Keep Sydney Open Send Clear Message To New Premier With Latest Lockouts Rally

"This isn't an anti-government movement – we need to work with police, with all our allies to get this across."

These are the words that The Preatures frontwoman Isabella Manfredi chooses to open Saturday's Keep Sydney Open rally, the third anti-lockout law rally to take place in the past year.

The crowd looks significantly smaller than at the previous rallies and it's hard to not to think that maybe people have lost interest now that former NSW Premier Mike Baird is out of office.

Montaigne kicks things off with her hit Because I Love You and quickly has to add an unexpected third song to her set for reasons that seem unclear to everyone, including her.

City of Sydney Councillor Christine Forster stands firm with her stance on the laws, advising the crowd that she had herself a late night at The Stonewall.

"Lockout laws, we don't need them," says a passionate Forster. 

"I'm here to send a message to Macquarie Street [referring to the NSW State Government] that we don't need them."

She goes on to explain how businesses and venues throughout the lockout precinct have been 'deeply and unchangeably’ affected by these laws and that they have had greater ramifications than anyone ever expected them to have.

Forster is the first to mention the new NSW State Premier Gladys Berejiklian and is met with a buoyant cheer when she closes on the statement, "She's become the Premier with a message that she will listen to the people. So, to Gladys and the rest of the people in Macquarie Street, please listen".

Ganggajang has the crowd dancing and chanting back to them with the cry "Keep Sydney open, it's what we need."

Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Alex Greenwich shares his own personal anecdote of how he met his now-husband on a dancefloor in a Kings Cross nightclub after 1.30am. He urges the crowd to continue their plight to make a difference to the laws and assured that their voices are being heard.

Keep Sydney Open Founder Tyson Koh knows how to get the crowd into the right spirit. His opening of "So guys, no more Mike Baird…" is met with the loudest cheer of the day.

He regales of how even The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, couldn’t go out for a late-night whiskey after 11pm on a Wednesday night during his recent trip to Sydney, to which Koh said was just an embarrassment for the city.

"Fun is not a crime. There is no reason you should be shamed by some out of touch baby boomer or politician," Koh tells the crowd.

"We need to take back our right to enjoy your streets. When we stand together, we really can achieve a lot. We have to let Gladys know what the issue is and why it's important for us."