Melbourne Venue Solace Bar Launches New 'Vinyl-Forward Event Series' Hotplate

Melbourne-based music venue and cultural hub Solace Bar is about to expand its reach. Beginning this weekend, it will introduce a new “vinyl-forward event series,” Hotplate.

Located in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD—in Chinatown—Solace Bar opened its doors approximately six months ago and worked with promoters including Pure Space (Andy Garvey), Club Elevate, and WAT Artists (Harvey Sutherland, Waxo Paradiso). Meanwhile, the venue has hosted events for Rene Wise, Laure Croft, DJ Life, Mabel, and others.

Solace Bar has teamed up with Pins ‘N Needles to launch Hotplate, an event series celebrating vinyl and companionship. The inaugural event will take place at Solace Bar this Saturday, 28 June, effectively transforming the music venue into an all-day hub for vinyl enthusiasts.

The event begins at 1 pm AEST, with the venue’s upstairs bar becoming a “bustling vinyl and goods market.” Think crate-digging events, but alongside the crates of records, Solace Bar will be home to “handpicked merch and locally made goods,” creating a unique, one-of-a-kind marketplace atmosphere. Downstairs at the bar, the fun continues with genre-hopping soundtracks.

From 5 pm until late, Solace Bar will host a party. The crates will be picked up, and the dancefloor will open. The first-ever Hotplate event is set to roll into the night and star local and interstate DJs, label heads, record store owners, and more. You can check out the line-up below.

And, in information for the clued-in, nerdy music fans, Hotplate will be home to any audiophile’s dream by hosting “Australia’s only Funktion-One Evolution Two sound system,” which will showcase analogue records and contrast them with “club-shaking clarity.”

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Described as a “love letter to music and the communities that surround it,” Solace Bar hints that this is only the beginning of Hotplate. Head in early and stay until late for the full experience. Tickets for the party (free entry before 5 pm) are available here and will be available at the door in the evening.