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Sydney · Venue

Gopher

A late-night basement bar carrying live music forward in the former Old Manly Boatshed room.

Upcoming shows
38
Address
40 The Corso, 2095 Manly
Phone
(02) 9058 2839
Next show
Wed, 30 Sept 2026
Official siteDirections
Gopher in Sydney

About Gopher

Gopher is a capacity-unlisted live-music bar in Manly, Sydney, in the basement at 40 The Corso. Its defining detail is its address’s unusually direct musical lineage: the room reopened in May 2026 after the closure of the Old Manly Boatshed, a 38-year Manly entertainment fixture. Expect the opposite of a sunlit beach bar: a below-street-level, Irish-NYC-styled room built for pints, late sets and a crowd that stays on after dinner.

A basement inherits a long-running stage

The story begins with the room’s previous life. Grant McMinn and Goff Burgess opened the Old Manly Boatshed in 1987 as a restaurant, bar and live-music venue; Burgess later described a tunnel excavation that created the layout familiar to its regulars. By 2025, the venue had supplied 38 continuous years of music, dancing, comedy, food and drink. Its final run ended in September 2025, following a closure attributed by its operators to circumstances beyond their control.

Gopher opened on Friday, 15 May 2026, with Manly hospitality operator and co-owner Matt Clifton leading the redesign. The reopening carries weight because live music remained part of the plan: opening-weekend performers included Matt Evans, Seedy Mackerels, Kamran McAdam, Toxic Dolls and John Wild. That early bill framed Gopher as a continuation of the site’s after-dark purpose, with a new bar identity around it.

The room today

Gopher programs music most evenings, moving from early solo-acoustic sessions into late full-band sets; its calendar leans toward folk-rooted acoustic performers alongside indie, rock, pop and cover-band material. The official venue description calls it an Irish NYC live-music basement bar, and NSW lists it as a live-performance venue. Low ceilings, dark timber, brass, soft red light and a long bar shape a close, enclosed listening space, while leather booths and reclaimed lighting add seated options around the action. Walk-ins anchor regular visits; functions and large groups can enquire directly.

Sources

  1. The Gopher — Gopher Manly
  2. Irish Stout and Live Music Bar The Gopher Opens in Manly — Broadsheet
  3. The Gopher Manly: New Irish Basement Bar on The Corso — Manly Sydney
  4. The Old Manly Boatshed: Sydney venue to close its doors after 38 years — 9News
  5. A sit down with Old Manly Boatshed owner on the eve of its demise — Manly Observer
  6. Eligible live entertainment venues — NSW Government

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