Where garage punk thrives and creativity runs wild
Step into Cactus Room, and you’ll instantly feel the pulse of Melbourne’s garage-punk heart.
Founded by two Queensland transplants, Dave Houston and Neil Smith, who ditched their day jobs after a Death By Audio documentary lit a fire under them, Cactus Room is a love letter to DIY chaos.
The space? A converted button factory (yes, really) with soundproofing so good the real estate agent tried to rip it out—until the duo intervened.
Here, bands play on the floor, sweat drips from the ceiling, and the mosh pit feels like a family reunion gone gloriously feral.
The vibe? Think house party meets punk sacrament, with a fully stocked bar replacing the usual bathtub of tinnies.
Annual highlights like Cacoween (Halloween with more feedback) and mid-winter psych-garage fests turn the room into a time capsule of raw energy.
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But Cactus Room is more than gigs. It’s a rehearsal hub for bands, an art gallery for psychedelic murals, and even a fledgling record label—Cactus Records—where Dave & Neil’s band, Black Bats, dropped their debut LP.
The beer garden out back? A rare sanctuary for post-mosh debriefs under Thornbury’s sky.
Upcoming shows promise chaos, but the magic lies in the unexpected: the album launches where strangers become accomplices, the art-music collabs that blur lines, the nights that leave your ears ringing and your soul stitched tighter to Melbourne’s underground.
Cactus Room
📍 614 High St, Thornbury
📞 0466 654 517
🌐 cactusroom.com.au
