The Drunken Poet is one of Melbourne's best live music venues, providing a unique community atmosphere between musicians and punters. If you are an artist looking to perform at The Drunken Poet, get in contact with us here.
All gigs are FREE ENTRY
Every Friday night, to start your weekend right!
With live music 6 nights a week at The Poet, our Traditional Irish Music sessions are a part of our weekly line up.
This show features just Paul 'A Bad Penguin'
The Bad Penguins are a two piece band from Ireland who have recently relocated in Melbourne. The Bad Penguins have been playing in an array of venues across Europe, America and throughout Ireland for the past 5 years. We originally met while doing independent residencies in separate bars in Benidorm Spain and struck up a friendship from which The Bad Penguins was born.
Paul is the singer and guitar player of the band and has played in both cover and original bands over the years. He co-wrote and produced his first Album in 2000. Paul has played in festivals and bars across Europe before meeting Ciaran. Since the formation of The Bad Penguins. In 2004 they have toured together as a band and also maintained independent projects.
Playing a wide variety of music from Irish Standards to modern pop.
Doggerel burst from the kennel and onto the stage to flog their special brand of bung blues, roughhouse rock, and sundry sad tunes about drinking, dishonour, and death. Based around the steel guitar and drums of founding members Kier Stevens and John Kostaras, Doggerel always keep a tight focus on looseness, ratbaggery, and having a rollicking good time.
Throw in some bass, saxophone, and a shot or two, and things are really starting to look up for you. Every show is a cheerfully irreverent affront to blues tradition that will leave your ears in even better condition.
This show is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund and Creative Victoria delivered by Music Victoria.
Journeyman guitarist and singer/songwriter Adam Waldron plays swampy, twangy, rockin' and psychedelic blues.
He’s no purist, has crafted his own sound and has been plying his craft for over 25 years in bars and venues across Melbourne, Adelaide and New Zealand.
Joining Adam for the return to the Drunken Poet will be in-demand players Josh Verco on bass, and Neil Richardson on drums.
These Poet faves return to give your weekend a dose of the best! Come down for a Sunday arvo session!
Rory Newman brings the songs of Van Morrison to life with soul, passion, and a voice that’ll take you straight to Cypress Avenue. From the deep grooves of Moondance to the raw beauty of Astral Weeks, expect a night filled with timeless classics and hidden gems.
With South Indian roots and a Singaporean upbringing, Wild Gloriosa’s journey spans diverse landscapes. Raised in a household where music was a way to connect with the community, she uses songwriting as a canvas for sharing messages with the world. With past performances supporting renowned artists such as Jessica Mauboy, The Jungle Giants, and The Bamboos, playing festivals such as Melbourne International Jazz festival and Queenscliff Music Festival and recently winning the Music Victoria Diaspora (2024) award, Wild Gloriosa continues to stand out, carving her own path in the soul music space.
This show is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund and Creative Victoria delivered by Music Victoria.
Hailing from Naarm, Wild Dog Mountains craft songs that drift between alt-country and indie rock, reminiscent of The Silver Jews, Wilco, Magnolia Electric Co., and maybe even a touch of Paul Kelly. Their music tells stories of love, loneliness, dreams of real estate, camping trips gone wrong, supermarket lines, and all the small suburban tragedies in between—all wrapped in warm harmonies and dusty melodies.
Every Friday night, to start your weekend right!
With live music 6 nights a week at The Poet, our Traditional Irish Music sessions are a part of our weekly line up.
Pat has toured extensively as guitarist for Irish folk legend Finbar Furey and has had his song "Geraldine's thinking of Galway" recorded by the Furey brothers. Come and be merry!
‘Kid’ James (James Schembri) is the new kid on the block in the Melbourne Rockabilly scene.
A nineteen-year-old singer/songwriter and guitarist that is performing authentic Rockabilly tunes like it was done by teenagers in the 50’s!
Be sure to catch ‘Kid’ James at The Drunken Poet.
Come on down for a night of wild and authentic rockabilly music!
Tim Scanlon is a 'Sit down style' one man band who loves to play with other people more often than not.
Mixing old world melodies with modern beats and sounds, this world traveling one man band brings harmonica, guitar and foot percussion into a new dimension. Music explores Celtic, Reggae, Balkan, Quebecois and other styles, all surrounded by improvised shenanigans sure to make any dancer happy.
Gaudy, bawdy and borderline boozy, the Tipplers are a Melbourne-based Irish band consisting of guitar, mandolin, fiddle and double bass. Performing a mix of old Irish traditional folk tunes and some newer favourites they are sure to get tongues tippling and toes tapping. The band provides a platform to present a musical culture spanning centuries.
Since forming in mid 2013 the Tipplers have been playing consistently around Melbourne. They’ve played numerous gigs locally, played festivals around Australia and have been featured in an advertising campaign for Black Swan dips.
The music is shrouded in sorrow, sentiment and hilarity, with a reproachful gaze at melancholy and a watchful eye on optimism, much like Mother Ireland herself. Upbeat and down and dirty this is one Irish outfit that won't leave you feeling green.
We're open from 11am on Paddy's Day!
