From world-class stadiums that host international megastars like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Oasis, to pubs and clubs that showcase local acts that are emerging on the scene, Melbourne has some awesome live music venues.
Whether it’s hip hop, jazz, heavy metal or pop that you are into, there is somewhere in the city you can go to see a gig, on any given day of the week.
So whether you’ve got moves like Jagger, or are a graduate of the Peter Garrett school of dancing, here are 18 of the best music venues in Melbourne to strut your stuff.
The Grace Darling Hotel
As the second oldest pub in the city, The Grace Darling Hotel has pretty much seen it all.
While this inner-city venue might not have the wild reputation it once did back in the day – it now showcases a candlelit bar and nautical wallpaper which is more Enya than AC/DC – it does have two band rooms.
Hosting both well-known and up-and-coming bands, the venue is a stalwart on the Melbourne live music scene. Which you can enjoy whilst drinking a range of locally brewed beers.
Address: 114 Smith St, Collingwood VIC 3066
Phone: +61 3 9416 0055
Trading Hours: Mon – Tue 12 pm – 12 am, Wed – Sat 12 pm – 1 am, Sun 12 pm – 11 pm
AAMI Park
Home to the Melbourne Storm, Melbourne Victory FC, Melbourne City FC, Melbourne Rebels and Victoria Maidens, AAMI Park is better known as a sports venue.
However, it is also a world-class concert venue too. With the likes of the Foo Fighters, Queen and Elton John all performing there over the last 10 years.
As you can tell from this list of alumni, when it comes to concerts, they don’t do things by half. It’s purely international megastars they offer up here.
Address: Olympic Blvd, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9286 1600
Forum Theatre
The Forum Theatre is a legendary music venue that is located right in the heart of the CBD.
Still one of the best places in Melbourne to see a live gig, it has hosted the likes of Midnight Oil, Oasis and Tame Impala over the years.
Aesthetically, the theatre is very impressive. Featuring an atrium with Roman statues and mosaic tiles, as well as atmospheric mood lighting that brilliantly twinkles like constellations on its midnight blue ceiling.
Address: 154 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 1300 111 011
Trading Hours: Mon – Fri 9 am – 5:30 pm
Corner Hotel
Believed to be the venue where the White Stripes first jammed the fantastic intro riffs to their anthemic ‘Seven Nation Army‘, during a rehearsal performance in 2001, the Corner Hotel quite rightly has a place in rock history.
A mainstay on Melbourne’s live music scene for many years, the venue boasts a massive rooftop beer garden, as well as a couple of stages that between them can hold around 800 people.
Over the years, it has hosted some of the world’s most prominent artists including Mick Jagger, Crowded House, Ben Harper, Queens of the Stone Age and David Gilmour.
Address: 57 Swan St, Richmond VIC 3121
Phone: +61 3 9427 7300
Trading Hours: Tue – Thu 12 pm – 1 am, Fri – Sat 12 pm – 3 am, Sun 12 pm – 1 am
170 Russell
For more than 50 years the inimitable 170 Russell has been a major fixture on Melbourne’s live music scene.
Situated right in the heart of the CBD, this mid-size venue has hosted some of the most memorable performances ever seen in the city from acts that hail from Melbourne, Australia and abroad.
The shows they have hosted include indie-rock, hip-hop and bona fide rave nights.
Address: 170 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9639 4000
Trading Hours: Mon – Wed 10 am – 4 pm, Thu 10 am – 4 pm & 10 pm – 4 am, Sat 12 am – 4 pm & 10 pm – 4 am
Bennetts Lane Jazz Club
If you love jazz then a must-visit place for you is the Bennetts Lane Jazz Club.
Touted as ‘the world’s best jazz club’ by Lonely Planet, this CBD venue regularly hosts the Melbourne Jazz Festival.
Its stage has also been graced by some of music’s biggest ever names including Harry Connick Jr, Prince and The Cat Empire.
Established over 30 years ago, the success of the venue can be put down to one thing. Their ethos that the ‘music always comes first’.
