The revamped Dee why RSL is picking up the slack in supporting local live music artists on Sydney’s Northern Beaches after the closure of Narrabeen RSL.
Bruce McLean, Executive Manager – Operations and Compliance, said improved parking and a wider entertainment and F&B offering had also attracted a younger demographic, while still maintaining the club’s existing audience.
“We had live music seven nights a week in the old Flame lounge area but that has been closed for two-and-half years while we were building,” he said.
While it used to be music to dine by, and there were recent tighter budgets due to Covid, music is now proving to be a magnet for both local audiences and local artists.
“We are having a lot of young, fun local acts now playing in the courtyard and sometimes the demographic is much older. You wouldn’t think they’d enjoy it but they are loving it and they are really enjoying the younger artists which is really exciting,” he said.
“We try as hard as we can to support local and we are supporting a lot of the young bands and they are moving from Narrabeen RSL which is now closed.”
Historically, one of the most popular music venues on Northern Beaches, the Narrabeen RSL Memorial and Recreational Club, affectionately known to locals as The Razza, went into voluntary administration after the three-storey venue shut its doors in February.
Bruce said while the closure of the Razza was sad, the stars had aligned and Dee Why RSL had become a “one-stop shop” with its new car park and entertainment venues now able to accommodate a wider audience.
The club can now comfortably accommodate 2500 people in the building at one time while also catering for its patrons with bars and restaurants and their entertainment needs.
“It’s been fantastic and we are now seeing these types of numbers every weekend for the past few weeks. It’s fantastic and insane.”
Having entertainment closer to home and a new improved venue also means new membership signings.
“We are now at over 51,000 members, which is a quarter of the population of this whole council area,” he said.
