[Last Updated 24 Aug 2023]
SXSW Sydney’s Music venues cover an area from Tumbalong Park in the north of the CBD to the Lord Gladstone at the south end of Chippendale, and from The Lansdowne on the (inner) western edge to The Soda Factory in the east at the bottom of Oxford Street. About 15 of SXSW Sydney’s 2023 music venues have either been confirmed by SXSW or reported elsewhere.
There’s a map on the official site, but I’ve gone and pulled one together that combines both confirmed and reported venues:
Overall
Looking at the map, the density of venues is currently centred along Broadway and down through Chippendale. If you drew a triangle based on The Lansdowne, UTS Underground, and the Lord Gladstone, it’d take about ten minutes to walk between each point, and the triangle would contain nine venues, over half of those announced so far. If you’ve got a music badge or wristband, this is likely where you’ll be spending a bunch of your time, especially if you’re trying to venue hop from show to show. This is also an *extremely* bar-friendly area, and there will be tons of non-SXSW places to stop and calm down for a minute away from the hordes (you’ll need a break at some point, guaranteed).
The Venues
Tumbalong Park
Big and open (the Sydney home of the biggest fanzone for the Women’s World Cup this year) this is where the largest and showiest of shows will happen. It’s semi-convenient for other venues, but is really close to the main conference venue (and its hotel for out of town visitors staying there).
Austin equivalent: Stubb’s (without the barbecue).
The Lansdowne
One of the most-loved venues in Sydney, The Lansdowne has two levels plus a rooftop bar. It’s unknown yet whether they’ll be using both levels for music, but the downstairs is smaller, with the upstairs room holding a couple of hundred. The current owner of the space is – without exaggeration – a legend of live music in Sydney, and has a looong track record of getting acts to play who by rights should be on bigger stages. Expect the same, only madder, at SXSW Sydney – add in the fact that it’s just a great place to hang out (especially on the roof in the sun!) this venue should be at the top of your list. To be honest, you could probably just spend the whole four days here and love every minute of it. One corner of the core ‘Chippendale Triangle’ of venues.
Austin equivalent: Emo’s (6th St version) or Mohawk.
Hotel Hollywood
Legendary LGBTQIA+ venue in the heart of Surrey Hills, the Hollywood is famed for its party atmostphere. Expect mad stuff – it’ll be especially friendly to the queer community, artists and audiences alike.
APRA AMCOS
Honestly no idea what’ll be happening here – it’s on the list of venues, but it’s not really a venue. This’ll be a wait-and-see, but my guess is that there’ll be a bunch of live podcast recordings, interviews, sessions, and stuff like that. If so, it might be a good spot to see some artists do acoustic sessions up close.
The Abercrombie
Newly reopened as a HUGE multi-level party venue, this place is – like Hotel Hollywood – notably queer-friendly, and will like go off like a bloody firecracker. Mainly electronic-focussed outside of SXSW, it’ll be interesting to see what they do with the space.
Knox Street Bar
Not been here, but looks like a bonkers little venue. Bet this one’ll be super-fun.
The Chippo Hotel
Dark, small, underground, and brilliant, it literally always feels like it’s 2am at The Chippo. Marvel at the astonishingly accurate re-creation of my 90s bedroom walls plastered on the ceiling. Loud, raucous, and sweaty will likely be the order of the night, with guitars featuring prominently.
The Sneaky Possum
A charming little house of a venue with the world’s tightest bar downstairs, plus a couple of spaces for *really* intimate shows elsewhere in the building. Likely to be an oasis of calm and charm amid the maelstrom.
The Barrie
Never seen live music here, but given its normal life is primarily a cocktail bar, my guess is initimate performances, and – in particular – late night ones, since it’s got a 3am licence.
The Lord Gladstone
One of the most Austin-ish of all venues in Sydney, this sprawling, ramshackle-but-loveable pub is pretty much guaranteed to host some of both the loosest guitar-based shows – no stages, right up in your face – as well as bouncing garden parties during the Sydney spring sunshine (and into the night).
Austin Equivalent: Jackalope
The Civic Underground
The Civic’s underground venue doesn’t play a major role in Sydney’s live music scene – it’s primarily a party venue – but when it does, it’s brilliant. It’s got a sunken dancefloor right in front of the stage for crying out loud, the place is brilliant. Convenient to The Soda Factory, Hotel Hollywood, and even close enough to Tumbalong Park if you’re making a night of it.
Phoenix Central Park
Artsy as hell, Phoenix has made a name for itself hosting one-off events with a lottery-style ticketing system. It’ll be fascinating to see what they do in terms of both the lineup and the space for SXSW Sydney. I’d bet money that there’ll be a standout performance here over the course of the week.
Austin equivalent: that church Tom Morello played that one time
The Soda Factory
Worth a visit just to go through its front door, The Soda Factory is another underground space. Drenched in Americana, it’s a cosy space to see any band play. Plus the food – pure US sports bar – might come in handy as a refuelling stop while also seeing a band.
Powerhouse Museum
In its new location, I’ve not seen live music here. It’s in a museum though (albeit a really high-tech one), so any show here will be something to remember.
UTS Underground
The university’s live music space, UTS Underground will likely host many of the most up-and-coming acts. ‘Next Big Thing’ hunters should keep an eye on their listings, especially for domestic artists.