Funky Sydney dance music and house music venues

TFW Rating

Q bar - 34-44 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney

Since the renovations they've sacked the thugs that used to work security and the vibe is back. Q bar has always had some great DJs and remains Sydney's funkiest club venue is awesome again and playing great house and dance music. Q bar is also open till about 9am!!

95

The Greenwood  Hotel, North Sydney

The Greenwood Hotel isn't really a club as such but has to get a mention as the host of the seminal Sounds On Sunday. SOS is Sydney's legendary Sunday afternoon dance music event that is a must for anyone who wants to experience all that Sydney's dance music scene has to offer. The Greenwood  Hotel itself is actually a converted church and boasts a great courtyard venue for daytime events.

95

Cargo Bar - 52-60 The Promenade, King Street Wharf, Sydney

Great looking venue overlooking Darling Harbour - Cargo Bar always plays very funky tunes. Downstairs @ Cargo is much more pub style with a beer garden but still playing funky tunes. Whereas upstairs is justly very popular and can be hard to get into unless you rock up early. Boasting some of Sydney's best DJs it is much more dance oriented and can always be relied on to provide those funky dance and house beats.

90

Yu & Soho Bar - 171 Victoria St, Kings Cross, Sydney

Great venue if you like it dark on the dance floor, top DJs, gets messy after Sounds on Sunday (lots of fun). WARNING: They abandoned House for breaks Friday night so leave it for Saturday and Sunday nights. Yu is often accused of having a 'look at me' crowd but honestly if you care about that you're probably gonna feel that way anywhere. Get over it and get to Yu and have a great night in a great dance music venue. Note: If you turn up in a group of blokes expect to get knocked back. This is unwritten house policy.

85

Civic Hotel - 388 Pitt St, Sydney

Greatest venue layout and vibe in Sydney. The musical inconsistency of last year is a thing of the past thanks to a new team running the place. If you haven't had a night downstairs at the Civic then you are letting yourself down. The dance floor would have to be the most likely place there is to meet someone new, there's just something about Civic that always has a friendly vibe.

85

The World Bar 24 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross, Sydney

The World Bar is a great little venue based in a converted Victorian terrace. The World Bar includes a terrace, bar, pool room and club so all the bases are covered. The World Bar is known for serving cocktails in teapots! The World Bar hosts a number of top Sydney events and is part of the buzz area of King's X that includes The World Bar, Lepanic and Candy's Apartment.

85

Lepanic Bayswater Rd, King's Cross, Sydney

Lepanic is a strong contender for the slickest venue in Sydney only rivalled by Cargo bar really. The big differences between the two are that Lepanic is in the Cross and that there is a bit less of the "beautiful people/look at me" attitude at Lepanic. Lepanic's biggest limitation is it's size it's a bit small but conversely this probably contributes to the sense of intimacy. Lepanic host's a lot of cool house nights and is currently the hottest venue in town.

80

Home Bar @ Home - Cockle Bay Wharf, Wheat Road, Darling Harbour, Sydney

Very nice funky bar on Darling Harbour - Good place to start off before heading on to the clubs. Home Bar plays chill out / lounge house.

75

The Gaelic Club, 64 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, Sydney

Concert venue that has a variety of music styles keep an eye out there have been some unadvertised gems here. The Gaelic Club has had a number of top international dance music artists and house music DJs lately so check out their web site for more.

70

The Metro Theatre

The Metro Theatre is a multi-purpose venue located in the heart of the city. It plays host to a huge variety of entertainment events and private functions. "The Metro" as it is often referred to, consists of two separate and unique spaces plus a foyer.

"The Forum" is the main auditorium, which most people refer to as "The Metro" or the "Main Room". It contains a large stage, viewed equally well from the large timber dance floor and the tiered levels rising to the bar at the back of the room. The design of the room really does allow for unobstructed sight lines from virtually anywhere in the room.

For smaller more intimate events the newly built "Transit Lounge" holds 350 people. The Transit Lounge, leading off the main foyer bar, is a comfortable space with it’s own bar facilities and upper mezzanine level. Once again, the sight lines are excellent.

70

Boehm Lounge @ GAS - 467-477 Pitt St, Sydney.

Pretty cool high celing, theatrical feel to Boehm Lounge. They have some cool house nights and if you feel like something more trance and banging all you have to do is go downstairs. There must have been trouble or a lot of drug activity at this venue in the past because it is frequently visited by police dog squads. It's a very nice looking venue but because it is primarily a trance venue (downstairs) it can seem a bit empty and lack ambience when it is quiet.

70

Candy's Apartment - Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross, Sydney

Candy's Apartment is part of the Bayswater Rd trio of clubs that includes The World Bar, Lepanic and Candy's Apartment. Candy's is pretty skanky inside but it does host some of the coolest events Sydney's House music scene has to offer. There's a fairly large main room that has a tendency to get overcrowded and a smaller side room which is a good place to have a bit of a chill out. Reality is that people go to Candy's for the tunes not the venue.

65

Suzy Q's - 169 Oxford St, Sydney
 

65

Tank Nightclub - 3 Bridge Lane, Sydney

Great looking club full of great looking people. Always has great DJs playing. The only down side to Tank is the layout. There is no goat track and you are constantly bumped by people moving through no matter where you're dancing. if you don't mind this Tank is a great venue that plays top shelf upbeat and peak hour house and dance music. An added bonus to Tank is that there is generally a very nice looking crowd. Secrets to note: there is a nice little members lounge out the back under the stairs which is a chill out zone with loads of lounges to chat with friends old and new, if you speak nicely to the security they always let you in. Note: Don't turn up to Tank drunk. The security is very strict in this regard which is fair enough, so if you are pissed up save yourself cab fare.

60

Establishment Bar - Level 3, 252 George Street Sydney 2000, Sydney

The Establishment is a very nice bar to start off. Lounge style chilled out tunes are always funky but the main reason to go to see all the pretty people and drink cocktails. The dance music doesn't often get many people dancing here as it is mainly a kick off venue. So head upstairs at The Establishment to one of Sydney's finest cocktail bars.

60

Empire Hotel - 2 Roslyn St, King's Cross, Sydney

Open 24 hours a day - Get's very messy but it's still open. Traditionally the middle floor @ Empire is dance music all night. Recently The Empire has jumped on the King's Cross renovation steam train and launched a new sports bar.

50

Space - 127 Liverpool Street, Sydney

Space gets some big names but is poorly laid out the lights are too bright and the sound system is awful. Don't bother unless one of your favourite international DJs is visiting. Even then if they are playing their brand of dance or house music elsewhere then go there.

40

Cave - Pirrama Rd, Star City Casino, Sydney

R&B club only listed as a warning. Any place that needs an airport scanner at the door is dodgy. Note this is the only place in Sydney open on Good Friday but still don't go.

-0