Oxford Art Factory Review

Review By Emily Smith*

Seeking a good night out but want to escape heels, fake tans and muscle shirts? Want a good dance in the City but don’t want to break the bank? Oxford Art Factory is your haven.The people and the music create an addictive atmosphere, and with cheap or no cover charge, you’ll wander to this venue when looking for an unpretentious dance floor on a Friday or Saturday night. Oxford Arts Factory is a perfect destination when you can’t decide on a destination.

Oxford Art Factory is a more alternative club on Oxford Street, attracting students between 18-30. The venue is home to live music all week and transforms into a spectacular dance club most Friday and Saturday nights. The live music and alternative DJs creates an atmosphere that is welcoming to everyone, but probably more appealing to the more alternative and laid-back.

Located on Oxford Street near Museum Station, the venue is close to the biggest gay clubs in Sydney and only a short cab ride from other popular Sydney night spots like Darlinghurst and Kings Cross.

The venue is accessible by steep stairs (not drunk friendly) and is split into two rooms: the Gallery Bar and Main Stage. The decor is more art-house but it is not pretentious. The venues central piece of art, a neon sign that says “FUCK YEAH!” adequately articulates the sentiments of the venue.

Weekdays, the Gallery Bar houses alternative/rock/pop bands. Thursday nights are perfect if you’re seeking an excitable and (importantly) free live gig. The venue has a notable history for sourcing excellent up and coming talent… but be prepared to sip your last G’n’T at around 10pm. When the band finishes on weekdays not much keeps people there. However, it’s central location means it’s a walk or a quick cab from Sydney’s hotspots, so the good times and keep flowing.

On Friday and Saturday the Gallery Bar is often tightly packed with trendy students whose Centrelink budget didn’t stretch far enough for entry into the Main Stage. The Main Stage is host to more chart worthy talent most days of the week. Acts range from alt rock, hiphop to popular DJs. Tickets usually range from $8-$50, depending on the act. Information can be found on the venues website.

Every few weekends Oxford Arts hosts ‘Friday I’m in Love – Late Night DJs’ or ‘Saturday I’m Pregnant – Late Night DJ’s. These are the nights to look out for. These semi-regular DJ nights come alive after the band finishes on the Main Stage (around 12). The dance floor is usually full off ecstatic and inebriated punters excited from the gig before, creating an indescribable atmosphere. It’s free entry, so you’ll find it’s a magnet for average to indie students.

However, with an event line up that changes week to week and day to day, Oxford Art Factory is an unpredictable venue. Be sure to look at the website to see what is planned, as the event usually determines the atmosphere, people, price and overall outcome of the night.




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A 2nd Look @ The Oxford Art Factory

Review By Kelly Teng

If the name didn’t suggest it already, the Oxford Art Factory is a place known in Sydney for its…well, art. Don’t drop in expecting to find crowds of mainstream teenyboppers and minimalistic chic: here, it’s all about the creative side of life.

The Oxford Art Factory is a paradise for bands, visual artists, and anyone who’s vibe is a little bit funky. Sporting a grungy, factoryestyle (it’s not called the ‘art factory’ for nothing) of decor, this location can’t really be called a bar: rather, it’s home to the underground side of Sydney that chooses to embrace the new, the different, and the quirky. The walls are generally lined with art or exposed brick for an urban, underground vibe that can’t be found anywhere else. The factory houses The Gallery (a space for artists to exhibit their work), The Art After Dark bar (for art lovers to come and meet new people as well as grab a drink), and The Live Art Space (for performances). The one thing that caught my eye when I went there was the glass cube that people can walk through or use as a live performance space: it surely was the most creative of anything I’ve ever seen at a night venue, and it certainly does make every patron stop and stare.

Of course, being a house for all things art, it’s natural that the focus of the Oxford Art Factory is on live entertainment. At least four days of the week, you can expect to find bands rocking it out in the Live Art Space. From local to international performances, and dubstep to rock, Oxford Art doesn’t discriminate. No matter what the occasion, before rocking up to this place make sure to check their upcoming events to find the entertainment playing that best suits you. As with all locations, there is also a dance floor but depending on the performance each night, it may range from a crazy dancing group to a mellow crowd who’s just there to listen. Tickets have to be bought to events too, so check out the website before turning up for a band you like, or else you might not even get in to the event!

And on the subject of crowds, don’t forget that the people who come to Oxford Art are largely a part of Sydney’s art group. If you’re anything like me (I can appreciate creativity but don’t know enough to fit in perfectly here), you will spend most of the night feeling lost and confused, but at the same time, intrigued. The people that come here can sometimes seem a bit pretentious, but remember that it is Sydney’s creme-de-la-creme venue as far as art is concerned. Just dash to the awesome bathrooms if the crowd gets to be too much – you’ll find that the urban grunge extends far beyond just the rooms.

To sum up all of the Oxford Art Factory is near impossible: it’s an experience that you just have to see to understand. Even if art and bands aren’t your scene, give it a go…you might just be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

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