You'll want nothing more than to crawl into The Beast this July, and unlike Pinocchio, you'll actually want to stay.
The Beast comes fully furnished, exposed brick and concrete floors, high ceilings, ample sized bar and kitchen…. everything you could ever want in a proverbial stomach.
It also boasts a brilliant stage and more beers than you can poke a stick at, all-in-all quite the comfy affair, nestled into the Brunswick East leg of Lygon Street. It has a fully staffed kitchen dishing up some of the most lip-smacking, finger-licking and artery-clogging (in genuinely the best way possible) grub this side of the Yarra, with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options to balance the equation. Sounds like the whole package, doesn’t it?
And the best part is, you won’t even have to crawl into a whale’s mouth to get there and entry is always free, leaving plenty of dosh to line your pockets and your stomachs. It’s always a warm welcome at The Beast, and with something on almost all the time, there’s never a dull moment.
Pretty soon, you’ll want to call it home, and soon after, you’ll be as good as family (more of a self-described cult than anything else). It’s only a matter of time, it’s in the very nature of The Beast.
So prepare a suit of armour and brace yourselves for battle, for the ringmasters have yet another action-packed roster in store for us this July, anything from doggone cowboys, colossal stout rockers, punka-punka maniacs, tributes to the church of hair metal and much much more!
Like always, there’s trivia every Tuesday night at The Beast, hosted by the Funky Bunch, with special prizes to be won (and drunk as fast as possible), as well as another instalment of Deep Fried Comedy, hosted by the kings of the laugh-dom, Belal Hassoun and Max Flett. Oh yeah, it’s all coming together now. We’ll see you there.
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
Dirty Harriet
- Friday, July 5th
- With The Victim’s Ball + Jess Shreds and the Unmade Beds
After 10 years, Dirty Harriet are gracing the airwaves with not one, but two singles this July, and have decided to have the release show right here, at The Beast. An old haunt for these hard-boiled rockers, they are no stranger to The Beast, and we’ve got word that they’re gearing up for quite the show, with a new lineup and name change to boot. Supported by post-punk romantics The Victim’s Ball and Indie sweethearts Jess Shreds and the Unmade Beds, you won’t want to miss this.
Sordid Ordeal
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- Saturday, July 6th
- With Canisha
You may know him as The Voice of Melbourne, one of the very few things that makes the morning commute bearable, with his witty quips and nuggets of information brightening up our train station experiences. After dusk though, Laurence Hewson takes on another alter ego, his knighthood Laurence the Loud, frontman and squire of Sordid Ordeal. A no-holds-barred, balls-to-the-wall stout-rock outfit that combines the storytelling traditions of folklore and myth with tales of epic legends that seem to bound forward like a party of warriors on horseback. Joining them will be Canisha, a soulful songstress with a bit of an edge, a force of her own with a unique sense of play in her music.
To sweeten the deal even more, the kitchen crew at The Beast have teamed up with Sordid Ordeal and created their own one-of-a-kind burger, sure to leave your tastebuds in a daze and your stomachs even more satisfied. Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuum.
Hail Mary Jane
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- Friday, July 12th
- With Special Guests
This beer-skulling, billy-bubbling, fuel-injected four-piece garage punk outfit hailing from parts unknown does one thing and one thing only. They absolutely bring the house down, punching a hole in the sky every single time. When these maniacs find themselves on stage, there’s no telling what sort of chaos will ensue. High-octane, pure unadulterated punk, just like how Mama used to make, that is if Henry Rollins was your mother. With special guests looming on the horizon, scratch out everything happening on the 12th from your calendars, and if we’re being honest, possibly the next two to three days. Yew!
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
Monnone Alone
- Saturday, July 13th
- With Victoria (NSW)
The passion project of Mark Monnone, formerly of The Lucksmiths. Monnone Alone is Monnone’s answer to, well, going at it alone. A bubblegum pop country-tinged bonanza, complete with a whole array of kooky and wonderful little instruments, they’re a whole lot of fun. Supported by Victoria, hailing from New South Whales (that’s kinda funny, isn’t it?), who are down from Sydney to launch their new album “Treats”, which has been wonderfully pressed onto special “watermelon green” wax. Prepare yourselves for a night of good feels, it’ll be smiles from ear to ear.
Dole Cheque
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- Friday, July 19th
- With Tommy and the Explosions + Cl*t Split
- Birthday Extravaganza in Celebration of Sir Brian May (strictly no Queen to be played or mentioned)
Noise-rockers Dole Cheque are once again gracing us with their presence for one night only. Known for punk bangers like “Scorcher”, an anthem for when the mercury reads above thirty ‘degroiz’, their show just so happens to fall on the birthday of revered guitarist Sir Brian May, known for his work with Queen. Despite this, the Dole boys have requested there be no mention of Queen or Brian May’s music on the night, lest you be ejected from the venue with no notice. Supported by fellow fans of Mr May, Tommy and the Explosions and Cl*t Split, expect a night of joviality and frivolity (wink wink) as we convene at The Beast to pay our regards to the now seventy-seven-year-old. That is all.
Avalanche
- Saturday, July 20th
- With 6v6s and The Rartels
Fresh off the back of their Japanese Tour and their win of Australia’s largest live original band comp Passport To Airlie, Avalanche have been busy. Now, they’ve decided to make their way around a more familiar neck of the woods, taking their new single “Armed to the Teeth” on the road down under! Billed as a no-frills straight-ahead rock outfit, this band has garnered oodles of attention both at home and on the international stage, known for their electrifying live show. Echoing pub-rock royalty, this less-than-polite outfit are breathing new life into a tried-and-tested sound, now for the next generation. With the 6v6s and the Rartels on board, brace yourselves for an absolute scorcher of a time. Alright alright alright.
Deep Fried Comedy
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- Thursday, July 25th
- Hosted by Belal Hassoun and Max Flett
Belal and Max are bringing another monthly instalment of DFC to the halls of The Beast. A variety show like no other, these two jester-kings select some of the best comics this city has to offer, bringing perspectives from all walks of life. Every show is a treat like no other, you never know what you’re going to get. One thing is for certain though, the beers are cheap and the folks on stage are always funny.
Powerstryde
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- Saturday, July 27th
The 80s. An era for big hair, trickle-down economics, and a few other things we’d prefer not to say. Powerstryde embraces the best that the decade had to offer, embodying all the camp, all the glam, and all the spandex. Expect leopard print, headbands and enough hairspray to put a hole in the ozone as Powerstryde brings their own personal slice of the 80s to the Beast. Rawk awn dude!
Trivia Tuesday
- Every Tuesday from 8pm
- Hosted The Funky Bunch
- Contact details here.
What’s there to know? This ain’t your average trivia night, so leave those huge IQ’s at home and prepare for something a little different. Treat it more like a game show, where the mundane becomes interesting and those fun facts you’ve saved are now suddenly useful. There’s a case of beer up for grabs courtesy of Tallboy and Moose, with a few consolation prizes that are sure to keep the sadness at bay. With $10 pints on tap all night, genuinely what else are you doing with your time?
Want to know what else The Beast gets up to? Check out their site here.
