One of Melbourne's most versatile club venues has just revealed what makes it tick across three levels.
New Guernica was always unique, but now it operates four distinct spaces at 64 Smith Street in Collingwood, each with its own character, sound system and vibe.
The historic three-storey venue hosts up to nine events per week across the mainroom, upstairs, kitchen and basement, with different promoters, communities and music styles taking over each space. After four years in its current location, the club has evolved into one of the city’s most flexible electronic music hubs.
New Guernica
- Four rooms across three levels at 64 Smith Street, Collingwood
- Mainroom, upstairs, kitchen and basement each with separate entrances
- Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 9.30pm to 4am
- Additional events on public holidays, occasional weekdays and Sundays
- Multiple sound systems including Nexo Alpha, Void and Funktion One
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
View this post on Instagram
Balconies, mezzanines and a replica organ
The mainroom sets the tone with seven-metre heritage ceilings, balconies and mezzanines overlooking the dancefloor, and a DJ booth built inside a replica church organ. It features a Nexo Alpha and Void sound system, full lighting truss rig operated by a dedicated tech, and connects to undercover smoking areas. The space handles high-energy programming with room for hundreds of dancers across multiple levels.
Upstairs operates as a former dive bar turned club space, complete with booth seating, cages and original band posters from its previous life. The room features a custom lighting tube system, dedicated bar and Nexo Alpha speakers. It can run independently or connect to the mainroom and kitchen for multi-room events, giving punters the option to explore different sounds throughout the night.
A Funktion One basement
The basement, accessed via Langridge Street, is the venue’s rawest space. Concrete walls, exposed plumbing and a Funktion One sound system create an underground atmosphere that hosts the club’s most intimate and left-field bookings. The basement holds up to 100 people, operates as 21-plus, and includes a full-service bar with multiple corners and booths for those who want to take a breather.
The kitchen rounds out the venue as a former commercial kitchen turned quirky side room. It features a functional pizza oven and connects to a secluded seating area, making it ideal for smaller gatherings or as an additional space to explore during bigger nights.
View this post on Instagram
The venue runs several weekly events alongside one-off bookings. Guerns Thursday has operated for 16 years as one of Melbourne’s biggest Thursday night events, offering free entry before 11pm and heavily discounted drinks all night. The event spans the mainroom, upstairs and kitchen with a mix of high-energy house, edits, techno and curveball tracks.
Eat The Beat runs every Saturday in the mainroom, delivering nine years of non-stop house, techno and hard techno with Melbourne’s best DJs and surprise international guests.
New Guernica already hosts several queer sex positive events, and now will have a dedicated weekly Saturday Upstairs, Action, a night for both play and party. Action launches on six December upstairs as a new weekly dance night by Thick N Juicy Events. Friday nights see different promoters taking over various rooms with separate entrances and programming.
View this post on Instagram
New Guernica’s history stretches back to 2009 when it opened at 322 Little Collins Street. The club relocated to Collingwood in November 2021 after the original building was earmarked for redevelopment. Before New Guernica, the Little Collins site operated as Club F4 from 2001, becoming one of Melbourne’s most influential underground institutions.
The current building dates to 1868 and has served as a town hall, comedy club and beer hall before its transformation into a multi-room nightclub. The basement opened to the public for the first time in its current incarnation, adding a fourth room to the venue’s three-storey layout.
Each space now operates independently or in combination, hosting everything from 16-year-old Thursday rituals to brand new weekly events across different communities and sounds. Whether you’re after soaring ceilings or concrete bunkers, the venue covers most bases without leaving Smith Street.
For more information, follow them on IG here, TikTok here or head to the website here.
This article was made in partnership with New Guernica.
