Melbourne Music Venue Guide

Below are listed my own experiences & research with regard to Melbourne Music Venues, & are my own opinions.

When venue name is highlighted in RED, it means this venue's text  has been updated.  

Updated :

15th July, 2005

Venue Name

Address

Suburb

Phone#

URL

Comments

Venue Name

BarleyCorn Hotel

177 Johnston St,

Fitzroy

94171777 or 85006828

www.barleycornhotel.live.com.au

web site doesn't get updated very promptly, but is still useful for contact info, & type of music, which is fairly broad. Fairly intimate environment, small stage on open floor, probably around 300-ish, if packed, which is most Saturday nights, when the party buses arrive. 1/2 of the floor space of the pub, behind a wall going through the place is now a Restaurant, that opens from 1800-2100. Tends to be used as a lounge area by bands after the food cuts off anyway.

Barley Corn Hotel

Corner Hotel

59 Swan St,

Richmond

9427 7300

www.cornerhotel.com

Have just been to a gig here, Opeth headlining, Virgin Black from SA supporting. It has 2 stages, a main & supporting stage, so it makes it much easier for setting up acts, and, maximizes how many people can be fit in, as you won't have to leave room on the floor for band equipment for the next act. Audience-wise, this will take around 500-ish. Has 2 bars. Stage-wise, has all the options you could possibly want, the sound quality was excellent (even though I wasn't really into Opeth, Virgin Black weren't too bad as a Doom Metal Band), it may be possible to get in here as a support act for a major headlining band. Please note, this Hotel is 50m away from Richmond Railway station, so Audience-wise, it makes it REALLY easy to get to if you are without car. I'm pretty sure it's got a back entrance for the Band & Band equipment.

Corner Hotel

Duke of Windsor Hotel

179 Chapel St,

Windsor

95101062

www.dukeofwindsorhotel.com.au

Essentially a Pub with a Stage added on, will take around 150-ish packed. No Stage Monitors, but, has full audio & video recording capability. I've been told getting a gig here shouldn't be a problem.

UPDATE - DUKE OF WINDSOR TO BE CLOSED DOWN IN AUGUST!!! If you want to have memories of this place, go to a gig there now, it won't be there for too much longer...

Duke of Windsor Hotel

Hi-Fi Bar & Ballroom

basement/125 Swanston St,

Melbourne

96547617

www.thehifi.com.au

One of the better venues around. At one time, this used to be Cinema 3 for the Capitol Cinema. It's not a Cinema anymore, but it still holds the structure of a Cinema, which makes it a really great place to see bands, as you can get a really great view of the stage from pretty anywhere. The Entrance is from Swanston St., you go down below street level a couple of flights.  The Entrance at the bottom is at the top of a slope that flows down towards the actual stage (think Cinema seating going down towards the screen).  There's a large pit directly in front of the stage, where the stage is at shoulder height roughly. Stage is big enough to cater for the biggest bands (horns sections, backing singers, you name it. I think even Earth, Wind and Fire could fit here). Bar is directly right of the entrance. FOH is roughly 1/2 way towards the stage in the middle of the floor.  Probably take 600-ish?

Hi-Fi Bar & Ballroom

Prince Bandroom

(Prince of Wales)

29 Fitzroy St,

St.Kilda

95361168

www.princebandroom.com.au

never been there.

Prince Bandroom

Art House

616 Elizabeth St,

Melbourne

93470809

www.thearthouse.com

Basically an old shop of somekind, that someone's put a VERY small Bar in, a stage, and other assorted Electronic Entertainments, as well as an upstairs Back Backer hostel. Fairly small, will take around 100-150 when packed. Has stage monitoring & micing, but that's about all. I am informed it should be easy enough to get a gig here.

Art House

Cornish Arms

163 Sydney Rd,

Brunswick

93808322

www.cornisharms.com.au

never been there.

Cornish Arms

Ding Dong Lounge

18 Market Lane,

Melbourne

96621020

www.dingdonglounge.com.au

relatively new, never been there

Ding Dong Lounge

Esplanade (or The Espy)

11 The Esplanade,

St.Kilda

95340211

www.espy.com.au

Has a number of areas for playing, one being the front bar, I think there is a downstairs bar as well. But, the main Venue room is the Gershwin room. This has recently undergone some renovation, and  is now a really long old room, with a lot of ornate plasterwork on the roof, with a stage at the far end. A real stage, about 1 m high, with an actual curtain! Probably could take around the 500 mark if packed. My visit there was to see The implicate order, The Eternal, Virgin Black, & Nazsul. This is a really good place to be, plenty of room on the stage for the biggest bands. As the floor up to the stage is wooden, you get an effect where Drums & Bass will be reflected down from the stage, & hit you in the audience through your feet.  Update:  have since been there to see Edguy, really suited them. – 20july2004.

