With a host of rising and risen local Sydney acts, this new event is one of the nicest surprises this side of opening your stocking from Santa.

A new one-day mini-festival affectionately dubbedOld Mate’s Block Party is due to hit the Factory Floor this month. Another exciting addition to Sydney’s cultural calendar, it was designed partly as a riposte to claims that Sydney’s cultural life is lagging.

“Journo’s are … quick to point to the closure of venues like the Annandale and the Lansdowne as examples of the outcome of Sydney’s poor live scene whilst [ignoring] incredible ventures like King St Crawl,” wrote The Lockhearts, the festival’s curators, in an open letters to fans, making a fair point.(Not that this writer has ever done such a thing, of course.)

The lineup includes such luminaries as gruff voodoo rock’n’rollers Papa Pilko and The Binrats, The Cherry Dolls and The Dead Love, so a good time is already assured.

Old Mate’s Block Party will take place at the Factory Floor on Saturday January 30, with tickets priced at $20. Tickets are available here.

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