It’s Always Happening

With Mitch Mclennan, co-owner of MoshPit, South King Street.

I’d organised to meet Mitch for a chat and an interview for the mag, but I was running a few minutes late. As I burst through the door, I was greeted by a smiling rock n roller. “Hey, my name is Mitch… I’m one of the owners of MoshPit,” he says. We grabbed a couple of beers, and without missing a beat, the conversation kicked off as the room slowly started to come to life around us.

MoshPit sits on South King Street, right in the thick of it. A tight, unapologetic rock and roll venue built for live music. Open every night, live bands running Tuesday through Sunday, open mic Wednesdays, comedy Mondays, and Saturdays going twice for good measure. It’s relentless, in the best possible way.

“We’re open every day of the week… live music Tuesdays through Sundays.”

This is a venue that lives and breathes it. Local bands form the backbone, but there’s a constant flow of artists passing through. Interstate acts, touring bands, and more recently, a strong stream of international groups, especially out of Japan. Tight, high-energy bands that land here because it fits the way they play.

“More recently, we’ve had a lot of bands come over from Japan… it’s a great stopping point on their tours.”

The room itself does the rest. Small, loud, and right on top of the stage. No barriers, no distance, just a direct line between band and crowd. It’s raw, immediate, and exactly how live music should feel.

Cases, amps, cables start rolling in as we talk. Falcon Wulf loading in, carving out space on the stage while Mitch keeps going like it’s second nature.

From happy hour into soundcheck, punters drift in as the space fills out. By the time the first band hits, it’s already alive. On Wednesdays, the longest-running open mic in Sydney at a single venue takes over. Anyone can get up, have a go, and be part of it. It’s equal parts proving ground and chaos, and that’s exactly the point.

Mitch sums Newtown up in one word: live. The music, the people, the culture, it’s always happening. And MoshPit sits right in the middle of it. A place that doesn’t just host live music, it runs on it.

MoshPit
642A King St, Erskineville NSW 2043
@moshpit.bar
moshpitbar.com.au