Spirits Of The Hoey

Spirits of the Hoey is a unique love letter to an iconic Sydney live music venue.

The Hopetoun Hotel in inner-city Sydney (affectionately known as ‘The Hoey’) was one of Australia’s best live music venues. In pre-gentrified Surry Hills, the pub was a place for locals and loners to come together safely and share stories, supported by initiatives like “Rock Against Work”, a midweek music fest that coincided with the release of dole (welfare benefits) cheques. What better way to spend the weekly ‘unofficial arts grant’ than over the bar with some great music? 

The Hoey was the launching pad for some of Australia’s finest musical exports and local legends, including Paul Kelly, the Hoodoo Gurus, The Basics (feat Grammy winner Wally De Backer, aka Gotye), Sarah Blasko, Tex Perkins, You Am I and Wolfmother; as well as industry leaders like Millie Millgate (now head of Sounds Australia). The Hoey is also where many international acts and established artists played deliberately ‘intimate’ gigs to groups of industry elites or passionate local punters. Business owners, promoters, label owners, and policymakers also developed their craft in this small venue, many of these are now leaders in their fields internationally.

Close to the city and diverse communities, The Hoey supported emerging artists and audiences with heart, often literally housing musicians upstairs or employing them behind the bar between sets. From the early 1980s to the late 2000s, the pub regularly staged musicians from various genres and eras, mostly for free.  Thanks to poker machines, licensing, and lockout laws,  ‘The Hoey’ shut its doors suddenly in 2009. It has remained empty ever since. 

This is the world premiere of an interactive documentary that resurrects the Hopetoun Hotel as an immersive experience with the University of Technology Sydney Data Arena. Those who knew the place can relive their time and explore the space in VR, while those who missed out can gain exclusive access to a now-lost cultural gem. 

The immersive interactive experience reanimates the long-lost interior of the hotel across different floors and eras, recreated using photogrammetry and modelling of historical building plans from the Powerhouse Museum’s collection. To bring the experience to life are 50 original interviews, providing memories (however hazy) from musicians, punters, staff, and fans. These original pieces provide never-before-seen and heard context about the richness of the scene in Sydney during the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s, supported by testimonies from ordinary people like super-punter Bryan Cook, the venue’s unofficial photographer, whose collection of 1500 odd images also informs this work. 

Beyond the show and tell, this research-based work also asks how the ghosts of the past can help raise the spirits of the future. Audiences are invited to participate broadly and bring their expectations and experiences while learning more about the hidden histories of the Australian, specifically Sydney-based, music scene.

Interviews completed so far as part of the research, in order of interview: 

Tex Perkins, Simone Young, Bill Cullen, Darcy Condon, Craig “Mush” Lawler, Peter Morris, Nick Rastwick, Tim “Sharkie” McLean, Frente – Angie Hart and Simon Austin, Bryan Cook, Michaela Davies, Adam Gibson, David Art Wales, Millie Millgate, Sonia Zadro, Tracee Hutchison, Sacha Molitorisz, Stuart Coupe, Bernie Hayes, Julia Richardson, Edwin Garland, John Kennedy, Lo Carmen, Peter Ward, Lisa Anderson, Luke Snarl, Dale Harrison, Bow Campbell, Paul Mac, Tim Bryon, Jadey O’Regan, Toby Martin, Susie Beauchamp, iOTA, Pat Hayes, Ross Johnston, Tina Havelock Stevens, Andy Kent, Tim Rogers, Christa Hughes, Sarah Blasko, Gig Piglet, Lara Goodridge, Brendan Gallagher, Mark Neilsen, Beck Neilsen, Mick Thomas, Loren McHenry, Margaret Cott, Mary Sponberg, Kriv Stenders, Tony Mott, Clyde Bramley, Terry Serio, Glen ‘Chit Chat Dormand, Deborah Conway, Jon Roberts, Matt Galvin, Danielle O’Donohue, Mel Gregory, Lindy Morrison, Catherine Wearne, Andrew Travers, Cathy Green, Murray Cook, Nick Kennedy, Rob G, John Encarnacao, Fiona Horne, Cass Eager.