Situated between North Richmond Train Station and Hoddle Street, Bakehouse Studios is a beloved cultural icon in Melbourne. A busting hub of creativity, Bakehouse is an inclusive and respectful studio that offers space for rehearsal, recording, filming and showcase events. Bakehouse is located centrally - 100m from North Richmond station, 500m from Abbotsford, 700m from Collingwood station, 1.5km from Fitzroy/Carlton and 2.4km from the CBD, 4km from South Yarra/St Kilda. Northcote, Thornbury and Preston are all within a 20min drive.
Owners Quincy McLean and Helen Marcou fell in love with Melbourne's live music scene during our great city's punk explosion in the late 70's. In 1991 the pair set up the recording studios in Bakehouse Lane, Fitzroy in the old York St Studios (est. 1978) and the rehearsal space on the site of the old Stable Sound Studios (est. 1985). York Street has its place in history with bands like Whirlywirld, TISM, Primitive Calculators, and Australian Crawl.
Bakehouse has featured in the Paul Kelly documentary ‘Stories of Me’, ‘Persecution Blues - The Battle For The Tote’, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds ‘Do You Love Me Like I Love You?’, hosted hundreds of video clips, and was named a Melbourne Music Landmark in the Melbourne Music City tourism app.
In the early days, Bakehouse helped incubate classic artists like The Avalanches, The Dirty Three, Chain, Grant McLennan, David McComb, Cosmic Psychos, and Spiderbait. Over the years, acts like The Saints, Courtney Barnett, Paul Kelly, Kate Miller-Heidke, Cat Power, Rowland S. Howard, Gordi, Angie McMahon, The MC5, Mark Arm (Mudhoney), Evan Dando (Lemonheads), Beck, Suzie Quatro, Tool, Janes Addiction, Deftones, Augie March, X, Died Pretty, Tones And I, Kaiit, Steve Kilbey, The Triffids, Beasts of Bourbon, The Scientists, Dallas Crane, Sufjan Stevens, Marlon Williams, Jimmy Little, Blackeyed Susans, Vika & Linda Bull, Daddy Cool, Deni Hines, Tina Arena, Underground Lovers, Wanda Jackson, Olivia Newton-John, Jessica Mauboy, Tame Impala, Powderfinger, Bill Callahan, Beth Orton, Elvis Costello, The Rockwiz Orchestra, Ladyhawke, Icehouse, Neil Finn, Pere Ubu and many more have passed through the Bakehouse doors.
Bakehouse is also inextricably linked to grassroots music activism in Melbourne, with Helen Marcou AM and Quincy McLean AM, the co-founders of Save Live Australia’s Music (SLAM), receiving Australia Day medals in 2019, in recognition of their contribution to the sector. More recently, they were inducted into the Music Victoria hall of fame in 2022.
The studios provide an oasis from bussling sterile city rooms, with a feature stunning court yard garden for much-needed breaks (featured on Gardening Australia) and communal kitchen facilities with free herbal teas and freshly brewed coffee, biscuits/snacks, microwave, and large fridge. With a wide range of rooms from small cosy rehearsals, right up to pre-production lockouts with space for bands with their own tech set ups. Each room features a different artist installation design that break away from the usual sterile & mundane rehearsal spaces.
We acknowledge the traditional owners of country, the Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, and pay our respects to Elders, past, present & emerging. Aboriginal Sovereignty has not been ceded.
Always Was, Always Will Be.