The Punters Club is a

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

and live music venue located on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, in inner

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. During its original run as the Punters Club, it developed a reputation as one of the city's premier live music venues, drawing comparisons to the likes of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...

. It was also noted for its rough, alternative, yet casual atmosphere with audiences sometimes sitting on the floor while watching bands.

History

Prehistory and rebranding (1863-1993)

The building was constructed between 1863 and 1865, and was originally known as the Wheatsheaf Hotel. In 1893, the venue rebranded as the Moonee Valley Hotel. In 1987, Rob Guerini and Ric DiPietro became the new owners of the Moonee Valley Hotel, and the venue was renamed to the Punters Club Hotel. The new owners began to promote the hotel as a live music venue. It played a broad and eclectic range of music, such as rock,

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

, nu country,

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

and

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

. The venue helped launch the careers of a number of successful Australian bands, including

Frente! Frente! (or Frente) is an Australian folk- pop and indie pop group which originally formed in 1989. The original line-up consisted of Simon Austin on guitar and backing vocals, Angie Hart on lead vocals, Tim O'Connor on bass guitar (later repl ...

Magic Dirt Magic Dirt is an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially forming an alternative und ...

Something for Kate Something for Kate are an Australian alternative rock band, which formed in 1994 with Paul Dempsey on lead vocals and guitar, and Clint Hyndman on drums. They were joined in 1998 by Stephanie Ashworth on bass guitar and backing vocals. The gro ...

Spiderbait Spiderbait is an Australian alternative rock band from Finley, New South Wales, formed in 1989 by bass guitarist and singer Janet English, drummer and singer Kram, and guitarist Damian Whitty. In 2004, the group's cover version of the 1930s Lea ...

and

You Am I You Am I are an Australian power pop band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted at the ...

Matt Everett's ownership and closure (1993-2002)

Mat Everett took over the Club in 1993 and operated it until its closure. From 1995, the Punters Club nurtured a close relationship with local purveyors of live electronic music, such as IF? Records (with their Zoetrope (sessions) and

Clan Analogue Clan Analogue is an Australian record label which started in 1992 as a collective by a number of individuals interested and active in electronic music and with a shared passion for analogue synthesisers and digital culture. History Producer, ...

, and regularly played host to live acts like Zen Paradox,

Little Nobody Andrez Simon Bergen is an Australian musician and writer. , Bergen lived in Tokyo, Japan with his wife, Yoko Umehara, and their daughter Cocoa. He has performed and released electronic music as Little Nobody. Biography Andrez Simon Bergen, ...

Artificial Artificiality (the state of being artificial, anthropogenic, or man-made) is the state of being the product of intentional human manufacture, rather than occurring naturally through processes not involving or requiring human activity. Connotati ...

Andrez Bergen Andrez Simon Bergen is an Australian musician and writer. , Bergen lived in Tokyo, Japan with his wife, Yoko Umehara, and their daughter Cocoa. He has performed and released electronic music as Little Nobody. Biography Andrez Simon Bergen, ...

, Voiteck, TR-Storm, Blimp, Son Of Zev, Isnod, Soulenoid, Guyver 3, Frontside, Half Yellow, and Honeysmack. During the late 1990s Brunswick Street began to change, with a number of more mainstream establishments replacing what had been a much more alternative area. This resulted in a significant increase in property rents all along the strip, and when the Punters Club's lease came up for renewal in 2002, Everett saw continuing as unsustainable. The club closed its doors on 17 February 2002, with a twelve-hour music marathon that featured

Gaslight Radio Gaslight Radio were an Australian indie rock band. It was founded by brothers, Martin (guitar) and Rory Cooke (vocals, guitar) with Simon Piper (drums) and Phil Roubin (bass guitar) in Burleigh Heads, Queensland in 1995. They released three stud ...

, Rocket Science, Pre-Shrunk,

TISM TISM ( ; an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist ...

and The Beat End Profilers.

