One of Melbourne’s original laneway bars, nowhere captures the city’s love of life, live music, street art, converted shipping containers and $15 Espresso Martinis like Section 8.
It’s an unlikely success story. A couple of repurposed shipping containers in a carpark off a Chinatown laneway hastily converted into a bar in 2006 with stacked pallets for furniture. A kaleidoscope of street art on the surrounding walls, a basketball hoop, coloured fairy lights, DJ decks and cool staff set the scene of this unpretentious city hotspot. Some 15 years later, it’s the city pop-up bar that refuses to die.
On any given weekend you might find an art fair, a visiting artist performing live, or just a rollicking good time with friends. Music is a constant, as are cold craft beers and a cocktail list that ranges from the classic to the creative. Oh, and the day dancing. It’s one of the best things about Section 8.
Despite its simple setting, Section 8 is heated and (mostly) under cover so it’s a venue for all seasons (though if the weather’s truly foul you can always pop next door to sister establishment Ferdydurke). The idea is to grab a drink from the container bar, find a spot among the stacked pallets and settle in for the show. There’s always a compelling soundtrack at Section 8, on the decks or live. Grooves run the gamut from jazz improv and hip hop to cumbia, reggae, dancefloor, electronica, disco and more.
The crowd is young and diverse, a melting pot of 21st-century Melbourne youth. On any day of the week expect to encounter laneway hoop shootouts, video projections, vintage streetwear stalls and artist collabs spilling out of the space. It’s a block party, basically. Complete with mirror balls.
Craft beer’s the usual drink of choice. Section 8 is a big supporter of independent breweries so expect a fruity selection from Hop Nation’s unfiltered Mango Gose to 3 Ravens’ Orange Sherbet Creamsicle and Kaiju Krush Tropical Pale Ale. The list also runs to a couple of dark beers and crowd-pleasers such as Bintang and Furphy. On hot summer days, Coopers longnecks are the go.
Cocktail-wise, $10 frozen Margaritas are on offer alongside Espresso Martinis and a rotating selection of house creations to quench all flavours of thirst. There’s the vodka and lemongrass hit of the Chi Bro, the soul-warming Jammy Blaze (Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition, Monkey Shoulder whisky, fig liqueur, maple syrup and flamed cinnamon) and Lil Bit o’ Pud, a classic gimlet with a cheeky rhubarb riff. There’s a small wine list that covers off the essentials, a cider and couple of seltzers, too.
No alcohol? No worries. They’ve got you covered with Heaps Normal cans and mocktails like Master Cricket, a muddle of lemongrass, apple, citrus and Chi soda.
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