"You went there for the people and went there for the bands" : the Sandringham Hotel - 1980 to 1998

Abstract

The Sandringham Hotel, situated at 387 King Street, Newtown is recognised as one of the main pub rock institutions in inner Sydney. Bands began playing there in 1980 and continued, eventually seven-nights-a-week, until 1998. This study surveys the popular music-making activity at the site across those years, following a historically oriented narrative. In 1998 the place was extensively renovated and the unique architecture and management principals that supported the vibrant music-making culture were substantially changed. As a result, the community of regular patrons who closely identified with the site dispersed. The study aims to provide a history of this diverse community built around this urban music-making site, through one-on-one interviews with key participants in the building and maintenance of that unique culture. Interviewees were chosen from four identified roles of engagement with the site, being either owner/manager, musician, staff or patron. Defining the boundaries of these roles became problematic throughout the length of the study, however, as the process of personal identification with the site, and the particular ethos of the place became apparent in the analysis. The study is also informed by my close association with the hotel over many of the years covered. I worked as a barman there between 1994 and 1996, visited the hotel to see bands from 1986, and performed there regularly from 1992 until 1998. This close knowledge of the site provided access to key participants and also assisted in the understanding of the performance and work rituals practiced there. My role as insider researcher is also critiqued via relevant literature. Through analysis of the narratives offered by the 25 interviewees, the thesis explores issues around the formation of identity at the site, and how participants in the culture came to regard the place as their own. The 'feeling of community' expressed by all interviewees will be discussed through reference to relevant literature and held against the more fluid ideas of what 'community' symbolises in studies concerned with group identification. Rituals instigated and maintained at the site are analysed with a view to understanding how participation in regular community events deepened the sense of belonging to the site expressed in the interviews. These three key investigative themes, namely 'identity', 'community' and 'ritual' are recurrent throughout the narrative, along with the idea of a 'place' based music-making scene. The study is divided into the three main areas in which the identification and contestation of these themes played out. The areas are the people, the place, and the songs from bands closely identified with the venue.

Date of Award	2010
Original language	English