worldwide club guide: sydney

Being a Sydney boy, all of my earliest clubbing experiences took place in Australia’s party capital. Sydney is a city that loves a party (although it stops to recover on Monday/Tuesday nights when it’s a ghost town after dark) and while the coolest, underground clubs come and go there are some mainstays which all visitors should check out.

Home (Cockle Bay Wharf) is Sydney’s biggest club. It survived the super-club era of the 1990s and is still going strong even if not open to its full 2000+ capacity every night. There are four separate areas over three levels, which range the cavernous main room to the more intimate roof terrace which has an outdoor area overlooking Darling Harbour. All of the biggest international DJs have played Home at some stage and music style changes depending on the night.

Tank (Bridge Lane) is part of the swanky Establishment complex on George Street. The entrance is tucked discretely down a laneway so only locals and those with inside knowledge (that now means you) will be able to find it. Apart from special occasions it’s only open 10pm – 6am on Fridays (R&B Superclub) and Saturdays (One Love) but discerning clubbers make regular pilgrimages to listen to the freshest beats from local DJs and international guests. There are three bars and if you’re lucky you may make it into the glam VIP section to hang with the local glitterati.

Sydney has one of the biggest gay communities in the world and, unlike many other cities, gay clubs attract a very mixed crowd. Arq (Flinders Street) has it doors open for all – and on long weekends those doors don’t close for days. There are two floors - upstairs is The Arena, the main dancefloor with lighting and lasers to hypnotize your eyes and a booming sound system to make your body shake. Downstairs is The Vortex, a darker, more minimalist space which has lounges and pool tables as well as a dancefloor.