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Emma Soup + Yours And Owls

24 October 2011 | 12:52 pm | Staff Writer

Emma Soup (Newcastle) and Yours And Owls (Wollongong) are unique venues that have sprung up to fill a void in their respective cities.

Newcastle and Wollongong have their historical roots as rough-as-guts coal mining towns. There must have been a point in history where these cities were bustling but walk down the main streets of either city today and you’ll see vacant shops and buildings. Both cities can seem at times as if ghosts are strolling around, kicking rubbish about as they go. I actually saw tumbleweed in Wollongong once. Really. But under the creepy surface there is more to the steel cities than meets the eye. EMMA SOUP (Newcastle) and YOURS AND OWLS (Wollongong) are two little venues that have recently sprung up to fill a bit of that vacant space. Each venue is excitingly unique and different from anything happening in the big smoke that is Sydney.

EMMA SOUP is a vintage clothes boutique/gallery/venue. Here you can shop, B.Y.O. booze and watch a band. Perfection! It is a beautifully fitted, open space decked out with gorgeous frocks, records and art. The Soup Can Gallery at the back of the shop is big enough to fit at least fifty people comfortably and has been functioning as the Newcastle go-to venue for bands including La Vampires (U.S.), Batrider (S.A.) and the Sound Summit festival 2011.

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YOURS AND OWLS has a completely different feel. This tiny space is neither beautiful nor open feeling – it is shambolic and brilliantly so. OWLS functions as a café/bar/gallery that offers delicious tid bits, little marionette coffee and drinks right in the heart of Wollongong. If you venture in there during the day you’ll probably find that most of the staff are hung over from last nights show but this only adds to the character of the place. Artists playing at OWLS in the next couple of months include Megastick Fanfare, Kikuyu and Lior. One thing to note is that these guys do not take kindly to mornings. They open at the respectable hour of 11am.

Venue Details:

YOURS AND OWLS

95a Crown St, Wollongong

EMMA SOUP

523 Hunter St, Newcastle