Address: 25 Bennetts Lane Melbourne, VIC 3000
Phone: +61 412 063 570
Trading Hours: Mon – Sun 8 pm – 1 am
MCG
The ‘daddy’ of all stadiums in Melbourne, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is arguably the most respected and revered venue in the whole of Australia.
Best known, of course, for hosting sporting events like the AFL Grand Final and the Boxing Day Test, the G does host concerts every now and then too.
When it does, it deals in the top stratosphere of artists. With the likes of U2, Madonna, The Police and The Rolling Stones all performing there.
Back in 1986 it even held a mass that was administered by Pope John Paul II, while Billy Joel and Ed Sheeran are due to play there in December 2022 and March 2023 respectively.
Address: Brunton Avenue Richmond, VIC 3002
Phone: +61 3 9657 8888
Sidney Myer Music Bowl
For those who enjoy outdoor concerts on a lawn, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl is one of the best places to head to in Melbourne for a live gig.
Situated within the CBD, on the immaculate grounds of the iconic Kings Domain, this venue has enjoyed a leading role for decades in the city’s live performance and music scene.
AC/DC first played there in 1981, and since then the ‘Sid’, as it is fondly referred to by locals, has seen the likes of Paul McCartney, Metallica, Neil Diamond, Florence and the Machine, The Seekers and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra play there.
Address: Kings Domain Gardens, Linlithgow Ave, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: 1300 182 183
Trading Hours: Mon – Sat 6 pm – 11 pm, Sun 12 pm – 11 pm
Cherry Bar
For many regulars, the Cherry Bar is ‘the best rock n roll bar in the world’.
An undoubted institution in the city, the venue recently moved from premises on the aptly named AC/DC Lane, after a 20-year period of residency, to new digs on Little Collins Street. Which is only 400 metres away.
Despite its reputation as a haven for rockers, the Cherry Bar actually hosts soul music on Tuesdays, and blues on Sundays. However, if it’s raw and raucous rock you want, then Friday and Saturday are when you should visit.
The Black Keys, New York Dolls and Gary Clark, Jr have all performed here. Though the venue is almost better known for the antics of famous rockers, which has gone down in club folklore.
Axl Rose, apparently, once made the staff unplug the jukebox because he didn’t like the Creedance Clearwater Revival song that was playing. Jack Black once danced on the stage all night and Steel Panther, after a post-gig session, cancelled their scheduled gig on the following night just to perform a set at Cherry.
Address: 68 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9639 8122
Trading Hours: Wed & Sun 5 pm – 3 am, Thu 5 pm – 5 am, Fri – Sat 5 pm -7 am
Margaret Court Arena
Margaret Court Arena is another famous sporting venue (for tennis) that hosts concerts every now and then.
With its 7,500 capacity and fabulous retractable roof, the atmosphere is conducive to putting on a good show.
The likes of Bob Dylan, The Black Keys, Hilltop Hoods and Tash Sultana have all performed here, and with UB40 and the British alt-rock band alt-J pencilled in for later in 2022, the gigs keep on coming.
Address: Melbourne Park Melbourne, VIC 3001
Phone: +61 3 9286 1600
The Evelyn
Over in Fitzroy, The Evelyn is another stalwart of Melbourne’s live gig scene.
Putting on shows every night of the week, the pub has a band room that can accommodate up to 350 attendees.
The pub does not discriminate when it comes to music, as it hosts everything from folk, hip hop and indie, to dance, country and thrash metal.
Over the years such luminaries as Missy Higgins, Pete Murray, Sleepy Jackson, Dead Letter Circus, Jeff Martin, Jericco and Mammal have hit the stage.
The venue has a really good, laid-back vibe, with many performers often hanging out at the bar before and after their set.
Address: 351 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Phone: +61 3 9419 5500
Trading Hours: Mon – Sun 12:30 pm – 1:30 am
The Prince Bandroom
The Prince Bandroom has been part of the fabric of the live music scene in Melbourne since the 1970s.
Located in St Kilda, within the greater Prince Hotel complex, the vibe is always electric here. The sound system is particularly good too. Which the likes of Lenny Kravitz, Coldplay, Pink, Jack Johnson, Scissor Sisters, Ben Harper, Goldfrapp and Bright Eyes, should all attest to.
