Revolver Upstairs

Revolver Upstairs is a long-running South Yarra venue that brings several strands of Melbourne nightlife together: a bar, Thai restaurant, nightclub, live-music spaces and an ongoing arts programme. Its late-night club is centred on DJs, with a resident roster that has included Ransom, Boogs, Mike Callander, Spacey Space, T-Rek, Sunshine and Lewis Cancut. The venue has also hosted interstate and international touring DJs, giving it a strong connection to Melbourne’s electronic music community.

The atmosphere changes across the week and between spaces. Live bands, restaurant service and art exhibitions lead into the club on Fridays, while Sunday day parties offer a different kind of dance-floor experience. The Revolver Bandroom is a 320-capacity room designed for both emerging acts and more intimate performances by established artists. It also hosts film premieres and is equipped with in-house PA, audiovisual and DJ systems, supported by permanent sound engineers.

Music history is a major part of the venue’s identity. The Bandroom has presented Australian acts including Architecture in Helsinki, Cut Copy, The Avalanches, The Presets, Pendulum and The Bamboos, alongside touring artists such as Aloe Blacc, Metronomy, Peaches, Jazzanova and Damo Suzuki. That past programme spans bands, DJs, hip-hop, electronic music and experimental performance, so the space has a broader musical story than a conventional nightclub.

Art is built into the venue rather than treated as a separate add-on. A floor-to-ceiling poster wall at the back bar presents a new individual work each month, while the quarterly “Seasons of Change” programme combines a one-night exhibition with a large-scale mural that remains on the outside wall for three months. The smoking yard also features rotating work by local artists. Revolver Upstairs will appeal most to people looking for music-led nightlife, whether that means catching a band, seeing a touring DJ, exploring an exhibition or staying for the club after the live programme winds down.