Culture of Sydney
Sydney is a major global city with a vibrant scene of musical, theatrical, visual, literary and other artistic activity.
After the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, a series of cultures emerged and adapted from European and American influences in needs of a modern-class city.
It endures a vibrant arts scene in distinction to multicultural heritage and provides dozens of institutions, including its world heritage-listed opera house.
[citation needed] Some sections of Sydney constitute the areas of European settlement, including Circular Quay and The Rocks, which exist as a remainder of a culture by brought by British convict settlers.
The Sydney Theatre Company shows a regular roster of Australian (by authors such as noted playwright David Williamson), classic, and international plays.
Their productions occasionally incorporate the return to the live stage of famous Australian screen actors such as Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Geoffrey Rush, etc.
New experimental and avant-garde music is performed by Ensemble Offspring, Halcyon, The Noise and others, at the recently refurbished Carriageworks and many small inner-city cafes, warehouses, theatres etc.
The Sound Lounge (SIMA), Jazzgroove, 505[5] and Red Rattler host regular jazz and alternative music events.
Various Sydney inductees into the ARIA Hall of Fame include Johnny O'Keefe, Col Joye (& The Joy Boys), Billy Thorpe (the original Aztecs formed in Sydney), The Easybeats, Sherbet, Richard Clapton, John Paul Young, AC/DC, Radio Birdman, Midnight Oil, Rose Tattoo, Mental As Anything, INXS, Icehouse and Divinyls.
The 1970s saw "progressive" acts like Tamam Shud, Tully and Blackfeather emerge, followed by glam groups Hush & Ted Mulry Gang.
Sydney is famous for its alternative rock scene, with such names as The Celibate Rifles, indie rockers The Clouds, The Vines, Longreef and The Crystal Set, to electronic music pioneers Severed Heads, Single Gun Theory, The Lab, Itch-E and Scratch-E and local favourites Sneaky Sound System.
Other notable bands from the Sydney music scene are Angelspit, Wolfmother, Thy Art Is Murder, and 5 Seconds of Summer.
Sydney has a prominent indie or lo-fi scene which features many rising, internationally touring bands such as Royal Headache, Circle Pit, Electric Flu and Raw Prawn.
A large portion of Australia's children's entertainment originates in Sydney including highly successful musical groups The Wiggles and Hi-5 and television programs Play School, Bananas in Pyjamas, Saturday Disney, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, Mr. Squiggle and many others.
The Biennale of Sydney is an important festival dedicated to the contemporary visual arts, held bi-annually at the MCA and at various other venues around the city and often spilling into the streets.
A huge wrap-around mural by renowned American artist Sol LeWitt can be seen in the foyer of Australia Square Tower on the corner of George, Bond and Pitt Streets.
There are many commercial galleries focusing mainly on cutting-edge contemporary art all around the inner city suburbs of Woollahra, Newtown, Surry Hills, Paddington, Darlinghurst, Camperdown etc.
More contemporary examples include Melina Marchetta's Looking for Alibrandi, J. M. Coetzee's Diary of a Bad Year, Peter Carey's 30 Days in Sydney, Patrick White's The Eye of the Storm and Kate Grenville's The Secret River.
Prolific writers from the city include Geraldine Brooks, Jackie French, Kathy Lette, Phillip Knightley and Richard Neville.
[10] There are huge celebrations for New Year's Eve and Australia Day in Sydney, including a fireworks display that features the Harbour Bridge.
These migrant groups who were subject to racism from the existing population took it upon themselves to found their own football clubs, celebrating their particular ethnic communities.
They were entered in a new league to be known as the A-League, this would act as the show piece national football competition, contested by similarly formed clubs from other large cities around Australia.
In the first 6 years of their existence, Sydney FC have been relatively successful building up a solid support base of around 10,000 members, and sometimes attracting crowds of up to 40,000.
Areas with a large proportion of people born overseas and with non-English speaking backgrounds include Auburn, Fairfield, Liverpool, and Bankstown.
The Qtopia Sydney museum, which is situated in the former Darlinghurst police station, hosts exhibits relating to Australian LGBT history and the AIDS epidemic.
LOTL[17] and Cherry[18] magazines are free, monthly, Australia wide, publications which can be found around Oxford Street, Glebe and Newtown.
The Sapphic Sydney website was a resource which detailed events and community groups as well as featuring a local business directory.
