11 Upper Esplanade, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Ph: 61 3 9534 0211
http://www.theesplanadehotel.com.au
Melways Ref: 57, K10
Tram route numbers : 16, 96 (They stop just past it.)
As of 16/4/2006: There have been some major re-developments, such as building ugly apartments behind this pub and the place has gone down hill. A lot of the regulars have been barred and the place is full of cockheads. Why don't they just bite the bullet and turn it into a wine bar?
A pub in St Kilda (also known as 'The Espy'), that is famous as a venue for live music and comedy. Such is it's status that there are songs sung about it (even if only by Fred Negro - who also does their gig guide in Inpress every Wednesday.)
It has managed to survive being bought by the Becton property developers, yuppie wankers who like to be 'close to the action' but don't like live music and the usual brawls and armed hold-ups of the bottle shop that most pubs get.
The various sections of the pub are as follows:
The Lounge Bar
The largest area of the pub with a great views out of the bay windows at sunset.
I always make sure that I am standing in the bay windows at midnight each New Year's Eve to see the fireworks in Williamstown across the bay and in St Kilda.
(They need to set the clock right on the stage as it always seems ten minutes behind.)
One of the stages for the bands is in this area, but I don't like upstairs as much as there are too many people and they can get agro (Fred Negro had a beer glass thrown at him on stage there.) I recently saw The Sailors play in the lounge who were excellent.
The Gershwin Room
Has a full sized stage for bands and also for live comedy every Sunday afternoon called
'Espy Comedy Gold'.
I used to go see the comedy show their on Sundays fairly regularly and have seen various people there such as Kim Hope, Adam Richard and Dave O'Neil (who I gave a biscuit I bought from one of the cake shops on Acland Street while he was on stage.)
On New Year's Eve the final bands for the evening play here at about 3am (It was Snout last year.)
The Public Bar - used to be called 'The Star Wars bar', is now in a different location and full of cockheads.
I saw the following bands in the old bar The Sailors, The Twits, They Might Be Vaginas, Violent Mood Swings, They Might Be Negros, Shonkytonk and several other bands here.