Cherry bar ready to leave AC/DC Lane in relocation

Melbourne’s iconic rock bar Cherry is leaving AC/DC Lane, but owner James Young says his famous music venue will live on. This is when it closes, and what’s next.

James Young is moving his beloved Cherry Bar from AC/DC Lane.

Iconic Melbourne rock and roll bar Cherry is closing.

However, owner James Young is keeping the bar’s name and spirit and relocating around the corner.

Young is in negotiations with up to 10 inner city locations in order to keep Cherry alive, but insists the Cherry name has not, and never will be sold.

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“As heartbreaking as it is for me to move Cherry from AC/DC Lane, my vision and goal for the rest of my life is to save Melbourne’s soul by continuing to foster and support live music venues,” Young said.

“Every city in the world is losing its live venues to residential developments, and cities without live music are cities without a soul.”

Cherry bar has announced its final night.

Cherry’s final night in AC/DC lane will be Sunday, March 31, with Young expected to announce a new location shortly that will also have a capacity of around 200 people, live bands and late-night trading hours.

“No one’s sadder than I am to leave AC/DC Lane, but you change or you die,” he said.

“For a venue, Cherry really does punch above our weight, we’ve got a 200 capacity, were a basement dive bar and we’re probably the most famous bar in Australia, the best rock bar in the world.

“We’re still at the top of our game, in the low game of being a dive bar. All these fancy cocktail bars in Melbourne don’t last five years, most restaurants don’t last five years, we’re in our 20th year, we’re going somewhere, but we’re going nowhere.

“We’re moving, but I was very particular about not letting the Cherry name go.”

Young also revealed he turned down an offer to take the Cherry brand globally.

“Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife, reached out about opening a Cherry Bar in LA, taking Cherry Bar across the world,” he said.

Melbourne rock and roll bar Cherry is leaving AC/DC Lane. Picture: Jay Hynes

“I thought about that long and hard, there was a lot of excitement and ego, but I decided I’d rather be a medium size fish in the Melbourne pond than anything else.

“I’d rather help preserve the soul of Melbourne. Cherry LA is off the whiteboard, saving Melbourne’s live music scene is the goal.”

Young has plans to open several live more music venues across Melbourne’s CBD before the year is out, and still runs Yah Yah’s in Smith St and books the Yarraville Club.

He believes the Cherry Bar venue in AC/DC Lane has been purchased by nightclub kings Nick and Daniel Russian.

“We were going to have to move from AC/DC Lane, we weren’t going to get a lease extension, our landlord wanted to cash out, so it was a good time for us to move.

“I’ve heard the Russian brothers are doing everything from a three-storey nightclub to a fancy Italian restaurant there, so who knows. I genuinely wish them all the best.”

Young hopes to souvenir as much of the old Cherry Bar as possible.

AC/DC Lane is one of the city’s most famous laneways. Picture: Aaron Francis/The Australian

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“Maybe we’ll auction off pieces of sticky carpet or turn pieces of the bench in the handicapped toilet into keyrings,” he said.

“I haven’t told my wife yet, but I’ve made a promise to be at the bar every night for the last month of Cherry at AC/DC Lane.

“I’ve already had biggest names in Australian rock and soul begging me to play for free in final weeks we’re in AC/DC Lane. We’re going out with a bang, not a fizzle.”

The bar has hosted guests including Axl Rose (who stayed for five hours), Noel Gallagher of Oasis (who offered to buy the venue), Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello (who DJed when touring with Bruce Springsteen), The Black Keys, Jack Black (who danced at the bar all night) and Arctic Monkeys who came to the bar two nights running, and stayed all night.