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Nina Las Vegas, Flume And More Join The Fight Against Sydney's Lockout Laws

Artists join the fight to #KeepSydneyOpen.
Artists mourning the loss of live music venues.
Alison Wonderland/Facebook
Artists mourning the loss of live music venues.

Memorial plaques have been laid outside closed-down music venues across Sydney to show the impact lockout laws are having on the city's music scene.

Anti-lockout group, Keep Sydney Open, has enlisted acts including Flight Facilities and The Preatures to speak out about the effect the laws have had on venues that gave them their start in music.

The driving force of the movement is that "crucial live music venues in Sydney have closed, several hundred jobs have been lost and the magic around our city is fading," according to the group.

Artist Alison Wonderland, whose plaque was erected outside the now closed Q Bar, said in an Instagram post she doesn't know where she would be without the opportunities the bar gave her.

"The nightlife in Sydney is what made me fall in love with what I do. So many of my craziest, fondest, stupidest & most inspiring memories come from this time in my life," she posted.

Keep Sydney Open is fighting the 2014 decision of the NSW State Government to impose a number of restrictions on inner city venues, including the 1.30am lockout laws.

"All this for a minimal impact on violence, which was shown to be in decline since small-bar licenses were granted in 2008," the movement said on their website.

The recently released independent review into the lockout laws by former High Court judge Ian Callinan found that live entertainers now had fewer performing opportunities.

Although Callinan said he wasn't satisfied that providers and customers had done all they could to adapt to the laws.

"I do not understand why some of those opportunities have not migrated to other areas or other times," he said in the report.

The plaques were installed outside 18 venues which have been closed since the 2014 laws came into play.

DJ Nina Las Vegas, also spoke out in an Instagram post saying that the culture and excitement needs to come back to Sydney.

"We need venues to host the next generation of electronic musicians. We need to #KeepSydneyOpen," she said.

Many of the artists who are featured on the plaques have also taken to social media to express their distaste over the laws and join the fight to #KeepSydneyOpen.

#keepsydneyopen

A photo posted by Tristan Cornelius (@corny83t) on

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