Esplanade (or The Espy)

Evelyn Hotel

351 Brunswick St,

Fitzroy

94195500

never been there.

Evelyn Hotel

Laundry

50 Johnston St,

Fitzroy

94197111

www.laundryfitzroy.com

never been there.

Laundry

Green room

b/33 Elizabeth St,

Melbourne

96142777

greenroom_33@hotmail.com

until about a year ago, this used to be Connels tavern, an oldfashioned pub, as well as a TAB. It got renovated, & turned into a venue.

UPDATE:

Have recently attended to see Catwitch,Damnzal,Pussy XXX, & Five Venoms. OK, a quick description. The Green room is shaped like a big letter 'C', with stairs entering the place from above, coming in from the west, the stage is along the southern wall, The Southern lobe of the 'C' is a lounge area, which is somewhat protected from the stage, so that you can still have conversation during a playing band.  The Stage is in the NW corner, Lighting is crap (all of 6 spots), and the stage is definitely cramped with 6 people on stage. The placement of the stage is a little strange, in that it's in the corner, so the band is in a bit of a quandary as to where to direct their efforts on stage, towards the south, or towards the East, because that is where the Audience will collect. Actually not a bad little place, and definitely an improvement over what it used to be.

Green room

Metro

20 Bourke St,

Melbourne

96634288

www.metronightclub.com

From the web site, they say they are licensed for around 1000, and, looking at the ground floor, that'd be about right. It seems to be an old Cinema or Theatre of some kind. The ground floor area in front of the main stage is slopped down toward it, and has a bar in the middle at the back. On the level above, is a gallery, as you would have in a Theatre, which has been glassed in to seperate it from the main floor area, but it still looks out over it. This area is called Rebar, has a bar, and the "stage" is at the bottom tier of the this area, just infront of the Glass. The Rebar "Stage" is the most crappy thing I've ever seen, it has exactly 4 stage lights, not counting a couple of downlights that would have been there anyway, the PA speakers are at either end of the this lower tier, too far away from each other for audience to hear anything properly. Just infront of the lower tier is a Steep pipe railing, which the audience can go right up to, & hence over look the band, and, because it's too close, can even interfere with them, if audience members are drunk enough. the only advantage to Rebar is that , depening on the day you play there, there could be a LOT of attendees (most of which appear to be under 21), hence increasing how much a band would get. But, you have to put up with poor accoustics. I'll only go there again if a band I really like is playing, or if the main stage is being used. Something of a disappointment really.

Metro

Old Bar

74 Johnston St,

Fitzroy

94174155

never been there.

Old Bar

Palace

Lower Esplanade,

St.Kilda

95340655

www.palace.com.au

Any metal act that isn't big enough for an arena has a good chance of coming here (Vai, Satriani, Malmsteen,QOTSA, etc, all been here). Quite a big place, decent stage, take around 1000? Has an upstairs part that looks onto the stage, as well as an upstairs bar, enclosed in Glass, where you can still view the stage. Anthrax & co will be playing here later in the year. Note, it may be possible to get in as a support act for a more major Headlining act.

Palace

Pony

68-70 Little Collins St,

Melbourne

96621026

www.pony.net.au

never been there.

Pony

Revolver Upstairs

229 Chapel St,

Prahan

95215985

www.revolverupstairs.com.au

This is actually above Mannys in Chapel st, except there isn't any sign telling you this, just a glass door with a circling snake on it, with stairs behind it going up. Also, Manny's is 231, and the doorway is on the high side of that (i.e. would be 233?). Anyway, at top of stairs is the Register, immediately at left is the gate through the chickenwire fence into the Band area. If you were to go right from this, you'd eventually find your way at the DJ/Dance area.  The stage is in the middle of the Wall furtherest away from the stairs, is a good size, enough for a 6 piece certainly. The Bar backs onto the Wall that would be Chapel st. The rest of the floor space is taken up with low chairs & tables, somewhat lounge-like, very laid back. The Sound booth is against the stairway, and is about 3m up, so has an uninterrupted view of stage. The DJ booth is right next to the stage & bar, being in the corner, in it's own little wire cage. There's certainly enough lighting, it just needs to be setup right for who ever is on stage.

Revolver Upstairs

Rob Roy

Cnr Brunswick & Gertrude St,

Fitzroy

94170728

therobroy@hotmail.com

never been there.

Rob Roy

Tote

71 Johnston St,

Collingwood

94160737 or 94195320

www.thetotehotel.com.au

Is a 2 part operation. They have the front bar, which has Pool & other entertainmenty type stuff. They, at the back of this, there's a passage that goes to the Beergarden as well as the back stage, which is where all bands play. Full sound board & Monitoring for stage, which is inset into back wall. This area can only take around 50-60 people at it's most packed.

