New Fitzroy Band Rooms To Launch in February

One of the key corners in Melbourne's Fitzroy suburb is getting a new live music venue next month with the launch of two-tiered Playground Bar.

Located on the corner of Brunswick and Johnston streets, the venue is the rebrand of the Cape Lounge venue, which had previously hosted live music. The venue has two band rooms, both with a capacity of 150 and both with their own entrances, allowing separate shows to be held concurrently.

The new destination is being managed and booked by Karl Redgen, a former musician who has been working at a venue in Thailand. He is positioning Playground Bar as a “music venue, artistic hub and social club”.

The venue has been closed since 18 December and will re-open on their launch weekend of Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 February, where a number of local punk and rock outfits.

Today Redgen told theMusic.com.au that they will loo to launch a Friday club night 14 February and a Thursday indie night on 20 February, both with live local acts for the first night.

Initially the venue, housed in a former bank dating to the 19th century, will be open Thursday through Sunday with the possibility of Tuesday and Wednesday trading once Redgen feels the venue has momentum.

As part of the renovations new sound and lighting systems have been installed, whilst Redgen said that the bar and fittings would remain the same. They are installing a new floor and doing minor paint work.

Paper Arms, The Sinking Teeth and Ceres lead the Saturday launch, while Lincoln Le Fevre, The Insiders and Fear Like Us headline the Sunday. Weekend passes are $30.