Best entertainers in Pyrmont
Old wool stores and sugar sheds make wonderful offices and terrible rooms for live music. Pyrmont is full of them, converted into studios and open-plan floors for media and tech businesses, and when those businesses throw a party the room usually has brick walls, a concrete floor and a ceiling three storeys up. Sound bounces around that for a very long time.
The acts nearest you are a kilometre away in central Sydney, which for a duo with two bags is barely a walk. Exactly the same ten sit at the top of the Barangaroo page next door, so there is no point running both searches. What differs is the room you are putting them in, and around here that is the whole problem.
Top picks in Pyrmont
Top picks are the nearby performers with the most visible reviews, then rating, then the closest; further afield the closest come first, and premium listings break remaining ties. Distances are straight-line from Pyrmont. Ask each act whether they travel to your venue and what that costs.
Questions people ask about entertainers in Pyrmont
Why does a band sound bad in a converted warehouse?
Because brick, concrete and glass reflect sound instead of soaking it up, so every note hangs in the air while the next one arrives. That turns a tight band into mush and makes vocals hard to pick out. An act who has played rooms like this will bring less volume, more speakers pointed in the right direction and someone watching the mix, which is worth more than a bigger PA.
What works for a company party in an open-plan office?
Keep it small and keep it moveable. A DJ or a duo sets up in a corner of the floor, needs one power point and does not require anyone to shift desks, while a five-piece with a kit needs floor space you probably do not have. If the party runs from drinks to dancing, a DJ handles that transition with the least fuss.
Do inner Sydney acts charge for travel to Pyrmont?
They should not, and generally they do not. The closest acts are pinned barely a kilometre away in the city, so any travel line on a quote for Pyrmont is worth a polite question. Parking is a different matter, and if you can offer a spot in the building's car park, say so in your first message and you will get a warmer reply.
Booking tips
Ask whether they bring a sound tech
A hard-walled warehouse floor needs somebody adjusting the mix once people are in the room, not a band who set the levels at soundcheck and never touch them again. Ask if a tech is included and what it costs if not.
Soft things absorb sound
Nothing fancy: a few rugs, some hanging fabric, tables with cloths, and a crowd standing in the middle rather than against the walls all take the echo out of a hard room. Ask the act where they would like to be set up and work outwards from there.
Check the loading dock and the lift
Converted buildings often have one goods lift shared with every tenant and a dock that closes at six. Find out the access hours before you agree a start time, because a band locked out at five thirty is not playing at seven.