Hordern Pavilion

Who needs a sauna when you can go to a concert at the Horden? This mid-​sized venue should have a no long sleeves policy; with no ventilation bar the two back doors and 5,500 dancing fans and you’re guaranteed to come out dripping your own and everyone else’s sweat.
Another for the dress code — platform heels, for both genders. The floor is big and flat and the stage low, so unless you’re over 6 foot or in the first few rows, good luck trying to see anything. The only reprieve is the limited tiered seating, but I’m not nana enough to sit down at concerts just yet.

The Hordern is a mid-​size venue, right between the Sydney Entertainment Theatre and the Enmore Theatre. I was last here in 2010 for the A Tribe Called Quest tour: I can honestly say, without a doubt, that this was the loudest room I have ever been inside. There were girls behind us who shouted and screamed so loud for Q-​Tip and the immortal Phife Dawg that my ears rang and I thought I was close to passing out. It was astronomical.
This place packs out for the big gigs, so I would definitely recommend getting there as early as possible to get up front. That is my general preference, even if it involved sitting through some terrible Aussie rap and two excellent sets by DJ Maseo of De La Soul.

The Hordern Pavilion is such a great venue in the heart of the city. It’s located in the Moore park Fox Studios’ area — now called The Entertainment Quarter.
I’ve been here to watch a few live acts, and I’ve loved the general vibe you get, with the indoor/​outdoor areas. Although, it’s quite easy to loose people, and therefore also hard to find them again. When it gets packed it turns into a bit of a mosh pit, and it can be very tight, but a lot of fun too. But don’t worry tired legs — ample seating wraps around the huge standing area — it’s just damn spacious.
Although the vibe is pretty relaxed, the lines for alcohol & food can be enormous, and that also denotes the lines for toilets will be big. The great thing though, is that you can break free from the crowds and get some fresh air very easily without exiting/​re-​entering every time.
If you’re coming by car you can park in the Entertainment quarter parking for a flat fee of $ 6 after 6pm. Entry is via Lang Road, off Anzac Parade, Moore Park.

Hordern Pavillion is a hugely versatile venue, hosting live music, expos, corporate functions and my favourite, the roller derby.
Basically just a big hall, it mainly houses music gigs. And whilst these gigs go off, the sound system isn’t actually that great — it’s loud (very, very loud) and unless you’re standing right in the middle of the hall you’re pretty much missing out on anything quality. It’s far from being intimate, and yet it’s not big enough to qualify as stadium proportions.
There is a bar just outside the hall — a shitty and expensive bar whose fridges are stocked with shelves of energy drinks, Smirnoff Double Blacks and tinnys of VB. And people line up for this. What’s more, with only one ATM the money line is always really long, meaning that any trip to the bar involves a 15 minute line at the ATM plus a 20 minute wait at the bar in order to buy an expensive and sugary premix.
The venue in itself isn’t one of Sydney’s best. But in saying that, it hosts a lot of fantastic gigs, and a night of roller derby at the Hordern is one of Sydney’s greatest sporting sights.

So many notable experiences of my adolescence took place here; John Butler Trio with my Dad and his mate, wondering why the air smelt so funny. Oasis with some friends, where we were bitterly disappointed by the famously cross Gallager brothers. Grinspoon, where I felt so grown up but was so very young. Sneaky Sound System, with a boyfriend better now forgotten.
Going again to The Horden Pavillion was certainly a trip down memory lane, a moment of nostalgia for my adolescent self. Not much has changed; the security are still brusquely efficient, the lines are still long and the drinks still highway robbery. But being that you’re coming for a band, none of this matters.
What matters is the space you can dance in; the Horden is a biiiiiig space that fits lots and lots of sweaty people.
What matters is the seating; you can sit on the side and have a quiet moment and a tear to a beautiful song, and hold on to your companions.
What matters is the acoustics; the Horden is LOUD.
What matters is being able to see the band; My fifteen year old self didn’t have much luck with that, and now I’m 22 I’m still struggling. But that’s the nature of going to see a band — of course the genetically tall and pushy at the front can see, at the expense of everyone else.
As a space, the Horden Pavillion offers a great place to dance it out to The Presets; it’s not quite intimate for someone quiet and soulful, but overall gives the punters what they want. Lights; sounds; drinks.