Close Menu
Honi Soit
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • An Interview with Louisa Lim: Building the Future of Hong Kong Identity
    • Lucille MacKellar on Girlhood, Gay Longing, and Having Boy Problems Anyway
    • Heartbreak, Hormones, and Homoeroticism: Lucille MacKellar Has Boy Problems
    • Week 12 CONSPIRASOIT Editorial
    • “Thank you Conspiracy!” says Capitalism, as it survives another day
    • Multiculturalism in Australian Theatre: Youssef Sabet Performs The Juggling Act
    • Everything is Alive at Slowdive
    • The Conspiracy of Free Will
    • About
    • Print Edition
    • Student Journalism Conference 2025
    • Writing Comp
    • Advertise
    • Locations
    • Contact
    Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok
    Honi SoitHoni Soit
    Thursday, May 22
    • News
    • Analysis
    • Culture
    • Opinion
    • University
    • Features
    • Perspective
    • Investigation
    • Reviews
    • Comedy
    • Student Journalism Conference 2025
    Honi Soit
    Home»Opinion

    DJ dreams dashed by lockout

    By Frances MagieraFebruary 27, 2016 Opinion 3 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Festivals, nightclubs, parties… all shut down. It’s no new topic of debate, but, despite the heavy media coverage of Sydney’s lockout laws and consequent nightlife crisis, few realize just how much these changes have impeded the future of young DJs.

    Music is an integral part of Sydney’s nightlife. A lot of the Australian artists who have spoken out in opposition to the lockout laws have produced some incredible electronic and acoustic music. It is both shocking and saddening to think, had these laws existed in their time, these artists may have never emerged.

    The pressure on venues to keep afloat has resulted in managers choosing to book fewer DJs. Lach Mackay is a Sydney DJ who had a residency at SOHO, a nightclub that closed last year as a result of the lockouts. Since then, he has been struggling to get regular gigs in the city because the demand for DJs has decreased dramatically. “Personally, I think it’s shocking that when you go walking around Kings Cross (and the rest of the CBD) on a Friday or Saturday night, it literally feels like a ghost town… there’s no liveliness and people walk around cautiously,” he says.

    There has already been a 19 per cent attendance decline for live venues, and this vicious cycle will only continue. “I’ve just come back from a six week Europe trip, and the nightlife over there is really exciting, but you also feel comfortable walking around the streets,” Mackay tells me. “For us DJs and producers, it makes it really hard to not only get gigs, but we also have to rely on things like social media and word of mouth to get our music out to people and create a fan base.”

    This leads me to question the future for budding DJs and other musicians. Had it not been for the once-vibrant Sydney nightlife, many of our homegrown and now internationally recognised electronic artists may not have made it. Who will we be listening to in five or ten years?

    A close friend of mine is an upcoming Sydney artist. Yes, he shares his passion through online mixtapes and DJing at friends’ parties. Yes, he goes clubbing and networks with those at venues to get a foot in the door for prospective gigs. Yes, he saw clubbing in Sydney before the February 2014 lockout laws were introduced. But sadly, no, he will probably not get the opportunity to perform at such venues.

    Unfortunately, we can’t all move overseas or interstate to further our nightlife pursuits. The less drastic option is to fight to keep Sydney’s nightlife open. Acclaimed artists, including WhatSoNot, Alison Wonderland and Flight Facilities, have publicised the #keepsydneyopen campaign via social media.

    The lockout laws affect so much more than just the mass of club-goers no longer having a “proper” night out. Fighting the lockout laws may be the last viable solution for Sydney’s upcoming DJ’s, because at this rate, there is no future in nightlife entertainment.

    Alison Wonderland Disc Jockeys DJs drink drank drunk flight facilities lockout laws Mike Baird think thank thunk whatsonot youth

    Keep Reading

    The Conspiracy of Free Will

    You Are Not Too Old

    Liberal Strongholds now Teal Havens?

    A Debate in the Heat of Elections

    Independents Day: How the Teals Could Win Big at the Next Election

    Artificial academia

    Just In

    An Interview with Louisa Lim: Building the Future of Hong Kong Identity

    May 21, 2025

    Lucille MacKellar on Girlhood, Gay Longing, and Having Boy Problems Anyway

    May 21, 2025

    Heartbreak, Hormones, and Homoeroticism: Lucille MacKellar Has Boy Problems

    May 21, 2025

    Week 12 CONSPIRASOIT Editorial

    May 21, 2025
    Editor's Picks

    “Thank you Conspiracy!” says Capitalism, as it survives another day

    May 21, 2025

    A meditation on God and the impossible pursuit of answers

    May 14, 2025

    We Will Be Remembered As More Than Administrative Errors

    May 7, 2025

    NSW universities in the red as plague of cuts hit students & staff

    April 30, 2025
    Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok

    From the mines

    • News
    • Analysis
    • Higher Education
    • Culture
    • Features
    • Investigation
    • Comedy
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Misc

     

    • Opinion
    • Perspective
    • Profiles
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Social
    • Sport
    • SRC Reports
    • Tech

    Admin

    • About
    • Editors
    • Send an Anonymous Tip
    • Write/Produce/Create For Us
    • Print Edition
    • Locations
    • Archive
    • Advertise in Honi Soit
    • Contact Us

    We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. The University of Sydney – where we write, publish and distribute Honi Soit – is on the sovereign land of these people. As students and journalists, we recognise our complicity in the ongoing colonisation of Indigenous land. In recognition of our privilege, we vow to not only include, but to prioritise and centre the experiences of Indigenous people, and to be reflective when we fail to be a counterpoint to the racism that plagues the mainstream media.

    © 2025 Honi Soit
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • Accessibility

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.