The Lord Gladstone

The Lord Gladstone is a 150-capacity Chippendale venue whose split personality suits a close-range show: pub action and a concrete courtyard downstairs, plus Goodspace upstairs, a 100-capacity room used for intimate music, poetry and visual-art events. Its draw lies in that pairing of gig space and gallery space inside a three-storey hotel building, giving a small bill a social, house-party feel without leaving the pub setting.

A pub remade for the creative crowd

The present-day Lord Gladstone began in early 2015, when publicans Paddy Coughlan and Ben Johnson took over the former Gladstone, renamed it and refurbished the once-grungy Regent Street pub. The relaunch put live music alongside a new first-floor gallery, Goodspace, which Chris Loutfy founded that year to give emerging artists regular exhibition opportunities. Early renovation-period parties brought Sticky Fingers, Horrorshow and the One Day crew through the building, establishing the venue’s preference for local scenes and loose, event-led nights. In 2019, Coughlan sold the pub licence to Johnson and his second-in-command Mitchell Crum, while a new building owner took control of the property; Johnson said the next phase would put added weight behind intimate Goodspace gigs and late-night events. City planning records also show the upper floors operating as gallery and ancillary office space, formalising the venue’s two-level cultural setup.

The room today

Booking here favors developing artists, DJs, promoters and mixed-format nights over headliner-scale production. Current listings span live launches upstairs and dance events downstairs, while the venue packet’s R&B and indie focus fits that broad local-programming approach. Expect close quarters, a pub bar within easy reach and the courtyard acting as a pressure valve between sets or DJ rotations. Goodspace received soundproofing support in 2024, a practical upgrade for its upstairs program; the main venue’s listed capacity remains 150.