Concrete Playground

Spartan would be one word used to describe 505. You'd quite easily walk past its front when strolling down Cleveland Street without even glancing up, or knowing that behind a bland, unobtrusive door lies a music venue showcasing some very groovy up and coming Sydney talent.

And not just that - it also hides a great place for a drink. While it's not somewhere that you'd visit if you were just after a quiet night out, if you like music with your beverage of choice then this is the place, though that does mean there's usually a cover charge in order to get in. Still, with an array of music to suit your appetite and the fact that it's an artist run space that brings local talent to the stage nearly every night of the week, 505 definitely deserves to not escape your notice.

A seasonal tapas style menu of delicious share plates are also available, and while we'd already eaten, the dishes that were being carried past looked, and smelled, incredibly enticing. Pull up the comfiest couch you can find to sit and enjoy the music, which, despite the interior being reasonably spacious, the atmosphere created by cushions, levels and miniature chairs you'd recognise from your primary school creates a wonderful intimate environment in which to tap your toes and click your fingers to whatever beat you've come to appreciate.

With the sad loss of a growing number of Sydney music venues, you have to appreciate, and support, one that's sticking to its dream of  "a space from which to support the local community of inner-city artists/musicians/performers, non-profit groups and audiences."