Everyone has their favourite hideout, and for nearly 20 years, Section 8 has been that to countless people, from locals to passers through.
The perfect place to grab a drink with friends, or to dance the night away, Melbourne’s favourite ‘container bar’ officially turned ‘Barely Legal’ just last month – and there couldn’t be a better time to reflect on the great times so far.
We sat down with Section 8 owner, Maz Salt, to take a brisk, yet warm walk down memory lane.
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Congratulations on becoming ‘Barely Legal’! How does it feel to celebrate 18 years of Section 8?
It’s bloody great! An amazing community of people surrounded and supported this venue from the very first moment it opened (for the months before we opened as well). Super fortunate and super grateful.
Section 8 remains the gift that keeps on giving. What has been your biggest motivation over the years?
My motivation has pretty much been the same thing from the day we opened; to give voice to an alternative vision of society far from the suits and structures that govern most of our lives. To create something that was authentically about a community of people and our city that share a common humanity, vision and purpose. To listen to music, share space and have as much fun as humanly possible.
The Section 8 space was originally a carpark, which you luckily got your hands on! Were you hunting for bar venues at the time or was it more of a spontaneous lightbulb moment?
We were looking for spaces at the time in the city and Fitzroy, and were introduced to our landlord who very generously considered our proposal and took a chance on us. We loved the space and pretty much decided the moment we set eyes on it had to be ours! It had a peach tree (it used to fruit and for a couple of seasons we managed to produce and eat peach Daiquiris) and slowly worked out the rest over a matter of months with input from the then young architects from Diatribe; Campbell Drake and Rodney Eggelston and Damian Rogers who had his own office and did the original planning.
Bill, the homeless man who sold us ‘found’ stainless benches, an arts collective from Northcote and Jimmy ‘Chips’ the builder without whom we would have bumbled and fumbled pretty much everything.
While we stroll down memory lane, let’s talk about the namesake. Was the US military term an immediate no-brainer or were there some other contenders being thrown around as well?
Through the hazy mists of a thousand bottles of Coopers and untold vats of Jameson’s I could give you something but I’d be lying.
Section 8 is a platform that celebrates community, fosters diverse art forms, and hosts both emerging and established artists. Was this the primary goal for Section 8 right from the get-go, or how did this develop over the years?
It was the primary goal from the beginning and we were fortunate enough to have a staff group from day one that supported it, believed in it and more importantly lived it. To this day, it’s the staff that make it so.
Section 8 is so quintessentially Melbourne in many ways, and there is no place quite like it. That’s quite a feat 18 years on.
I’m extremely proud of our achievements and grateful for the people that have played such a large role in making it so and there are too many to mention without giving offence, but they range from the senior staff that have worked with me for a large chunk of that time to the DJs and promoters and artists that in a few cases have played at Section 8 for longer than any staff member. Everyone that plays at, works in or contributes to the venue is critical to its longevity.
The cost of living crisis has had a huge impact on the industry, affecting both how venues operate as well as patron spending habits. What’s the strategy to ensure Section 8 continues to thrive in 2024?
We’re creating a new time dimension outside of this reality and aim to stay firmly in it and offer time/space in our new dimension for our patrons to join us away from the horror.
Section 8’s gig guide remains stacked, with the bar offerings remaining top tier too. What are some exciting plans we can look forward to this year?
We’ll continue working with emerging artists from around the world from a diverse array of sources. More collaboration, more positivity, and more awareness.
Peering further into the future, what are some long term goals or hopes for Section 8?
To re-emerge from our time travel back into the world and find it intact.
Keep track of everything Section 8 here.
