Loop in Meyers Place is Melbourne's oldest listening bar: a laneway venue with a chosen vinyl collection played through a proper sound system, art exhibitions on the walls and cocktails that complement the music rather than compete with it.
Heartbreaker on Russell Street is the city's best late-night dive bar, a red-lit room with a proper jukebox, DJs from 10pm, cheap beer and doors open until 3am every night of the week.
The Old Bar on Johnston Street is Fitzroy's authentic dive: live bands most nights from local and touring acts, sticky floors, a pool table and a crowd that knows the difference between a venue that has character and one that has only designed itself to look like it does.
south-yarraWed-Sat 22:00-late, occasional Sun sessions
Revolver Upstairs on Chapel Street is Melbourne's most enduring dance club: a 36-hour weekend licence, a multiple-room layout across a terrace building and a booking history that spans everyone from local DJs to international electronic acts.
New Guernica in a Corrs Lane basement is Melbourne's specialist techno club: a dark, low-ceiling room with a function-first sound system and a booking policy that consistently brings serious international and local electronic acts.
The Corner Hotel on Swan Street is Melbourne's most important mid-sized live music venue: a 1,000-capacity front bar and band room that has launched or hosted every significant Australian band since the 1990s.