It’s finally happened: a new bar has opened in Newtown that I can actually recommend. Called Corridor, it’s located just a few doors down from Madame Fling Flong (one of the few other bars in the area that I genuinely like) and with its candles, chesterfield sofas, wooden floorboards and original artworks on the wall, I suspect Corridor will give Madame Fling Flong a run for … [Read more...]
Tokio Hotel – Darling Harbour
You don’t expect to see anything risqué in Darling Harbour and yet on a Friday night there are barmaids in corsets and garters, a burlesque dancer weaving on the dancefloor, a painter dabbing on canvas and a swing band going wild in the Tokio Hotel (formerly known as Home Bar), which is nestled next to Home on the waterfront. The event is called Bohome (and on the fliers … [Read more...]
Small Bar – Sydney CBD
On a Friday evening Small Bar (which despite its name covers three levels) is packed. As a friend of mine and I walk down Sussex Lane, which borders one side of the bar, we see office workers desperate for release and cigarettes puffing outside the cellar entrance while others are crammed within the bar’s stone walls. We take a deep breath, lunge inside, and then within moments … [Read more...]
Underground (and not-so-underground) clubs in Sydney
When I wrote this feature on Sydney’s underground clubs for The Sydney Morning Herald I was surprised not only by the number of illegal venues that were operating but also by the quality of them. Most had a friendly and intimate atmosphere that’s hard for many clubs to create and the bands were often great – for example, the artist line-up at jazz venue 505 (who were nice … [Read more...]
Hotel Hollywood – Surry Hills
The Hotel Hollywood has been around for so long I still remember seeing it as a child and excitedly asking my parents if that’s where movie stars come from. “No, bubeleh, it’s a different kind of Hollywood,” they replied (ok, my parents never called me bubeleh – but I thought some Yiddish might make my childhood seem more endearing). However, there is one movie star to be … [Read more...]