Overview
After a tumultuous year that has included breaking the news of closure, closing and then reopening temporarily in its original AC/DC Lane digs, and then closing for good back in July, Melbourne's legendary live music hot-spot Cherry Bar has found itself a new home. This afternoon, the Cherry crew announced on Facebook, that it's signed the papers and gotten the keys for a little spot on Little Collins Street. You probably know it — until recently, it was home to another big name in the Melbourne late-night scene Boney (formerly Pony). It sadly closed its doors on November 2.
Back in January, when it was first announced that the bar would be leaving AC/DC Lane after 20 years, co-owner and booker James Young assured us all the Cherry legacy would live on.
"It is my intention to take the name, the staff and the sticky carpet to a new Melbourne address with a long lease and a safe and secure future for live local music and late night rock n roll revelry," Young stated on Facebook.
And it seems as though the rock revelry will certainly continue in this new home, less than 500 metres down the road, which has space for 230 punters and one of the few seven-day, 24-hour licences in Melbourne.
The Cherry Bar story has been as colourful as it is long, the space playing host to everyone from the Arctic Monkeys to Lady Gaga, and amassing an army of die-hard fans over its lifetime. Back in 2014, the venue took just three days to crowdfund $90,000 for necessary soundproofing works, following the threat of mass noise complaints from a new residential building erected next door.
The new Cherry Bar is expected to open sometime in December, after the old nightclub is given a makeover befitting a live music venue known for its dingy rock vibes.
Cherry Bar will open at 68 Little Collins Street, Melbourne next month. We'll keep let you know when we have an opening date and more details.
Images: Cherry Bar/Visit Victoria/Jake Roden.