Music Venues in Sydney, Australia
Great Places For Live Music in Newtown and Rozelle, Sydney
Oct 8, 2008
They don't always appear at the biggest venues so its worth keeping an eye on Sydney's small music venues. Here’s a guide to three of the very best that Sydney has on offer.
The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle
For more than 20 years, the Bridge Hotel in Rozelle, near Balmain, has focused on bringing blues and rock to Sydney. On approach, and especially on a rainy day of the type Bob Dylan sings about, the venue looks like a typical rundown pub in a rundown area. Don’t despair! Once inside the photographs of the greats who have played there will remind the visitor why they are there.
Artists to have graced the relatively small club-style auditorium with standing-room only include Mick Taylor, who took over as lead guitarist with the Rolling Stones on Brian Jones’ death having previously replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, British-born New Orleans-style piano maestro Jon Cleary, the great B.B. King, Chuck Berry's pianist extraordinaire Johnnie Johnson, Tony Joe White, Christine Anu, Tex Perkins and the awesome MGs/Blues Brothers including Steve Cropper and Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn when they backed Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian.
Because there are no near neighbours, the Bridge remains open 24 hours a day, six days a week and that means that, if the band is game, the music can just keep on coming.
The Bridge, Rozelle, can be found at 119 Victoria Rd, Rozelle and the phone number is (02) 9810 1260.
The Vanguard, Newtown
Entering this intimate music venue is reminiscent of entering a Victorian music hall. The purpose-built building is narrow and the area in front of the stage contains table at which dinner is served before and during shows. For the music-fan who wants to enjoy this rare treat, booking in advance is absolutely essential. The menu combines Soul Food and modern Australian cooking.
There is a bar at the rear of the ground floor from which there is a good view of the stage for those happy to stand and watch while they listen to the music, while upstairs there is a balcony with seating and good views of the stage.
The venue is intimate and possibly unique and from time to time hosts scratch bands drawing on Sydney’s most talented musicians, bands which will play a set in the style of some of the world’s greatest rock musicians, for example, Cream.
The Vanguard is situated at 42 King Street, Newtown and the phone number for show bookings is 02 9557 7992. King Street is a 24 hour street which houses a great variety of shops and other restaurants and which is home to one of Sydney’s best secondhand bookshops, Gould’s Book Arcade. This is bohemia at its very best.
Newtown's energetic 24-hour street life attracts visitors to its eccentric speciality stores, intriguing antique and artisan showrooms, new and recycled clothing stores, cafes, restaurants, theatres and pubs.
Eating in Newtown offers a choice of more than 20 affordable ethnic cuisine types in 70 restaurants.
Sandringham Hotel, Newtown
Situated at the other end of King Street in Newtown to The Vanguard, the Sandringham Hotel focuses on local bands and has live music three nights a week. The Sandringham has been renovated twice since 2001, which perhaps suggests the impact the music crowd have had on it and, unlike the Bridge or The Vanguard, is a pub and bistro which offers music rather than a music venue offering alcohol or food. A pub rock venue is how it describes itself and this is correct.
The Sandringham is situated at 387 King Street, Newtown and can be phoned on 02 9557 1254.
A Recommendation for Visitors to Syndey
Each of these venues is very different from the others and each has a very different atmosphere, but they are all worthy of a visit to catch some of Sydney’s best music at some of Sydney’s best music venues.
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