Address: 29 Fitzroy St, St Kilda VIC 3182
Phone: +61 3 9536 1111
Northcote Social Club
Ever since it was launched in 2004, the Northcote Social Club has enjoyed a reputation for being the home of Melbourne’s indie scene.
With a small stage, this venue has a more intimate feel than others, which considering it takes place in a room that has been purpose-built for gigs is a very good thing.
Live music performances are hosted pretty much every night. Though if you want to check out some emerging talent then rock up here on a Monday, when they present a three-band show to patrons.
Address: 301 High St, Northcote VIC 3070
Phone: +61 3 9489 3917
Trading Hours: Mon 4 pm – 1 am, Tue – Thu 12 pm – 1 am, Fri – Sat 12 pm – 2:30 am, Sun 12 pm – 1 am
Section 8
For over 15 years, Section 8 has been championing the talents of some of Australia’s hottest DJs and hip-hop artists.
Set amongst a space with graffiti-covered walls and an open-air bar that serves drinks out of a shipping container, this is the place to come to hear some banging tunes.
Although, its still technically a pop-up bar, you can also watch basketball shootouts and dance-offs here as well too.
Address: 27-29 Tattersalls Lane Melbourne, VIC 3000
Phone: +61 430 291 588
Trading Hours: Mon – Wed 10 am – 11 pm, Thu – Fri 10 am – 1 am, Sat 12 pm – 1 am, Sun 12 pm – 11 pm
The Tote
Punk, psychedelia, metal and good old-fashioned rock n roll have been the go at The Tote since the 1980s. With Aussie rock legends like Silverchair, Jet and the Hoodoo Gurus all playing at this iconic Collingwood venue.
Still going strong after 40 years, the venue has a great bar downstairs and a terrific music venue upstairs. Replete with exposed brick walls, the venue is an excellent place to check out new up-and-coming bands.
Address: 67-71 Johnston St, Collingwood VIC 3066
Phone: +61 3 9419 5320
Trading Hours: Wed 4 pm – 1 am, Thu – Sat 4 pm – 3 am, Sun 4 pm – 11 pm
Festival Hall
Over in West Melbourne, Festival Hall has been a venue for sporting events and concerts for well over 100 years.
Now owned by Hillsong, this heritage-listed building has a seating capacity of 5,400, as well as a rich history of hosting both local, but also international acts.
Headline artists have included The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Powderfinger, Rage Against The Machine and Lorde. So the genre of music that plays here is quite varied.
Address: 300 Dudley St, West Melbourne, VIC 3003
Phone: +61 3 9329 9699
Trading Hours: Mon – Fri 9 am – 4:30 pm
Rod Laver Arena
Better known for hosting the Melbourne Open tennis, the Rod Laver Arena has also been a live music venue since 1988, when AC/DC took to the stage.
Since then they have presented concerts from some of the biggest names in music, including Justin Timberlake, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Kiss, Hilltop Hoods, Gang of Youths, Billie Eilish, The Wiggles, Pavarotti and Lady Gaga.
Infact when you throw in the likes of Robbie Williams, Rod Stewart, Snoop Dogg, Keith Urban, Alanis Morissette, The Scorpions, Whitesnake and Michael Bublé, it is probably easier to list who hasn’t performed here!
Address: Olympic Blvd, Melbourne VIC 3001
Phone: +61 3 9286 1600
Marvel Stadium
Situated in the heart of the Central Business District, Marvel Stadium has attracted some of the world’s most popular and successful music artists over the last 20 years.
This has included the likes of Adele, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Bon Jovi, Justin Timberlake, AC/DC, U2, Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran and Andre Rieu.
With a capacity of over 53,000, this huge concert venue creates a rather colosseum-type atmosphere, which when you are singing along to ‘living on a prayer’, or ‘I’m bringing sexy back’, will break you out in goosebumps.
Address: 740 Bourke St, Docklands VIC 3008
Phone: +61 3 8625 7700