Bar, Live Music entertainment in Sydney
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Marble Bar
Built for a staggering £32,000 in 1893 as part of the Adams Hotel on Pitt St, this incredibly ornate underground bar is one of the best places in town for putting on the ritz (even if this is the Hilton). When the Adams was demolished in 1968, every marble slab, wood carving and bronze capital was dismantled, restored, then reassembled here. Musos play anything from jazz to funk from Wednesday to Saturday. On Friday’s it’s full of suits, getting seedier as the night progresses.
reviewed
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B
Exchange Hotel
There’s a whole mess of venues here, mashed together under one roof. Q Bar pumps hot house seven nights a week; Spectrum is an alt-indie club with live bands; and sticky, sexy, claustrophobic Phoenix is home to alternative gay clubbers. Sandwiched in between, the Exchange is a regulation beery pub. Down and dirty: if you don’t come out drenched in sweat, you’re not doing it right.
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Bald Rock Hotel
Surrounded by brick walls and mechanics in Rozelle’s industrial hollows, this blue-collar pub (1876) has only just ripped out the scungy carpets and attempted to spruce itself up. The results (thankfully) are far from convincing – it’s still a pugilistic docklands boozer with heaps of charm. Trivia on Thursday; live bands on Saturday; acoustic stuff on Sunday.
reviewed
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A.B. Hotel
An old fave with a $5-million facelift, the former Ancient Briton is looking mighty handsome – particularly the Pacific Penthouse, with live fish swimming around inside the bar. Heavy drapes and portraits of Lenin adorn the walls, there’s a cute beer courtyard, trivia on Monday and live jazz on Thursday. The jukebox swings from Bowie to the Beach Boys.
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North Bondi RSL
This RSL bar ain’t fancy, but with views no one can afford and drinks that everyone can, who cares? Bring ID, as you need to prove that you live at least 5km away to justify your presence, otherwise you’ll need to be a member. There are live bands most Saturdays, trivia on Tuesday, cheap steaks on Wednesday and poker comps on Monday and Thursday.
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F
Strawberry Hills Hotel
This basic corner pub features the live jazzy jive of the Eclipse Alley 5 (4pm to 7pm Saturday) and Bill Dudley’s New Orleanians (5pm to 8pm Sunday). Plus happy hour is from 2.30pm to 6pm – throw down some $2.50 schooners before the show. ‘Consistency, mate… That’s what we’re about, ’ says the barman.
reviewed
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Manly Wharf Hotel
Harking back to 1950s design (all feature walls, bamboo and stone) on Manly’s harbour side, the Manly Wharf Hotel is perfect for sunny afternoon beers. Tuck away a few schooners after a hard day in the surf, then pour yourself onto the ferry. Live acoustic and flamenco Tuesday and Wednesday; DJs Thursday to Sunday. Great pub food, too.
reviewed
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Bar Me & El Rocco Jazz Cellar
Sydney’s first jazz club. Between 1955 and 1969 this was the city’s premier finger-snappin’, beret-wearing boho dive, hosting performances by Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan. Those heady days are long gone but live jazz is back on the agenda in the legendary rock-hewn basement. There are free fortnightly open-mic nights on Monday.
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Annandale Hotel
The Annandale is spearheading Sydney’s rock revival, coughing up alt-rock, metal, punk and electronica. Afro’d punters traverse the sticky carpet between sets by the likes of the Dandy Warhols and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Cult movies Monday night; ‘Pub Cha’ lunches on weekends.
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Hopetoun Hotel
Once the uncontested crucible for new Sydney rock bands, the diminutive ‘Hoey’ is still a launch pad for garage bands on the boil. On Sunday afternoon it transforms into a low-key space with DJs and night crawlers knocking the froth off a few cold ones before they hit the sack.
reviewed
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K
Hero of Waterloo
Enter this rough-hewn sandstone pub to meet some locals, chat-up the Irish bar staff and grab an earful of the nightly music (piano, folk, jazz or Celtic). Downstairs is an original dungeon where drinkers would sleep off a heavy night before being shanghaied to the high seas.
reviewed
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L
Hotel Hollywood
An inner-city art-deco gem, the prow-shaped Hollywood hasn’t felt the need to buff itself up to a superficial sheen. A mixed crowd of Surry Hillbillies gets down to serious beer business. There’s live jazz Monday to Wednesday, and a loungy DJ set on Thursday.
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Sandringham Hotel
Minimal (or no) cash will score you a live-music fix at the down-size Sando, where, according to local band The Whitlams, God drops by for a schooner. Everything from acoustic acts to goth metal. There’s a beer garden, free internet and happy hours from 4pm to 7pm.
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Empire Hotel
The Empire’s 300-capacity bar gets down ’n’ dirty with Sydney’s best blues and roots. Local bands with loyal followings play free gigs; listen out for international artists and regular metal, ska, rockabilly and country and western nights.
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Excelsior Hotel
This casual, grungy joint is good for a footpath schooner or two on a sunny afternoon, but it’s at night when it really kicks out the jams. A local alt-rock epicentre, it attracts an eclectic crowd to nightly live gigs.
reviewed
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Cat & Fiddle
Around 30 live bands (mainly rock, blues and folk) perform here every week, from Wednesday through Sunday. Low-key reggae competes with big-screen sports in between sets. About as relaxed as Balmain allows itself to be.
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Q
Macquarie Hotel
The early-opening Mac is a good down-home pub with stuff on every night: pool and poker comps, wine tasting, live music and DJs. It also brews its own beer – the Bavarian Red Lager will put hairs on your chest.
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