It was a gorgeous spring day, which seems less than a memory in today’s rain. But a closer look revealed an opportunistic bouquet of lips, perched above a guerilla fern on the wall. It reminds me of a rougher take on Phillip George’s remarkable Edge of Empire show at Breenspace.

Our photos are usually our own, but this time I’ve included these photos of Darlinghurst in the early ’80s from a new blog called Darlinghurst Eats Its Young.

It’s all punk and post-punk, squats, fun, beautiful and sometimes bleak scenes.

They were put together for a show at the great Sedition record shop/barber/gallery.

This one’s a bottle wall at the Gladstone Hotel squat, on the corner of William and Palmer Streets, Darlingurst.

Madeleine Preston put it together, and took the photos of familiar but alien spots in the inner city, and truckloads of great bands, music makers and artists. It’s quite strange working your way through the posts, but I recommend you do.

Approaching Taylor Square, I heard screams – which is fairly typical – but louder than normal, amplified, and as I rounded the corner, I realised it was a couple of actors. They’re in out of focus picture above, sitting on those round seat like objects.

It’s Milk Crate Theatre – based in Darlinghurst since opening in 1999, and working with homeless people.

It has one of the most striking sets in the inner city. With the background of bustling Oxford Street, and, in the distance, the sandstone courts, it’s set design taken to the limits. Something funny happens when you put actors in front of the scene, it does actually become a set.

My pictures don’t do the scene justice, it was hard to tear your eyes away from the actors.

This photo was taken while waiting for the lights to go green – looking from behind the actors to the audience.

I walked in half way through, and I couldn’t stay, so I can’t say too much about the plot. I would love to be able to next time.

It started life as a tweet. But @poisontofu thought it was a Take It Home And See If It Works, and we couldn’t help but agree.

Too bad the tip of the belt had been torn away – we noticed it a little further up the street.

I happened to glance skywards whilst heading down Victoria Street, in Darlinghurst the other day.

I just hope the rust doesn’t set it.

An Angus Young kind of school boy, below a manic looking Max Headroom (thanks, Zac). They’re both looking out, though not together. Seems arbitrary, I guess, but you never know.

This graffiti on the corner of Kells Lane and Langley Street, Darlinghurst, seems like a way to claw that back. Yes, the police visit our neighbourhood. See, look at this permanent bit of police tape, the paint on the kerb seems to say.

“While you make pretty speeches, I’m being cut to shreds,” says the graffiti.

It’s scrawled, but it doesn’t feel rushed. The writing doesn’t give much away.

“You feed me to the lions. A delicate balance.”

A poem?

UPDATE: Duh. Just got a tweeted reply. It’s a Radiohead song, ‘Like Spinning Plates,’ from Amnesiac. Of course it would be. There goes my stadium art rock cred.

It’s by Will Coles, whose cute teddy bear and mobile phone appeared on Crown Street in February. The bear said “Culture,” while his other work says things like “Nothing” and “Burden” and “unfinished.”

Okay, I admit the first time it was pointed out to me, I just thought it was a picture of Tom Hanks, saying thanks for returning the DVD. I thought, “That’s nice.”

But no, it is genius.