Geelong's newest live room was once a house of worship, then a restaurant, then a rehearsal space. Now it's Church.
Opening in August on Ryrie Street, Church is an intimate room built for independent artists, holding up to 150 standing or 100 seated. The 1800s building has had structural work, acoustic treatment and a full internal fit-out, lifting it to professional standard while keeping its historic fabric intact.
Its program spans live music, stand-up, pop-up sets, album launches, storytelling and new original works.
Church, Geelong
- Venue: Church, 71 Ryrie Street, Geelong
- Opening: August 2026
- Capacity: up to 150 standing / 100 seated
- Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, with Jasmin Adria and The Shore: 14 August
- Bless This Mess, a free afternoon from six local artists: 15 August
- First season continues through August and September
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Church opens on 14 August with Canberra four-piece Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, who rarely play rooms this small. Surf Coast folk-rock songwriter Jasmin Adria and surf-rock trio The Shore open the night. The next afternoon, 15 August, Bless This Mess turns the space over to six local acts across a free bill built to mark the launch.
The building has worn a few hats before this one. It started out as a place of worship, later became a restaurant, and more recently ran as a rehearsal room that hosted Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths and the Woolly Jumpers, an early version of Geelong’s Back to Back Theatre.
From there, a season curated by Andrew Orvis, Geelong Arts Centre’s senior producer for music, runs the venue through August and September. It takes in Darcie Haven, Tyne James Organ and Lotte Gallagher, an EP launch from Geelong’s Madeleine Cope, and genre-blending act Tjaka, who fold electronic beats, hip hop and First Nations culture into their sound. Immy Owusu adds afrobeat and psychedelia, with Bellarine songwriter Nathan Seeckts among the locals.
Independent artists won’t pay upfront to hire the room, with Geelong Arts Centre covering operational, marketing and ticketing support so acts can focus on the work. The project has raised $3 million of a $3.3 million target through its giving campaign, and Church runs with backing from the Victorian government through Creative Victoria.
For more information, head here.
