“The unique thing about The Espy is everyone knows it was a great music venue,” Sand Hill Road co-founder Andy Mullins says. “We have to make it recognisable to everyone who’s loved it over the last 40 years. The experience will be many different things to many different people, so we’re careful to not try to please any one demographic.”

The iconic “Espy”, as it’s known to Melburnians, closed for renovation in 2015 and never reopened. It wasn’t clear what would happen to the beloved pub until it was announced in 2017 that Sand Hill Road had bought the venue with plans to overhaul it. Like Sand Hill’s Garden State and the Waterside Hotel, the Espy will be a pub with many layers.

Rockwiz (the TV music game show filmed at the Espy) co-creator Peter Bain-Hogg will head up live music at the venue. Much like the Espy of old, it’ll host a mix of artists, from huge international acts, to local up-and-comers.

Former chair of the Next Wave festival Janenne Willis is on board to create a seasonal arts and installation program, and there’ll be a bar built specifically for podcasting (punters can plug headphones into the bar and listen in live).