When it was announced last year that the Northcote Theatre was being transformed into a 1,500-person live music venue, replete with a cocktail bar, rooftop bar, Italian style trattoria and boutique wine bar, Northcote collectively – and this is the technical term – went apeshit.
LIVE MUSIC every weekend for 1,500 people! You can’t ask for better than that.
FAMOUS FOR stunning Edwardian Baroque architecture, this was the first building in Northcote connected to electricity, over a century ago.
INFAMOUS FOR its eclectic history. Founded as the Northcote Picture Theatre, it was Melbourne’s oldest surviving cinema, taken over by Hoyts, then eventually turned into a reception centre before becoming the stellar live music hub it is today.
Northcote may live and breathe live music, but with the Croxton Bandroom, Thornbury Theatre, Northcote Social Club, and a plethora of smaller venues like Bar 303 already on High Street, it was always going to take something pretty special to break through.
Luckily, there’s a lot more to Northcote Theatre than just good looks. There’s oodles of space, and the mezzanine, bar access and viewing angles are all exceptional.
The constant stream of big acts are quickly forging its newfound reputation as one of Melbourne’s foremost gig destinations, with The Butterfly Effect, Kelly Lee Owens, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, No Zu, Allen Stone, Sly Withers, Toro y Moi and Sharon Van Etten all set to rock its foundations over the next few weeks.
“High Street has really evolved over the years but it’s always been a heartland for musicians and artists,” venue operator Andrew Mansfield says. “We just want to compliment what’s already here.
“The theatre is a grand and ornate space, purpose built to host entertainment and right in the heart of Northcote…it’s just perfect for live performance.”
Visit the Northcote Theatre at 216 High St, Northcote.