A SMALL BAR.
A LOUD HISTORY.
From a basement in Corporation Lane to late nights on Little Collins Street. A story of local bands, devoted regulars, unexpected guests and a city that lives for music.
THE MUSIC.
THE PEOPLE.
THE NIGHTS.
Cherry began in December 1999 as a late-night rock’n’roll bar. The lane changed its name. Live bands became part of the ritual. A festival took the music into the street. And a community grew around it.
The famous visitors make great stories. But Cherry’s history is also written by the bands loading in, the DJs playing one more song and the regulars who keep coming back.
Here are a few moments along the way.
SMALL ROOM. BIG NAMES.
A few of the artists who’ve played, jammed and kept the party going at Cherry.
LIVE AT CHERRY
- The Black Keys
- The Kooks
- Violent Femmes
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
- Amyl & The Sniffers
- Gary Clark Jr.
- Hiatus Kaiyote
- Airbourne
- Eagles of Death Metal
- The Angels
- Maxïmo Park
- The Cribs
- New York Dolls
- Mark Lanegan
- Mudhoney
- The Tea Party
- Rose Tattoo
- Shihad
- The Raveonettes
- Fat White Family
- The Datsuns
- Cosmic Psychos
- Graveyard
- Cherie Currie (The Runaways)
- Supersuckers
- Chuck Leavell
- The BellRays
- Beastwars
CHERRY JAM GUESTS
- Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
- Foreigner
- Steel Panther
- Parliament-Funkadelic
- Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
AFTERPARTY DJ SETS
- The Libertines
- Fontaines D.C.
- Tom Morello
- The Hives
- Frank Carter
- Alexisonfire
- IDLES
- Primal Scream
- Happy Mondays
Alongside the local bands, emerging artists and regular players who make Cherry what it is.
Play Cherry ↗A LOOK INSIDE CHERRY.
Photographs of Cherry today—the details, the people and the places the next stories begin.
TURN IT BACK.
- DEC 1999
A basement. A record. A beginning.
Cherry opens in Corporation Lane, with former Cosmic Psychos drummer Billy Walsh among its founders. Before the live bands, it is a late-night haven for rock records and the people who love them.
Third Stone Press · James Young interview ↗ - OCT 2004
A street name that says it all.
Corporation Lane becomes AC/DC Lane. Cherry’s original address is now a tribute to Australian rock, and a destination for music lovers from around the world.
eMelbourne · AC/DC Lane history ↗ - 2006
The live music chapter grows.
James Young joins Cherry. Under his booking, live bands become central to the bar’s identity, giving local musicians a stage before the late-night DJs take over.
Third Stone Press · James Young interview ↗ - 2007
Rock spills into the lane.
The first CherryRock festival brings the party outside. Rocket Science, Blood Duster and Eddy Current Suppression Ring are among the acts on the inaugural bill.
Forte · CherryRock retrospective ↗ - 2008
Down, but not out.
A fire in the offices above Cherry forces a lengthy closure while the building is repaired. It is an early test of the resilience that becomes part of the bar’s story.
Third Stone Press · venue history ↗ - 2012
The local booking comes first.
Cherry declines a Lady Gaga tour afterparty that would clash with an existing residency by Mildura duo Jackson Firebird. The commitment to a local act makes international headlines.
The Music · Jackson Firebird booking ↗ - JUL 2014
The Cherry Massive rallies.
With a new apartment development next door, Cherry launches a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for soundproofing. Fans step up to protect a room that means much more than a night out.
ABC · soundproofing campaign ↗ - AUG 2014
Gaga makes it to Cherry.
Two years after the afterparty story, Lady Gaga visits following her Rod Laver Arena show—and dances on the bar. Another night enters Cherry folklore.
Noise11 · contemporary report ↗ - DEC 2019
New address. Same Cherry.
After leaving AC/DC Lane, Cherry reopens at 68 Little Collins Street in the former Boney/Pony venue. The next chapter begins just in time for the bar’s 20th birthday.
Beat · reopening report, 12 December 2019 ↗ - DEC 2020
Finding a way back to live music.
As Melbourne emerges from lockdown, Cherry adapts with limited-capacity shows. The room, the musicians and the audience begin finding their way back together.
Broadsheet · December 2020 reopening ↗ - FEB 2023
A stadium drummer. A tiny crowd.
On a night off from the Red Hot Chili Peppers tour, Chad Smith joins Cherry Jam to play AC/DC songs. Noise11 reports an audience of just 17. You never know who you might run into.
Noise11 · Chad Smith at Cherry Jam ↗
STILL CHERRY.
STILL LOUD.
Find us at 68 Little Collins Street, open every night from 7pm. Come for a gig, a drink or a record at Andy’s. Stay for whatever happens next.
INSIDE CHERRY TODAY.
Be part of the story ↗
