This week on Breaking Waves, Hughie is joined by Jac and DJ for a lively episode about Sydney nightlife, historic pubs, live music venues and the city’s long relationship with drinking, entertainment and after-dark culture.

The episode begins with Hughie and Jac talking about Sydney’s night-time economy, the legacy of the lockout era and the importance of keeping live music and local venues alive. Jac reflects on how nightlife shapes the city, from Kings Cross to Surry Hills and beyond, while also touching on the role of government, transport, local culture and community energy in supporting a healthy night-time scene.

The conversation then turns to some of Sydney’s famous lost venues. Jac and Hughie discuss the Hopetoun Hotel in Surry Hills, once a much-loved live music venue that hosted major Australian and international acts before closing in 2009. They also look back at Chequers, the famous Sydney nightclub and cabaret venue that became part of the city’s colourful entertainment history.

Later in the show, DJ joins Hughie to explore the deeper history of Sydney pubs. They discuss the early public houses of colonial Sydney, the Lord Nelson Hotel at Millers Point and the unusual story of rum as a form of currency in early New South Wales. The episode also covers the Rum Hospital, Governor Lachlan Macquarie and how alcohol, trade and public infrastructure became closely linked in colonial Sydney.

The show also takes a trip into the era of the six o’clock swill, when early pub closing laws created a frantic rush to drink before 6pm and helped shape Australian drinking culture for decades.

With music from Neil Young, Frank Sinatra, Slim Dusty and Hank Williams Jr., this episode is a funny and historical look at the bars, pubs, clubs and venues that helped shape Sydney.