordern Pavilion, it is billed as a boutique space for live music, art and performance.

Smyth says the spectrum of acts on offer will range from emerging and international rock bands to sport and esports events, DJs, instrumental performances, festivals, fairs and everything in between. On the cards for the first few months, for instance, are acts as varied as a Celtic dance festival and an Astral fair.

“We want to offer it to anyone who can sell 1200 tickets,” he says. “It’s about creating a good space for art that will give encouragement for people to go out. If we can make it easy for people to go out, then we are doing our job.”

Opening alongside Liberty Hall will be a 200-seat Mary’s restaurant selling the group’s signature burgers and fried chicken, plus interesting beers and organic wines. The new Mary’s will also have a focus on kettle barbecue cooking.

“We thought about doing a new concept there,” says Smyth, “But we’re pretty confident that no neighbourhood was ever made worse by having a Mary’s. So we’ll stick with that.”

Let the good times roll.

Opens October

Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park