Section 8 is the term used by the US military to describe the discharge of a soldier on mental health grounds. If you remember the classic TV show M.A.S.H, you’ll know that Klinger was constantly trying to get out of Korea on a Section 8 clause.
LIVE MUSIC every night of the week, thanks to some of Melbourne’s most eclectic DJs and some choice underground acts from around the world. Better yet, entry is always free.
FAMOUS FOR its rather unorthodox nature. Who converts some old freight containers into a makeshift bar and parks them down a side street? There’s a good reason they call it Section 8, after all.
INFAMOUS FOR the huge laneway parties that turn Tattersalls Lane into the heaving heart of the CBD. Always a highlight for Melbourne Music Week’s Live Music Safari.
Summer 22/23 is gearing up to be a big one at Section 8, with the return of Playaz Club – a weekly laneway shoot-out with hip hop DJs, icy cold drinks and prizes – eight days of Xmas, the new ‘Level up’ summer series and many more events celebrating and showcasing the vibrant creative community in Melbourne.
“Our team has been working hard on a unique and interactive event program across Summer and we’re really excited to roll it out,” says operations manager, Amber Hahipene.
Section 8 is a perfect title for the venue, which sums up the best of modern Melbourne in a neat little package down one of our popular laneways. Entirely outdoors (with appropriate covering for those afternoon showers), it’s a mix of re-conditioned freight containers, wooden crates to sit on, DJs and tropical gardens around the periphery.
While the setting is all very casual and relaxed, Section 8 offer a proper cocktail menu. Sure, you can get yourself a frosty cold one (they stock boutique beers from around the world), but if you’re after something more elaborate they also offer mulled wine, rum and gin sours, a modern flip on the classic old-fashioned and more. Don’t let the outdoor setting fool you, the staff know their cocktails and appreciate that even a simple vodka, lime and soda benefits from a little attention to detail.
Already a Melbourne icon, Section 8 is the perfect example of why Melbourne has the best nightlife in Australia. It hasn’t come easy – their founder told us years back he’d spent over $50,000 defending noise complaints – but as any punter can tell you, it’s worth every cent.
History of Section 8 and Ferdydurke
In March 2006 a former cafe manager and barman named Maz Salt got a one-year lease on a carpark off Tattersalls Lane in Chinatown, a space that he dropped in two shipping containers into – one for serving drinks and the other as toilets. This relatively cheap start-up was named Section 8 but for many patrons it was, and is still, known as ‘the container bar.’
Salt explains the inception of the idea in his own words. “A couple desperate bartenders with very little money had access to a carpark! When we started we had a one year lease and a one year license but the success of the place within the first year meant that the council supported the change of permit from one year to ongoing and now eight years later we’re still here!”
As Salt explains, Section 8’s battle with noise complaints remains. “It’s a continuous and ongoing issue with Section 8 for eight years and it has at times felt like dog years. I have been to VCAT over it, I have probably spent somewhere in the vicinity of $50,000 over the eight years defending myself over various fines and charges.”
However, one of the venue’s early battles that has been resolved is that of power supply. “The first quote I got from city power to connect power to the site was $50,000 to $100,000. That was a lot more money than we had so the very good folk from Curtain House let us run a coaxial cable 100m from their stairwell for the great cost of two boxes of wine a month for about two years until they opened Rooftop Bar. It was the end of our supply from them,” explains Salt with a wry chuckle.
In the ensuing years Section 8 ran its power via a rented apartment block but every time they had a DJ, the coffee machine on and the dishwasher on they blew a fuse! Finally this was all resolved when the shop that is now Ferdydurke came up for rent so Salt and his team quickly rented the space, firstly as a power supply and secondly as the space that would become Ferdydurke (said Fer-dy-dur-ka).
The name Ferdydurke comes from a 1937 novel by Polish author Witold Gombrowicz that tells the tale of man who is fighting conformity and becoming more immature as he matures in a desperate attempt to reclaim his youth. This intellectual veneer is backed up by the venue’s innovative entertainment schedule.
Section 8 is open every day from 12pm till late, with live music and DJs 7 nights a week. Entry is always free.
Support the crazy yet loveable Section 8 by heading along to 27-29 Tattersalls Lane in Melbourne.
