Sydney music's hidden histories

The State Library of NSW holds incredible materials that can enrich our understanding of Sydney music’s past and provoke us to dream about what it might be into the future. 

This panel event takes a deep dive into one venue, the iconic Hopetoun Hotel in Surry Hills, and its listings in On The Street and Drum Media, to show how rich Sydney’s music and arts scene once was. 

Using this one pub and these materials, Library Fellow Liz Giuffre uncovered thousands of ‘slots’ for music, capturing artists from around the country and across genre, gender and era.

Much more than simply staging ‘blokey pub rock’, small-to-medium venues like the Hoey were the lifeblood of the local music scene.

As well as taking an archival deep dive, this panel will consider where the hidden histories of today might be, and how we can bring them into the light.