Metro Theatre — Attraction in Sydney

The Metro Theatre, Sydney – Where Legends (and Posters) Live On

I can’t believe I hadn’t been to the Metro Theatre before. Seriously, where have I been? This place oozes cool in the way only a venue with real musical history can. You walk in and immediately feel like you’ve stumbled into the sacred halls of Aussie rock history—complete with dim lighting and sticky floors that tell you: "Yes, this is where the magic happens."

The men's toilets deserve a special mention. Weird thing to rave about, right? But stick with me. They’re basically a museum of gig posters from bands that have graced the Metro stage—some legendary, some forgotten Aussie gems that will have you muttering, “Oh yeah, them!” as you, well… you know. It’s nostalgic and oddly humbling. And if the posters are any indicator, this venue has seen some epic nights.

I saw the American band Lawrence, and wow, the sound was so crisp it felt like the music was slicing through the air just for me. The lighting? Top-tier. They knew exactly how to set the mood—whether it was soulful and intimate or full-blown party vibes. Whoever runs the sound and lighting desk deserves a raise and maybe a shrine in the aforementioned toilets.

But what I loved most? The vibe. The Metro doesn’t try to be fancy or pretentious. It’s authentic, raw, and feels like a place made for real music lovers. It’s not just a venue; it’s an experience. One of those spots where you can imagine someone saying, “Yeah, I saw them here before they blew up.”

I’ll definitely be back—whether it’s to catch another killer gig or just to bask in the nostalgia of those...

The Metro Theatre is... an experience, but not necessarily the kind you'd recommend. The acoustics are questionable at best, turning every bassline into a vague rumble and every lyric into a game of “guess that word.” To make matters worse, they oversell their shows so aggressively you'd think they were trying to set a Guinness World Record for "most humans stuffed into one regrettable space."

Then there’s the security, hovering around like hall monitors on a power trip, barking at people to “move” when there’s clearly no space left to shuffle. Props to the bar staff for clapping back, though, pointing out the obvious: the room is packed tighter than a can of sardines, so maybe chill with the ultimatums.

Also, it kinda smells in there. Hard to say if it’s the venue itself or the unique aroma of the patron alike a questionable stew of spilled drinks, overworked deodorant, and regret.

And don’t get me started on the photo booth. It’s a scam! Advertised as four photos, but one of them is just the Metro logo. So technically, you’re paying for three memories and a free ad for the venue. Classy.

Two stars for the unintentional comedy and the bar staff’s sass. Would I go back? Probably not, but at least now I know what...

The Metro is a decent venue, let down by poor management. I had a serious issue I wanted to discuss with the managers and have been fobbed off, dismissed and then ignored. Decent, responsive management deals with complaints as a way of improving the customer experience. All businesses have to improve and listening to customers builds your reputation - as if you deal with a complaint in the right way you can make an unhappy person happy again.

Unfortunately, The Metro management lean in the other direction. Arrogance and rudeness are never pleasant when they stare you in the face - and that’s been my experience so far.

I really don’t know who’s in charge as I can’t get an answer. At this point I’m thinking it’s a sulky 12-year old out of their depth running a important venue in the middle of Sydney. Whoever they are, they lack basic managerial skills and I hope the venue owners take that into account when reviewing their performance.

Decent management + a great venue = a fantastic experience

Poor management + a great venue = a disappointing experience

A pretty simple...