The Weary Traveller

Overview

Sydney is no stranger to a pop-up concert venue. Just this year, gig-goers have been blessed with the introduction of Pleasure Playhouse in Haymarket and Speakers Corner on William Street. These two limited-time spaces brought together rosters of genre-spanning talent for a series of gigs, and this summer, another like-minded venue is springing forth — this time in a nostalgic Martin Place building.

The Weary Traveller is taking over the basement of the iconic Harry Seidler mushroom building — also known as the CTA Business Club — between Thursday, January 5 and Sunday, January 29 as part of Sydney Festival. This late-night haunt will bring a 70s lounge bar energy to the longstanding building and play host to 16 shows, each presenting a different boundary-pushing artist spanning the genres of pop, punk, jazz, hip hop, dance and more.

On the lineup: always relatable Wergaia and Wemba Wemba singer-songwriter Alice Skye, pop trailblazer June Jones, sax-heavy Sydney punk duo Party Dozen, experimental electronic producer and dance floor favourite Moktar, and rock-reggae icons Coloured Stone.

And that's just the start. There will also be two big dance parties curated by Astral People, a performance from Australian voice Tom Snowden, a collaboration between Melbourne hip hop trio Two Birds and Sydney's Bayang (Tha Bushranger), two shows from British grime star Lil Silva, and appearances from Automatic, HTRK and Potion.

Adding to the throwback energy of the venue, Sydney Festival has enlisted the help of nostalgic Australiana expert Hawke's Brewery as the official beer of the festival and The Weary Traveller.

Tickets range between $29–59 and can be purchased in a multipack. Head to the Sydney Festival website to view the program and nab tickets.

Jacquie Manning

Top image: Jacquie Manning