The team behind the famed Wax Museum Records shop that once sat in Campbell Arcade below Flinders Street Station has opened a hidden live music venue right down the road from their old spot.
Head beneath Selina Hotel, just one door down from Degraves Street, to find a crew of Melbourne music lovers curating a set of live gigs every night of the week. Like the old record store, Wax Music Lounge aims to champion Melbourne's diverse underground music scene — this time through hosting gigs rather than selling vinyl.
Drop by on a whim and you might come across big acts, DJs or virtuosos who come from all kinds of musical backgrounds. Sometimes, the vibe will be slow and moody. Other nights, you'll be up on the dance floor till early the next morning. It's a mixed bag in all the best ways.
But, as founded by Wax Museum Records' Guy Roseby and Tim Bartold — plus Spin Records' Mark Lipshut — Wax Lounge Bar isn't just a live music venue. It also holds up as an excellent drinking den in its own right. Behind the bar, the team is pouring Australian lo-fi natural wines, craft beers and signature cocktails dreamt up by bartender Pita Dixon (Joe Taylor, ex-Toff in Town). It even has a small kitchen pumping out pizzas and empanadas, so you don't have to venture up to Flinders Street for eats.
Either grab a seat by the stage or head to the pool table at the back of the bar to have a chill night out with great tunes simply being your background music. Every part of Wax Music Lounge is lit up with a low red glow of light, courtesy of lighting designers James Hebbs and Grace Darling, while the rest of the 175-person space falls into that industrial vintage aesthetic. The basement's concrete walls and floor remain, paired with a few old rugs, some wooden tables and long leather benches.
It's not all glam and luxurious like so many other Melbourne CBD bars. It's a live gig space at its core. And it's primed to host a heap of late-night parties with underground musicians and music lovers.
