subject: Melbourne's Most Unique Bars - New Guernica - Review [print this page] Melbourne's Most Unique Bars - New Guernica - Review
Journeying through a forest-like laneway, following the white picket fence up the stairs, we are welcomed to the smoky, Edenic club, New Guernica. Fake leaves, tree branches and vines reach and creep around the walls and the bar. Stone gargoyles and other fanciful creatures peep amongst the rows of liquor bottles, which sprout from fake grass.
Intimate circles of chairs and red cushioning, allow for cosy exchanges between groups and the reasonably well-balanced levels of old-school independent music encourage conversation. Surrounded by old floral wallpaper, a low ceiling, aged doors and fresh-faced teens, the venue manages to establish a homey feel to the night with a sprinkle of magical intrigue.
The indie look is favored here; retro, handmade and unique, New Guernica is populated with some characters that definitely match the mystical seduction of the bar. With an excessively hip facade they make for some fantastical individuals, with the daggy thick rimmed glasses and making the high-wasted, old school pencil skirt fashionable and sexy. However as long as you aren't dressed in some mainstream surf brands you will be allowed in on the scene.
Free entry and 2-4-1 drink specials make New Guernica the place to party on a Tuesday night. The bar is moderately sized, but friendly, fast and efficient service means drinks are plentiful. A magical world hidden down Little Collins, the bar is a refreshingly fantastical place and maintains its hushed and mysterious quality.
Retro pop and trance supplemented with the whirl of the disco ball, the dance floor is a rather intimate space where characters gather to exhibit some interesting moves. The DJ is raised and accompanied by an array of goblins and fairy folk, overlooks the sea of stirring bodies.
Quirky pictures and artwork line the secret passages and the narrow smoking area. The long but tight smoking space is a slice of mystic overlooking some of Melbourne"s famous secret laneways. Mushroom stools, green lamps, leafy vines and branches inhabited with fantastical creatures offers an alluring and intriguing night that preserves a faint reminiscence of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
