Hello,

 

Im from the small big city Auckland.. If you wana see bands here you really only have 3 decent bars to go to.. The scene is small and its easy to find awesome bands. Im moving to the ever so slightly larger Melbourne and although I'm looking forward to my new adventure it would be nice to know of a couple of good venues..

 

I dont know, maybe unlike Auckland, Melbourne has hundreds?

Hey Im from an Adelaide band calleed KAMIKAZE. We toured Melbs/Geelong a few weeks ago. I can highly recommend the Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood. Thats run by the same band booker, Dan Collins who used to do the legenday Arthouse. Another good club that bit the dust. Played with Seminal Rats and The Fuck ups there. Was great. Also I can recommend the Nash and the Barwon Club two venues in a satilite town just outa Melbs called Geelong. It rawks there too. Yeah, shame bout the Greyhound. Played there a few years ago and was good. Good to see the Tote back up after the licencing bullshit closed it. Happy to say I played Tote bout ten years ago but not now its reopened. Heard Yah Yahs is good too and apartently the Cherry Bar? Also  Lyrebird is one in St Kilda? I know the Corner Hotel but they haver bigger International and established bands yeah? I went to the Espy for the Monster sessions earlier this year and drinks were expensive and most of my local band mates have nothing much good ta say. Used to be legenday but looks like things change..

the TOWN HALL HTL in NTH MELBOURNE.... best bar, cool shit on the walls, r'n'r always playing... many a good night I've had there...

I'm from Belfast & I've been living in Melbourne for the past 5 years ...I have generally lived south of the river, and have drank & played in all the venues in St Kilda, unfortunately there's very few decent gig venues left since the revamp of the Greyhound...the Espy sucks on many levels.(it seems to me that people from outta town really have the impression that it is still worth going to?? occasional good band tho) The Prince of Wales is apparently going to start having bands in the public bar on friday nights , which is good news...the Lyrebird Lounge, in Ripponlea is quite a cool little venue. Of course theres the good old St Kilda bowls club, cheap booze and some old St Kilda characters and sometimes good bands...........enjoy!

Melbourne is slowly recovering from a liquor licensing  shut-down debacle, which threatened to close the few surviving venues of this millenium. When the dearly beloved Tote Hotel in Collingwood fell under the sword last year, the punters took to the streets and to their facebook pages and began a campaign that scared the shit outa the local and state pollys in charge, who finally realised that their stupid liquor licensing laws were alienating a significantly substantial chunk of the voting population who happened to love bands and live music in pubs. So the Tote has re-opened, the law has been amended to accomodate the smaller venues...expensive security cameras are an option, not mandatory, etc etc...

But the other problem is "the neighbours". They're inner city melbourne parents who play " Darling, let's buy a warehouse in Bohemia" , get architects to renovate, turn the streets into Pram Central where even Baby Cheenos cost over $3 and then complain if there is any noise after 11pm.....

 

I rarely drink in venues these days...the tax money Australian govt makes out of a drinking nation is disgusting enough, without adding the pub mark-up... I usually buy the grog at supermarkets and hang out in friends' houses or sup outa hip flasks when out at a gig...

 

Sorry if I sound a bit cynical... but i visited San Francisco last year, seemed there was a huge array of music garn on every second door in some streets, and cocktails were $5 ( sloppy too, without shot glass measures)...

 

Woops! Just read the other replies and realised Im sounding like a real whinge! And really old too! Oh well!

 

Northcote Social Club is pretty good!

Oh and anything released on Off The Hip & RIP Society records is killing it.

Yeah lots of good of bands in Australia..spefically melb/syd. I would suggest looking up Eddy Current Supression Ring, Straight Arrows, Royal Headache, Frowning Clouds, The Heirophants, The Bonniwells, Thee Wylde Oscars and my favourite local band on the circuit THE UV Race.

Cheers Gonzo!

I'll look them up, also did you recommend Chook Race? Just looked them up and they shall be one of the first bands I'll try to see.
Gonzo said:

The Tote, Yah Yahs & Pony are all favourites of mine. Pony gets real busy real late as it's one of the few venues that's open till real late, The Tote is always in full swing & Yahyahs is more on the smaller side of the spectrum and can kinda get over crowded with poser hipsters but it can have it's good times..depends who is playing.

 

 

The Tote, Yah Yahs & Pony are all favourites of mine. Pony gets real busy real late as it's one of the few venues that's open till real late, The Tote is always in full swing & Yahyahs is more on the smaller side of the spectrum and can kinda get over crowded with poser hipsters but it can have it's good times..depends who is playing.