Welcome back to our monthly feature article, the AU crew poll! When I put the call out to our contributors about their favourite venue in Australia, I was struck by the diversity of the responses. Almost every answer was a different location, provided with a different reason. Unfortunately none of our contributors in Brisbane added their two cents for this one – though Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide are represented. Here now are all the venues our contributors mentioned – we wonder what your favourite is!
Melbourne – The Forum
It is the only place I’ve been to that wherever you sit or stand you have a great view of the artist. The floor is really close to the musicians so you can see them up close, but if you prefer to sit in the booths they give you an almost equally great view. – Amelia Barnes
….friendly staff, central location and gargoyles. – Naomi Rahim
Sydney – Enmore Theatre
… both the sound on stage, and that from the audience, is second to none. It’s loud and improves performer morale, which in turn leads to a more vibrant performance. It has character though perhaps requires some renovations, and it can still be a rather intimate performance with a well known act if you have a standing ticket. – Ross Pattison
Hands down, it’s the Enmore Theatre. The fact that you feel like your feet will fall through it’s spongey floorboards or the sneaking suspicion that the balcony might topple over at any moment (tell me I’m wrong!) only adds to the venues old-world charm, but it’s the Enmore’s intimacy that truly beguiles – you might be in a crowd of thousands, but it never feels like you’re with anyone more than a few good friends. – Marc Knevett
Sydney – The Metro
…in the main area, it doesn’t matter where you are – you still feel like it’s an intimate gig – and the second room is an awesome space when it’s packed with DJ’s. Friendly staff too. – Chris Singh
I don’t know where to start – it was where I went to my first ever concert so I guess it’ll always have a special place in my heart – but aside from that, it’s the perfect size, a fantastic location in the heart of the city and I’ve never been to a gig there that didn’t have a brilliant vibe. – Tanya Ali
Melbourne – The Cherry Bar (AC/DC Lane)
The Corner Hotel (Richmond, Melbourne) and the Cherry Bar (AC/DC lane, Melbourne CBD) equally rock – both have friendly staff, great bands/music, and are totally unpretentious. – Mary Boukouvalas
Melbourne – The Corner Hotel
It’s my favourite venue because you can easily spend the whole night there; pre-drinks and dinner on the roof top bar. You can usually spot the band chilling up there too! After dinner you can stroll down the stairs to see awesome Australian and International bands. In the last couple of months this has been the case with- Local Natives, Matt and Kim, Naked and Famous, Oh Mercy and next week Boy and Bear! – Jess Wainwright
Sydney – The Annandale
For me, my favourite venue in Australia is The Annandale in Sydney. It just has this real rock vibe and just “feels” like a pure rock venue committed to putting on music each and every week. – Phillipe Perez
Sydney – Hordern Pavillion
My favorite venue in Sydney is Hordern Pavilion because it has absolutely perfect sound and most of the time pretty good light! Plus, even though it is a pretty big venue it doesn’t get crazy in terms of overcrowding! – Annette Geneva
Perth/Fremantle – Mojos
This is a tough one. But Mojos in Fremantle probably gets it. It has tonnes of Freo charm, quirky decor and a wonderful intimacy which is hard to beat elsewhere. Plus, the bar is affordably awesome! Seen some memorable gigs there from local boy done good Carus Thompson, to the likes of Justin Townes Earle, Israel Cannan and Owen Pallett. – Simon Clark
Sydney – The Gaelic Club
I have very fond memories of this venue, seeing my favourite bands up close (Silverchair as Short Elvis takes the cake) without having to contend with sticky carpet, a smokey atmosphere or ever-so-cool hipsters ruining the vibe. What can I say, I’m a Gaelic-lover! – Natalie Salvo
Sydney – Oxford Art Factory
An intimate, well designed space with two rooms dedicated to live music. – Andrew Campbell
Sydney – The Vanguard
I’m a big fan of The Vanguard in Newtown. The whole dinner and a show concept adds a bit of sophistication to your average night out. The staff are all pretty chilled out and helpful without getting in the way of enjoying the show. The decor reminds me of places I’ve been to in New Orleans with a kind of sultry, mysterious, artsy vibe going on. The best part is that it’s such an intimate venue. Because of its size, the musicians seem to drop that performer/audience wall and really interact with the crowd…and after all, isn’t that what live music is all about?! – Lehia Apana
Melbourne – The Espy
My favourite venue (although changed a bit now) is the Espy in St Kilda, Melbourne. I frequented the Espy for about 10 years and some of those years I was heading down 3-4 times a week. My friend and I loved the public bar, drinking beer when it was cheap, listening to the oldies talk about days gone by, chat to staff and meet loads of new friends that I still am close friends to this day, some who came to my wedding. The band Nudist Funk Orchestra and Phil Para were the bands we would see regularly. It was an institution, a place we knew we would have great times and a place I called home (well, second home!) – Lyn Harder
Melbourne/Fitzroy – The Old Bar
There’s no better way to enjoy a noisy rock band than in this sweaty, cramped room that oozes raw DIY rock (and possibly other transmittable diseases), with the sound desk hung on the wall beside the stage. – Jon King
Adelaide – The Gov
It’s one of the only venues I know of that you can stand outside and smoke and still have an unobstructed view of the band. – Adam Monkhouse
Melbourne – The Palais
The Palais in Melbourne – The sound is always excellent, the lighting is great and all the bands I’ve talked to from here or overseas love playing there. Also, I manage to find $10 on the floor nearly every time I go there, that’s a bonus. – Mandy Hall
Sydney – The Factory Theatre
The Factory Theatre in Enmore is my favourite venue – the sound is unmatched by most venues in Sydney. Vocals are always a big problem for live music venues, but for the two bands I’ve seen there the vocals were strong and distinct in the mix (quite an effort considering how distorted the Children Collide instruments are!) Also, the crowd there is always friendly and enthusiastic. – Luke Direz
