Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Music Venues and Nightclubs
Sydney attracts some of the biggest names in modern
music all year round. Venues range from the cavernous
Sydney Entertainment Centre to small and noisy back
rooms in pubs. Visiting international DJs frequently
play sets at Sydney clubs. Some venues cater for a
variety of music tastes - rock and pop one night, jazz,
blues or folk the next. There are several free weekly
gig guides available, including
Drum Media, 3-D World
and
Brag (see p208)
, which tell you what is on.
GETTING IN
Soup Plus
, on Margaret
Street, is a long-established
basement hideaway offering
jazz, blues, latin and swing
while serving reasonably
priced food, including soup.
Experimental jazz is offered
on Fridays and Saturdays at
the
Seymour Theatre Centre
(see pp210-11)
.
The
Vanguard
, a newer venue,
also offers dinner and show
deals, as well as show-only
tickets, and has been drawing
an excellent roster of jazz,
blues and roots talent.
Annandale's
Empire Hotel
is
Sydney's official home of the
blues, and the
Cat & Fiddle
Hotel
in Balmain of acoustic
music and folk.
conventions, which are
followed in Sydney bars and
pubs see pages 196-7.
Tickets for major shows are
available through booking
agencies such as Ticketek
and Ticketmaster
(see p208)
.
Prices vary considerably,
depending on the shows that
are going to take place. You
may pay from $30 to $70 for
a gig at the Metro, but over
$150 for seats for a Rolling
Stones concert. Moshtix also
sells tickets for smaller
venues across Sydney and
their website gives a good
idea of the various venues
and what is on. Buying
online also prevents you from
having to queue early for
tickets from the door.
You can also pay at the
door on the night at most
places, unless the show is
sold out. Nightclubs often
have a cover charge, but
some venues will admit you
free before a certain time in
the evening or on weeknights.
Most venues serve alcohol,
so shows are restricted to
those at least 18 years of age.
This is the usual case unless
a gig is specified “all ages”.
It is advisable that people
under 30 years old carry
photo identification, such as a
passport or driver's licence,
because entry to some venues
is very strict. You are also not
allowed to carry any kind of
bottle into most nightclubs or
other venues. Similarly, any
cameras and recording
devices are usually banned.
Dress codes vary, but gen-
erally, shorts (on men) and
flip flops are not welcome.
Wear thin layers which you
can remove when you get
hot instead of a coat, and
avoid carrying a big bag,
because many venues do not
have a cloakroom. For more
information on rules and
ROCK, POP AND HIP HOP
Pop's big names and famous
rock groups perform at the
Sydney Entertainment Centre,
Hordern Pavilion
, and sports
grounds such as the Aussie
Stadium at
Sydney Olympic
Park
(see p138)
in Homebush
Bay. More intimate locations
include the
State Theatre
(see
pp210-11)
,
Enmore Theatre
and Sydney's best venue,
The
Metro Theatre
. Hip Hop acts
usually play in rock venues
rather than in nightclubs. You
are almost as likely to find
a crew rapping or a band
strumming and drumming at
the Metro Theatre, the
Gaelic
Club, @Newtown
or the
Hopetoun Hotel
. It is not
unusual to catch a punk,
garage or electro-folk band at
Spectrum
or the
Annandale
Hotel
on Parramatta Road.
Pub rock is a constantly
changing scene in Sydney.
Weekly listings appear on
Fridays in the “Metro” section
of the
Sydney Morning
Herald
and in the street press
(see p208)
. Music stores are
also full of flyers and gigs by
international acts and popular
Australian bands, on every
week at the Metro Theatre and
Gaelic Club, usually sell out.
HOUSE, BREAKBEATS
AND TECHNO
Sydney's only super club,
Home Sydney
in Cockle Bay
features three levels and a
gargantuan sound system.
Friday night is the time to
go, as the DJs present house,
trance, drum and bass and
breakbeats. A mainstream
crowd flocks to the nearby
Bungalow
8
on King Street
Wharf with its fresh seafood
dishes and great views of
the Harbour. Once the sun
has set, house DJs turn the
place into a club. At the
swank
Tank
on Bridge Lane,
the emphasis is on pure
house music and the decor
is a throwback to Studio 54
in New York.
36° Bar
, at Star
City, is another mainstream
house club.
For something a little more
hip, try
Candy's Apartment
on Bayswater Road, or the
fashionable tech-electro
Mars
Lounge
on Wentworth Avenue,
with its red lacquered interior
and plenty of seating, where
you can also enjoy a drink
from their extensive list of
cocktails as well as restaurant
quality food. Down the road,
Q Bar
on Oxford Street,
Darlinghurst, has arcade
games for when you need a
breather. Or try the low-
ceilinged
Chinese Laundry
on Sussex Street tucked under
the gentrified pub, Slip Inn
(see p186)
.
JAZZ, FOLK AND BLUES
For many years, the first port
of call for any jazz, funk,
groove or folk enthusiast has
been
The Basement
. Visiting
luminaries play some nights,
talented but struggling local
musicians others, and the
line-ups now also includes
increasingly popular world
music and hip hop bands.
