Cherry Bar

Cherry Bar is a 260-capacity rock bar and concert room in central Melbourne, built for close-range club shows. Its distinguishing feature is a change of address that kept the operation intact: Cherry left its AC/DC Lane basement in 2019 and reopened at the former Boney nightclub on Little Collins Street. The current venue combines downstairs drinking space with an upstairs area, giving a compact bill a little separation between bar traffic and the show.

A basement name, carried forward

Cherry began in December 1999, when former Cosmic Psychos drummer Bill Walsh converted artist studios in Corporation Lane, later renamed AC/DC Lane, into a rock bar. James Young joined in 2005; Cherry had opened only three nights each week and presented no live music during its first six years. Young’s booking shifted the emphasis toward bands, with small capacity helping emerging acts draw a room early in their careers.

A 2012 episode captures that approach. Lady Gaga requested an after-party, while Jackson Firebird already held the stage booking; Young kept the local band’s slot. Gaga returned the following year, spent five hours at Cherry and danced on the bar. Lease pressure then brought the decisive reset: the AC/DC Lane room closed on July 28, 2019, and Cherry reopened in the former Boney site on December 12 with capacity raised to 260.

The room now

Expect a rock-first program built around local bands, alongside DJ sets spanning northern soul, contemporary rock and related late-night selections. Cherry directs band-booking enquiries to its music team, a useful signal for artists seeking a small-city-room slot. The two-level setup offers a downstairs bar and an upstairs area; the venue’s published room description centers attention on a small stage at the end of the space. Beer on tap anchors the bar offer, with the live set and DJ handover shaping the night.