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New Sydney Folk Club - Bush Bash starts Wednesday 23rd May
7.30pm - 10.30pm every Wednesday night, The Imperial Hotel, 252 Oxford St, Paddington

By Sandra Nixon
Posted Monday, January 9, 2012

Live music and old-styled entertainment to return to Paddington.

Bush Bash starts Wednesday 23rd May

The inner-city suburb of Paddington was once the home of a vibrant live acoustic music scene which fell over in the 1970s - a victim to deejay music. The pubs of Paddington used to feature jazz, blues, folk and singer-songwriters and, one by one, they lost out to doof doof doof.

The recently renovated historic Imperial hotel is bringing live music back every Wednesday night with Bush Bash - an evening of bush songs, city ditties, ballads, poetry, tunes, yarns and storytelling.

Bush Bash - an evening of bush songs, city ditties, ballads, poetry, tunes, yarns and storytelling

Hosted by cultural historian and performer, Warren Fahey, Bush Bash will feature a ‘house band’ - Marcus Holden (fiddle, mandolin, banjo and guitar), Garry Steel (accordion) and Clare O’Meara (vocals, fiddle) - members of his two groups The Larrikins and The Australian Bush Orchestra - and plenty of surprises. Local poets, singers and musicians will be welcome to the evening’s ‘open mic’ segments and there will also be a regular ‘bar stool chat’ where an invited guest will chat to the audience. Fahey comments, “We want Bush Bash to surprise with entertainment that reflects Australia’s bush heritage and Paddo’s role as a unique Sydney suburb. The Imperial hotel’s first floor lounge is spacious, has a terrific in-house sound system, bar food and great character - but best of all it has a management that is connected to the bush. It is the sort of night where the audience can join in singing or playing along and that certainly is very rare in Sydney.”

Warren Fahey was ‘born and bred in Paddington’ and established the legendary Folkways Music store in 1973. He knows loads of Paddington stories! “I grew up in Paddington and well remember listening to music in the pubs. It was always a journey of discovery, always something slightly different, and I loved it.” His latest album featuring The Australian Bush Orchestra is receiving wide acclaim and radio airplay for its high-spirited music evocative of the 19th century bush dance tradition and iconic Australian campfire.