Tote

Town Hall Hotel

33 Errol St,

Nth. Melbourne

93281983

never been there.

Town Hall Hotel

Central club

279 Swan St,

Melbourne

94281480

Stage is actually built into the wall, instead of being just a platform in the middle of the floor. This place has been something of a Metal institution for years, although they play other types nowadays. They don't seem to advertise much. It'll take around 200-ish, if you pack them in. The floor area of the site is tiered by steps, so that the sound booth is on the uppermost tier. Craig Lawton's played here (ex-Reuters Employee). Adam Atherton is familiar with the place as well. This place has 2 separate parts to it. The main bar, which is open all the time, & the function room (which is about twice the size of the main bar), which includes the stage & another bar. They only open this room when an organized event is to occur, they don't have gigs here every weekend anymore, as they used to.

Central club

Breakers Metal

690 Mt Dandenong Rd,

Moonee Ponds

email: breakers @ozzyfrank.com

http://www.ozzyfrank.com/breakers

Breakers has a Metal night on the last Friday of every month. Is a rather big place, that last gig I went there, was pretty full with 270 people. The main stage is actually down some steps at the back of the main level, sunk into the floor, so you really do have something of a mosh pit here. has an upstairs disco & Video playing wall. Not a bad place, as it's in the middle of an entertainment district in Moonee ponds, with Restaurants etc on all sides. During normal times, they have a standing covers band, Captain Spalding, who plays here. Addendum - From later gigs here, this can take around 300-ish people. This is now a central Metal gig place, most of the Metal Community know about it and, if there is nothing else clashing, they'll be here. Recently, they clashed with Opeth, which did reduce the numbers a little, but they still got 220, which, with the arrange ment of getting 1/2 the door is a pretty good deal for Bands playing here. Plus, if they are a metal band (hopefully along the Progressive, Powermetal  at least), you can expect a REAL good rollup.

****************************** change of circumstance – 20July, 2004***********************************************

Breakers has changed management, and the agreement for the one night a month metal gig via Ozzyfrank is now null & void. Ozzyfrank is now looking for a new venue for this metal night.  Breakers may still be a venue for bands, but it’s too early to say.

Breakers Metal

Damnation

138 Commercial Rd,

Prahan

03 9827 8244 or 9827 7938

Damnation is actually at the back of another nightclub, called Evolution, which actually faces onto Commercial Rd. The entrance to Damnation is actually in a backlane. Has a fairly small, fully enclose stage except for one face. Is ok for a 4 piece band, but if you start getting up to 6 or more, it's going to get a little silly. Floor space-wise, should take around 150-ish, They get mostly local artists, nobody too famous, so getting gigs shouldn't be too bad.

Damnation

Deviate - CBD Nightclub

12-14 McKillop St.,

Melbourne

96703638

cbdnightclub@froggy.com.au

This is a late starter club, doors open at 1000, the first Band doesn't usually come on 'til at least 0030. It's actually a 3 story 4 story building with a Lift, that probably used to be a very small warehouse or something. Gnd floor is purely getting in, upstairs to level 1, which is the DJ-driven Metal/Grunge/Goth/Industrial dance floor, with Bar. Level 2, the Alternative Retro Party Room, with Bar, is only open once the 1st level fills. Level 3 is the band room, has a good band lounge out the back of the bar. The Stage isn't exactly roomy, the audience area can only really take around 100 or so, max. You really do need that Lift, as getting band gear up the stairs would be a real pain in the arse. McKillop Street is not much more than a lane, no parking, really a mall, but you can get your car in there for loading & unloading. As the loading after the gig will be at around 0330 or thereabouts, it shouldn't be a problem. Deviate (or DV*) never have more than 2 bands on. Also, this is a Saturday night gig only.

Deviate - CBD Nightclub

Dream Nightclub

229 Queensbury St.,

Carlton

03 9349 1924

 041 511 6914

info@dreamnightclub.com

www.dreamnightclub.com

This is a 3 story club, the bottom ground level, has a bar & stage for bands, the other 2 floors above are more in your standard Dance club format, lots of lights/Fog machine, etc.  The ground floor bar/stage is L-shaped, with the Stage at the bottom part. The foldbacks weren’t on the stage when I was there last, they were sitting on Milk Crates, which meant that with a number of drunk patrons at the front of the stage meant that the foldbacks would fall off, which they did. Plus, if you are on the stage, immediately to the right, directly in front of the PA’s, is the door to the Toilets, which, as usual, draws a steady stream of people going to and from this door. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take too many people in front of the stage for this to become a bit of a problem, especially as the door opens towards the stage, not in to the toilet. This is really a very small venue, probably take around 100 ish on this floor, if packed. The 2 floors above tend to be a bit of a Goth-hangout, and you probably won’t be allowed up if you don’t at least wear 80% black. Updated: 20july2004

Dream Nightclub