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Melbourne · Venue

The Old Bar

A compact Johnston Street room with nightly bills, an upstairs gallery and a long-running commitment to independent artists.

Upcoming shows
26
Address
74-76 Johnston Street, 3065 Fitzroy
Phone
(03) 9417 4155
Next show
Mon, 16 Nov 2026
Official siteDirections
The Old Bar in Melbourne

About The Old Bar

Fitzroy’s The Old Bar is an approximately 175-person live room, built around a downstairs bandroom and bar with an art gallery upstairs. It runs music seven nights a week, giving the calendar the pace of a neighbourhood hangout with a stage at its centre. Its useful distinction for a showgoer is range: local bills can move between punk, hardcore and rock, country, folk and experimental music, while DJs and free sessions fill late and off-peak slots.

A century-old pair of shopfronts finds its stage

The two Johnston Street buildings date to 1903 and served a succession of commercial uses, including a dairy and a haberdashery, before their life as a music bar. Andy Tannahill opened The Old Bar in 2001; ownership moved to Paul Jakovcic in 2005, followed by the operators of Northcote venue The Afterdark in 2007. In April 2026, the room marked 25 years with seven mystery-gig nights: lineups surfaced at 9am each day, entry came via door sales, and the programme began with a Morbid Mondays edition. That birthday format captures a room comfortable giving regulars a reason to turn up before every detail is known.

The room on a show night

Artists and promoters have a direct band-bookings contact on the venue’s site, a practical signpost for local bills. Rock, punk and hardcore form a durable core, with country, folk, experimental sets and DJs expanding the frame. Music happens downstairs in the bandroom; upstairs, the Old Bar Gallery hosts exhibitions and occasional events, including launches paired with bands. A courtyard gives gig-goers space away from the room, and the bar remains open daily until 3am.

Sources

  1. The Old Bar — The Old Bar
  2. The Old Bar is celebrating 25 years with a week of secret gigs — Beat Magazine
  3. The Old Bar — Wikipedia
  4. The Old Bar — Visit Victoria
  5. The Old Bar — Urban List Melbourne

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