One of the ‘hippest’ spots in Melbourne, Brunswick Street is constantly changing. New bars have opened, favourite cafes have closed, pop-up clothing stores have appeared, and The Evelyn Hotel has watched it all.

A Brunswick Street institution, The Evelyn Hotel (or The Evelyn as its fondly known) is a true relic of the street. It’s been pumping out cheap drinks and good tunes for over 25 years, and incredibly, has been owned by the same family all that time. The original owners – Maria and her husband – have owned the bar since the sixties, and while they leased out for periods of time, it’s now come full circle, and is back in the hands of John, their son.

Maria still plays an active part in The Evelyn too, according to music and bookings manager Nick Murnane.

“She’s owned this place for about 50 years, and she’s still here everyday,” Nick says.

“Maria is a matriarch of the street, she’s got the time of the day for everyone.”

Nick himself has been working in live music venues since high school, and moving from Ballarat to Melbourne, he’d heard of the illustrious ‘Brunswick Street’ even before arriving.

“Brunswick Street was always something people looked up to and talked about,” he explains.

Now, Nick has seen the street transform and grow around him.

“It’s always changing.”

“It’s good to see the mainstays here, like us, Vegie Bar, Mario’s, even Black Cat. But it’s also great to see other little bars open up. It’s becoming more like what I remember when I was 19/20.”

The Evelyn itself has remained much the same since that time.

It’s quintessentially ‘Melbourne’, with comfy furniture, a sprawling band room and outdoor seating to soak up the winter sun. But, setting itself apart from other places of a similar ilk is the BYO wine deal for which the venue is well known.

The bottle shop attached to the front of building sells an array of wine that customers can purchase to drink in the cosy bar beyond.

“Why not come drink a bottle of wine out the front?” says Nick.

Why not indeed? The cosy atmosphere and cheap prices make it hard to go past, and it seems that opinion is widely shared.

“It’s great – we’ve got people who have been drinking here for 25 years, even longer,” Nick says.

Live music is also another drawcard of The Evelyn, with bands appearing seven nights a week for 25 years.

“It’s really our main focus,” says Nick, “and it’s great to see young bands reach a level they’ve always wanted.”

“John and Maria really foster that, giving them residencies, and space to hone their craft.”

For The Evelyn, the music is a chance to give back and support the local community that have helped it grow over the years.

The space has nurtured many of Melbourne’s aspiring musicians over this time, and there have been some big names among them.

“Hiatus Coyote started doing their residency here,” Nick explains.

“They used to play here and then we’d all go back to their place to party. I’d rock up to work the next day and the drummer would already be set up on the corner of Johnston Street.”

“It was like man! Do you ever stop drumming?”

As Nick says, “there’s always something going on at The Evelyn.”

Each week, an array of bands frequent the band room, different genres, from hip-hop to acoustic to dance or reggae, all infusing the space with their unique sounds.

“We’ve just started doing something called Momento, in conjunction with PBS, so that’s been crazy,” says Nick.

“What we’re trying to do with that is launch a local album each week with a sort of theme… so we’ve had dance hall, Afro beat, hip hop… even soul.”

“Some bands you hear just blow your mind.”

And they all come back to play too, which Nick says is “really nice to see.”

It speaks volumes to the atmosphere and energy of The Evelyn, and there certainly is a special air about the mismatched walls and milk crate seats of the band room.

“You can copy what The Evelyn looks like anywhere,” Nick explains, “but there’s a feeling once you get inside… it’s special.”

“It’s a pretty interesting place.”

Published in the Inner Circle July 2017 issue.