Bimbo Deluxe and reunions (2002-2018)

The venue later became a pizza bar, Bimbo Deluxe. After a two-year hunt for another venue, Everett bought the Commercial Hotel in High Street, Northcote—an area that was developing a similar atmosphere to that of Brunswick Street in the 1980s. In late 2004 he reopened the venue as the Northcote Social Club, which maintains a very similar nature, bands and clientele to that of the Punters Club. Melbourne band

The Lucksmiths The Lucksmiths were an Australian indie pop band formed in March 1993 by Marty Donald on guitar, Mark Monnone on bass guitar and Tali White on drums and lead vocals. Louis Richter (ex-Mid State Orange) joined on guitar in 2005. They released ei ...

wrote a song entitled "Requiem for the Punters Club" as a tribute to the venue. On 27 and 28 November 2010, Punters Club reunion gigs were held at the

Corner Hotel The Corner Hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, Victoria, Australia, is a remodelled 19th-century pub which has been a live music venue since the 1940s and, since 1995, a popular rock music venue and rooftop bar.Johnston, Chris. "Corner� ...

in Melbourne, featuring bands such as

, Hoss,

Guttersnipes Guttersnipes were a four-piece punk, pop band, which formed in 1990 by Paul "Brocky" Brockhoff on guitar and vocals, Ian MacKaye on drums, Michael "Macca" McManus on bass guitar and Andrew "Ricey" Rice on guitar and vocals. Soon after MacKaye ...

, The Glory Box,

, The Fauves and The Hollowmen.

Upstairs fire, Kewpie and new Punters Club (2018-present)

Bimbo Deluxe suffered a fire in the upstairs level in May 2018. It was reopened that August, and continued until closing down in 2020 due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. In November 2021, Kewpie Nightclub opened in the premises and operated until abruptly closing in mid-2024. On 2 July 2024, it was announced that the building had been purchased by new owners, aiming to restore the former ''Punters Club'' name to the complex and create a space paying tribute to Australia's 90s music scene, while restoring the exterior of the building to match the venue's appearance in the 1990s. Two days later, the new owners were revealed to be a consortium composed of Jet bassist Mark Wilson and several prominent Melbourne pub owners. It was also stated that a new bandroom would be opened on the upstairs level of the venue. The venue reopened on the 22nd August 2024, and a few days later it was announced that

would be performing there on the 31st. On 3 May 2025, it was announced that

The Living End The Living End is an Australian punk rock band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 1997 after ...

would be performing at the venue on the 7th.

Bands

Some of the bands who played at the Punters Club during its original run included: *

The 5.6.7.8's The 5.6.7.8's are a Japanese rock band from Tokyo with a retro-inspired sound that draws heavily from the 1960s garage rock scene. They first started performing as a quartet in Tokyo, and recruited guest performers during their Australian tour ...

* Alcotomic *

Anaphase Anaphase () is the stage of mitosis after the process of metaphase, when replicated chromosomes are split and the newly-copied chromosomes (daughter chromatids) are moved to opposite poles of the cell. Chromosomes also reach their overall maxim ...

Arab Strap Arab Strap are a Scottish indie rock band whose core members are Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, split in 2006 and reformed in 2016. The band signed to Rock Action Reco ...

Architecture in Helsinki Architecture in Helsinki was an Australian indie pop band which consisted of Cameron Bird, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland. Before its hiatus, the band released five studio albums: '' Fingers Crossed'' (2003), '' ...

Augie March Augie March are an Australian Pop music, pop and indie rock band formed in 1996 in Shepparton, Victoria. Since 2001 the group consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Glenn Richards, lead guitarist Adam Donovan, bass guitarist Edmondo Ammen ...

The Avalanches The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in Melbourne in 1997. They have released three studio albums, ''Since I Left You'' (2000), ''Wildflower (The Avalanches album), Wildflower'' (2016), and ''We Will Always Love You'' ...

* Black Rose *

The Bo-Weevils The Bo-Weevils are a psychedelic rock band blending psychedelic music, pop music, garage rock and rock music which formed in early 1985. Their early garage incarnation was a lot easier to classify and won fans easily, but the band evolved away f ...

Blueline Medic Blueline Medic were a four-piece rock band from Melbourne, Australia. History The group formed in mid-1999 after the downfall of bands Caustic Soda and Mid Youth Crisis from which guitarists Donnie Dureau and Adrian Lombardi were members. In ...

* The Brass Bed * Breather Hole * Bughouse * By Ferry Or Steamer * The Cannanes *

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist. Born in ...

