The Hi-Fi has become synonymous with live music in Australia, with their twin locations in Melbourne and Brisbane playing host to some of the biggest acts from Australia and around the world. This year sees the team behind the Hi-Fi expand their reach, securing a location in Sydney for the first time; they have taken over the former site of The Forum in Moore Park, right across from the Hordern Pavilion in the Entertainment Quarter.

Their first gig will be Cobra Starship on February 28, followed by an eclectic mix of acts from Manchester Orchestra, Kaisier Chiefs and Ben Kweller to Roots Manuva, Bad Religion and Aqua. Ahead of the opening, the Hi-Fi’s managing director, Luke O’Sullivan, was good enough to answer some questions for us about the venue and their future plans.

What is the live music philosophy of the venue? Will it follow that of the other Hi-Fi venues?
With every show we offer the punters, the bands, the promoters, workers and everyone else involved the ultimate live experience and have been doing so for 16 years. That means in addition to offering cutting edge sound, lighting and production systems and amazing views and sightlines, we look after the punters at the bar and within our actual facilities, giving them the best experience possible. That experience coupled with our knowledge of everything from load in to load out, how to ticket, what bands will want on their rider and how to make them feel like they are home, no matter how far away they are, means everyone comes back knowing what they will get from us regardless of which city they are in.

What new challenges do you think The Hi -Fi may face in Sydney, as opposed to in Brisbane and Melbourne?
It’s always challenging opening a new business, let alone one in another state. There are challenges of hiring the right staff for bars, security and production who understand the differences in legal legislation for Sydney. Whilst fundamentally our businesses are the same, each market has its own nuances which we will learn as we go; however, we see Sydney, like Brisbane, as being under-catered for in the live music space. We think this provides great opportunities.

Were there other sites The Hi-Fi was looking to move into in Sydney before The Forum became available?
We looked at a couple of hundred buildings. Pubs, warehouses, disused cinemas, bowling alleys and roller-skating rinks. We needed a minimum of 1,000 square meters. It’s pretty precise in terms of the space you need for the right capacity to make the business work. We learned that Sydney had very few spaces big enough, and property prices were overinflated. Had I known it was going to take so long, I probably wouldn’t have started. But in the end, we’re very happy with what we’ve got: great facilities, ample parking and we had the benefit of working in a sizeable enough building with existing infrastructure to give us a great result.

Can you reveal any acts who have been confirmed to perform at the new venue both at the launch party and in the future?
We’ve got heaps of acts lined up: Mastodon plays the second night we are open. We have Ben Kweller and Manchester Orchestra playing shows across our 3 venues in all 3 cities. Roots Manuva, Xavier Rudd, Dead Meadow + Pink Mountaintops, Iced Earth, Amon Amarth, a newly reformed Aqua and Mardi Gras. We have loads more gigs confirmed that have not been announced yet, including the lineup for our Launch Party which should be made public over the next week or so. The main purpose of the Launch Party will be to showcase the diversity of acts that have played at The Hi-Fi venues over the last 16 years.

Are there any other exciting plans on the horizon for The Hi-Fi in Sydney?
Surely opening a new venue is enough to keep us busy for a while. Probably a bit of a breather after that.

Click here for the Hi-Fi’s website.

(Note: above image is of the venue’s days as The Forum; the venue has now undergone renovations)