Jive

Short music lovers of Adelaide rejoice – there’s a music venue for you and it’s been right under (or above) your noses for over a decade.

In the early 2000s, the owner of Jive saw an empty Hindley Street building with a perfect lay out – large yet intimate – and she pounced. Being on the shorter side herself, she ensured punters would be able to enjoy a performance from every aspect of the venue: an upstairs mezzanine, the raised bar area or up close and personal in the front.

Most nights the band line-ups skew indie alternative, but that’s not to say you won’t hear punk, heavy metal, hip-hop or the regular Gosh! club nights pumping out of the speakers. There’s a real community spirit to all this.

A majority of line-ups include a local band, the owner’s mum works the door and all beer, wine and cider comes from South Australia with affordable prices a must. Jive is a venue where punters stay for a whole night, rather than buying one or two expensive drinks and moving on.

To get a music fix through the week, head upstairs to check out the Jive record store. Started by a collector with an exorbitant amount of records, it’s a West End go-to for wax lovers.