The Chalk Circle ''The Chalk Circle'' (sometimes translated ''The Circle of Chalk''), by Li Qianfu, is a Yuan dynasty (1259–1368) Chinese classical zaju verse play and gong'an crime drama, in four acts with a prologue.Clowns of Decadence * The Colonial V-Knees * Crumpet *

Dallas Crane Dallas Crane are a triple ARIA Award nominated Australian alternative rock band from Melbourne. Their self-titled third album was released on 10 July 2004, and peaked in the ARIA Albums Chart top 50. Its lead single, "Dirty Hearts" (June ...

* Dan and Al (Dan Warner and Al McInnes) *

Dave Graney Dave Graney is an Australian rock musician, singer-songwriter and author. Since 1978, Graney has collaborated with drummer-multi instrumentalist Clare Moore. The pair have fronted or been involved with numerous bands including The Moodists (19 ...

and The Coral Snakes *

Dirty Three Dirty Three are an Australian instrumental rock band, consisting of Warren Ellis (musician), Warren Ellis (violin, keyboards), Mick Turner (electric guitar, organ and bass) and Jim White (drummer), Jim White (drums), which formed in 1992. Their ...

* The Disappointments *

DJ Spooky Paul Dennis Miller (born September 6, 1970), known professionally as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is an American Electronic music, electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics "illbient" or "trip hop". ...

* The Dumb Earth *

Ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and sympathomimetic agent that is often used to prevent hypotension, low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred ...

Even Even may refer to: General * Even (given name), a Norwegian male personal name * Even (surname), a Breton surname * Even (people), an ethnic group from Siberia and Russian Far East **Even language, a language spoken by the Evens * Odd and Even, a ...

* The Fauves * Fireballs *

* The Frying Dutchman *

Gersey Gersey are an Australian rock band based in Melbourne, which formed in 1997. Since its debut album, the band has featured the core membership of Craig Jackson (vocals, bass), Daryl Bradie (guitar), Matt Davis (guitar) & Danny Tulen (drums). His ...

2002 EP HORSE016-2 "Look to the sun" - Track 3 Soldiers (Live at the Punters) * The Great Elevator * The Happy Sumo * Hugo Race & The True Spirit *

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mesa, Arizona, in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach ...

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was an American three-piece rock band from New York City, formed in 1991. The group consisted of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spen ...

Kim Salmon Kim Leith Salmon (born 24 January 1957) is an Australian rock musician and songwriter from Perth. He has worked in various groups including The Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon, Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, Kim Salmon and the Business, and Darl ...

Kim Salmon & The Surrealists Kim Salmon and the Surrealists are an Australian indie rock band formed by Kim Salmon in 1987 when he was living in Perth between the final two tours by The Scientists. When the Scientists stopped, Salmon continued the Surrealists as his main ...

Maelstrom Maelstrom may refer to: * Maelstrom (whirlpool), a powerful whirlpool ** originally the Moskstraumen in English Amusement rides * Maelstrom (ride), a former log flume dark ride attraction in the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World Resort ...

* Man in the Wood * Meloncholiflowers * Mighty Servant *

Mike Patton Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. He has also fronted and/or played with Tomahawk, The ...

Minimum Chips Minimum Chips were an Australian electronic and rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1993. They issued their debut studio album, ''Kitchen Tea Thankyou'', in November 2005. The group had disbanded by early 2007. History Minimum Chips ...

Mr Floppy Mr Floppy were an Australian alternative rock, punk rock and oi! band formed in 1989 by Tim Aylward on guitar (ex-The Swarm), Mick Kuarol on guitar, Paul Johnson on bass guitar and vocals and Joseph Kennedy (ex-Pray TV) on drums. They issued thr ...

Negativland Negativland is an American experimental music band that originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s. The core of the band consists of Mark Hosler, David Wills (aka "The Weatherman"), Peter Conheim and Jon Leidecker (aka "Wobbly" ...

Ninetynine Ninetynine (styled as ninetynine) is an indie (music), indie band based in Melbourne, Australia. The band was founded by Laura MacFarlane, who played drums in Sleater-Kinney, in 1996 as a solo project. The first album, ''99'', was recorded wit ...

Nitocris Nitocris () possibly was the last queen of the Sixth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Her name is found in writings long considered as relatively accurate resources: a major chronological documentation of the reigns of the kings of ancient Egypt that wa ...

