PEDESTRIAN.TV has teamed up with Paramount+ to bring you up to speed before season two of Last King of The Cross drops.
I’m so pumped for Last King of The Cross season two! If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s a fictional Aussie drama based around the character of John Ibrahim, who owns a bunch of Kings Cross nightclubs.
Season one really upped the ante — with some truly brutal murders, shady drug deals and a look into Sydney’s seedy underworld.
Last King of The Cross season two premieres on August 30, 2024, and it throws audiences into the early ‘00s. After a police crackdown on the joints in the Kings Cross area, John (played by Lincoln Younes) sets his sights on a new area to take over: Oxford Street.
It looks like season two will focus on John expanding his empire while also maintaining links to the Cross.
“Last King of The Cross promises to once again push the boundaries, showcasing the evolution of our characters against the backdrop of Sydney’s gritty and glamorous nightlife scene where power, sex, crime, and business intersect,” producer Mark Fennessy told Now to Love.
“Season two will surprise and thrill our audience in unexpected ways as we enter the seductive, dangerous, and ecstasy-fuelled world of the early 2000s.”
The show has meticulously recreated the establishments that used to line the Kings Cross and Oxford Street areas, acting like a time capsule. Back in the ‘90s and early ‘00s, the Sydney nightlife was pumping each night with flashy neon signs lining the strip.
It looks quite a bit different now, and I can’t help but think Sydney lost a bit of character after a slew of nightclub closures. Let’s take a walk down memory lane and see what happened to the popular venues, shall we?
Are any of the Sydney clubs in Last King of The Cross still thriving?
Porky’s
The neon signs outside Porky’s were instantly recognisable. (Image: Facebook/Stations of the X)
This is one of THE key locations in Last King of The Cross, and it’s instantly recognisable. The strip club’s facade was covered with neon signs outside and was considered the hub of Kings Cross’ red light district.
After being in business for 30 years, Porky’s closed its doors in February 2018.
There was talk of demolition and renovation by the real estate agent back in 2018, but it remains empty today. There’s one silver lining though — the iconic Porky’s neon signs are still hanging on the ghost-like building! They’re not turned on, but it’s pretty cool to see a slice of history.
(The strip club looks completely different nowadays. Image: Facebook/Old Shops Australia)
Andrew Woodhouse, president of the Potts Point and Kings Cross Heritage Society, successfully lobbied to keep the neon signs on display — no matter what happens to the building.
“It’s part of the history and heritage of the area and has heritage significance as a social and architectural element from an earlier period,” he told Daily Mail.
LDT / DCM
DCM was known for its incredible dancefloor. (Image: YouTube/Christopher Livermore)
In season two, the character John Ibrahim purchases LDT on Oxford Street. I reckon this is supposed to be their version of DCM (Don’t Cry Mama) — Australia’s largest nightclub.
DCM was a queer nightclub that thrived from the early ‘90s to 2009, before lockout laws proved too tough for it to survive. It was known for having a sick sound system and a ‘yuge dancefloor.
The Med Sydney is now thriving in its place. (Image: Facebook/The Med Sydney)
You can still visit the site of the old DCM club though — The Med Sydney / The Mediterranean now operates in its place. The massive club holds a bunch of events and hosts a ton of Hens Parties.
Stripperama
Stripperama as seen in Last King of The Cross. (Image: Paramount+)
Stripperama Strip Club may have closed down, but its spirit still lives on in the form of Dulcie’s Kings Cross, who have embraced the history.
It was pretty dark and seedy when the new owners came in, with owner Brandy Martignago telling Not Quite Nigella they were warned “not to touch the walls because they were so dirty”. They even found “a stash of needles and bottles” in the back area.
Stripperama has turned from a strip club to a sip club! (Image: Facebook/Stations of the X & Jonathan Kopasakis, Dulcie’s)
The Stripperama history inspires all their fixtures, fittings and cocktail menu, and Dulcie’s red neon sign out the front certainly seems like a homage.
Fun fact: Mel B AKA Scary Spice from the Spice Girls has even dropped by Dulcie’s for a cheeky bev!
Pinocchio’s and Cosmopolitan Cafe
The Cosmo as seen in the ’80s. (Image: Facebook/Stations of the X)
Last King of The Cross production designer put lots of thought into the recreation of both The Cosmo and Pinocchio’s.
“We read widely and we went to the real strip and did a lot of photographic study into the buildings and tried to bring that building vernacular into the design,” he told TV Tonight. “Pinocchio’s and Cosmo which are two cafe-restaurants that were very important.”
Pinocchio’s Pizzeria was nearby and was instantly recognisable by its large green neon sign out the front.
Pinocchios as seen in Last King of The Cross. (Image: Paramount+)
Pinocchio’s as seen in the 1970s. (Image: Facebook/Lost Sydney)
Neither establishment exists today and there have been a couple of failed businesses in the area since. In 2010, wine bar Coca Cubana opened in the spot before KingsXWhisper bar gave it a shot in 2012. It looks like this area on the Cross is now occupied by a Sushi Hub and a gym — a far cry from its heyday!
Lasers
Lasers as seen in Last King of The Cross. (Image: Paramount+)
This gaming arcade is notorious for being the spot where lots of cocaine deals would go down. In the 1995 Royal Commission, Police claimed drug operations were “run openly” from this premise, along with Porky’s, Cosmopolitan, and a bunch of other venues. The drug den closed down in the early ‘00s and was sold in 2002.
From 2002 to 2011, the NSW state government’s Health Administration Corporation leased the building for their K2 Kirketon Road Centre. The needle exchange also provided health and social welfare advice along with drug treatment referrals and assessments.
Lasers looks pretty different these days. (Image: RealCommercial.com.au/Gunnings)
According to Urban, the location sold again in 2020 to a national pharmaceutical chain, who want to “install a shop front on the ground floor, an internet café on the first floor and to convert the upper levels into short-term accommodation.”
I can’t wait to see what other Oxford Street clubs Last King of The Cross visits in season two. It’ll add colour, diversity and a whole new energy to the show!
Season 2 of Last King of The Cross is now streaming, only on Paramount+.
The post What Happened To These 6 Sydney Nightclubs Featured In Last King Of The Cross? Let’s Dive In appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