We are an authentic Irish Pub, celebrate with us - we know how it's done!
With a voice as rich and timeless as the songs she sings, Suzette Herft pays tribute to the legendary Joan Baez in a night of soaring melodies and heartfelt storytelling. From protest anthems to ballads of love and loss, Suzette brings warmth, grace, and a deep connection to the music that defined a generation.
Join us at The Drunken Poet for a night of heartfelt storytelling indie-folk with Melbourne and Singapore-based singer-songwriter, aeriqah. With a sound deeply influenced by the likes of Leith Ross, Lizzy McAlpine, and Christian Lee Hutson, aeriqah’s music weaves together stories of love, loss, and self-discovery. A year into living in Melbourne, aeriqah brings fresh writing, adding to the growing discography of intimate tunes that document her 20s. Bring tissues and an arm to cling to, just in case.
Candice Alisha is a blues and folk singer songwriter originally hailing from Wodonga, Victoria but now local to Melbourne after making the move to the big city to pursue her career at the beginning of 2019. After working as a full-time musician in various bands for the better part of a decade, Candice has struck out on her own with her strong, deep and powerful vocals and magnetic stage presence.
Register from 5pm, performances from 7pm!
Every Friday night, to start your weekend right!
Hailing from central Victoria, guitarist/singer songwriter Bill Barber is at the forefront of a new generation of Australian Blues.
"Bill Barber is the next in line to become one of Australia's Blues greats" - Lloyd Spiegel
A favourite here, we love it when Bill plays The Poet!
This show is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund and Creative Victoria delivered by Music Victoria.
Marty Kelly returns to The Poet on Saturday afternoon, all welcome!
The Pheasantry are a Melbourne based Alt Country band of 5 gents going back over 20 years.
These days the boys have turned back to the electric style with the Telecaster twang running strong with that Pheasantry vocal harmony still leading the way. It's Melbourne Americana.
This show is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund and Creative Victoria delivered by Music Victoria.
Nick Charles is known internationally as “Australia’s virtuoso of acoustic roots and blues”. His 35+ year career has seen him accumulate every conceivable accolade including Port Fairy Artist of the Year and The AGE Blues album of the year.
He’s toured with artists including John Hammond, Guy Clarke, Ralph McTell, Robyn Ford and BB King touring the US 13 times in recent years and releasing over 20 albums worldwide.
This is dazzling fingerpicking roots magic and a lifetime’s stories and songs from the world’s musical highways. In the words of Bruce Elder from the Sydney Morning Herald “he plays guitar like an angel!”
This show is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund and Creative Victoria delivered by Music Victoria.
The Twa Corbies are a Victorian based two-piece that love to share the fun, exciting, and occasionally lamenting sounds and stories of Celtic folk music.
Vardos pay tribute for Greek Independence Day!
Driven by Alana's wild violin, chased by accordion and double bass, Vardos play folk and Romany music learnt from Rroma (Gypsy) musicians during their travels in Eastern Europe. Based in Melbourne, Australia, the band has toured to Hungary, France, Berlin, Switzerland, Amsterdam, New Caledonia, New Zealand, London and Scotland.
Grace King has an eclectic love of music, homemade and raw songwriting.
This show is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund and Creative Victoria delivered by Music Victoria.
Connor Moore is a prolific singer-songwriter with a voice like honey and lime. She's a songwriter based in Melbourne who loves people watching and writing music. Connor is intrigued by the way we operate as humans and hope that you can relate or reminisce with her music in a timeless space.
The ubiquitous Melbourne music maverick STU THOMAS returns solo to The Drunken Poet on Thursday 27th of March.
Bringing a diverse range of his own cool songs, from rockin’ to meditative, plus uncovered gems from movie soundtracks, which he makes his own. Stu is known from his bass playing in many bands including The Stu Thomas Paradox, Kim Salmon & The Surrealists, Dave Graney & The Mistly / Coral Snakes and The Silversound.
But this night he’ll perform on guitar and vocals, stripped back but with full sound and emotion. Don’t miss this rare appearance.
KARAKAS is the music project of Jimmie Linville, singer-songwriter and front-man of the bands Canyon Spells (formerly Daniel and the Lion) and Big Chance. Linville toured nationally throughout the US since 2010, playing over 200 shows a year. In 2014, Canyon Spells opened for Counting Crows on a massive tour and followed up the season with a signing to Megaforce Records and their most recent release: Now That We’re Gone.
Start your weekend off right, every Friday night we have Trad Irish Music at The Poet!
Jump The Shark play Jump Blues and Blues dance music. They feature songs by The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Duke Robillard, Robben Ford, Big Joe and the Dynaflows, Albert Collins, Colin James, Hollywood Fats and many others.
Poet Fave Stephen Kennedy returns to The Poet for a great afternoon of music!
Alex’s discography is impressive, three albums with Nick Charles, a critically acclaimed solo Hawaiian album “Twilight blues” and after many requests Alex recorded and released, in 2004, his first solo blues album “The blues is here to stay.”
The following year Alex followed up with his second Hawaiian album “Alex Burns’ Adventures in Paradise”, again critically acclaimed.