* The Paradise Motel * Penthouse Paupers * Portraits of Hugo Perez *

Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins ...

Powder Monkeys Powder Monkeys were an Australian punk, indie rock band, formed in 1991. The founding mainstays, Tim Hemensley, on bass guitar and lead vocals and John Nolan on lead guitar were both ex-members of Bored!. Powder Monkeys released three studio ...

* Pray TV *

Regurgitator Regurgitator are an Australian alternative rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, formed in late 1993 by Quan Yeomans on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards; Ben Ely on bass guitar, keyboards and vocals; and Martin Lee on drums. Their debut stud ...

* RPN *

Roaring Jack Roaring Jack was an Australian Celtic punk/folk punk band of the 1980s and 1990s. The band was nominated for two ARIA Music Awards during their career. The band's singer Alistair Hulett died at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow of liver ...

* Rocket Science * The Rococo Pops *

Rowland S. Howard Rowland Stuart Howard (24 October 1959 – 30 December 2009) was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the post-punk group The Birthday Party (band), The Birthday Party and his subsequent solo career ...

Sam Prekop Sam Prekop (born October 18, 1964) is an American musician in the band The Sea and Cake. He also has released five solo albums. Early life Prekop was born in London, but grew up in Chicago. He studied at the Kansas City Art Institute. Career ...

* Sandpit * Scanner *

Sea Scouts Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...

* Sea Stories *

Seven 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...

* Sforzando * Smudge *

Snout A snout is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw. In many animals, the structure is called a muzzle, Rostrum (anatomy), rostrum, beak or proboscis. The wet furless surface around the nostrils of the n ...

Sick Puppies Sick Puppies are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1997. After releasing their debut album '' Welcome to the Real World'' in 2001, the band rose to prominence in 2006 when their song " All the Same" was uploaded, along with a video, t ...

Silverchair Silverchair was an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, Ben Gillies on drums, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...

* Snog * Snuff Puppets *

Stu Thomas Stu David Thomas is an Australian musician, born in Canberra, raised in Perth, and musically active in Melbourne since 1990. He is a multi-instrumentalist, performer, singer, composer, arranger, producer, bass player, guitarist, trumpet player ...

* Tiddas *

Tlot Tlot Tlot Tlot () were an Australian pop rock band formed in 1986 as Man in the Wood. The original line-up was Owen Bolwell on bass guitar and lead vocals, Andrew Briant on lead guitar, and Stanley Paulzen on drums and lead vocals. Briant left in 1 ...

* Two Guys From Kabul *

Underground Lovers Underground Lovers (sometimes stylised as undergroundLOVERS) are an Australian pop-rock band whose sound encompasses elements of indie rock, electronic and shoegaze. Founding members Glenn Bennie (guitar, vocals) and Vincent Giarrusso (vocals, ...

Weddings Parties Anything Weddings Parties Anything. was an Australian folk rock band formed in 1984 in Melbourne and continuing until 1999. Their name came from The Clash song "Revolution Rock". Musicologist Billy Pinnell described their first album as the best Austral ...

* Wild Pumpkins at Midnight * Chris Wilson * Various

members *

Ollie Olsen Ollie Jngbert Christian Olsen (born Ian Christopher Olsen, 20 February 1958 – 16 October 2024) was an Australian multi-instrumentalist, composer and sound designer. From the mid-1970s until his later years, he performed, recorded and produced ...

* Zen Paradox * Isnod * Voiteck *

Frontside In surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and aggressive inline skating, frontside and backside are terms that are used to describe how a person approaches an obstacle or performs a certain trick. In aggressive inline skating, frontside and backsid ...

* The LN Elektronisch Ensemble * Schlock Tactile * Son Of Zev * Tee-Art * The Make-Up * Honeysmack * Guyver 3 * Soulenoid *

Josh Abrahams Josh Abrahams (born 1968 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian musician who emerged from the underground dance music scene in the early 1990s. He has performed and recorded under the stage name Puretone, and is also known as The ...

* Thanks for Coming

References

External links

Punters Club website
{{Authority control Pubs in Melbourne Hotel buildings completed in 1987 Hotels established in 1987 1987 establishments in Australia Fitzroy, Victoria Buildings and structures in the City of Yarra