Adelaide’s hidden jazz gem

While enjoying a nice night out with my friends, we found ourselves on Currie Street being reeled in by an artsy bartender to a place we often walked past, but never explored – it was called Arthur Art Bar.

The place was warm, plastered with funky art and its atmosphere elevated with live jazz music. I sat there in awe, as I had never heard live jazz before. I was completely in love with it! The vibes were truly immaculate, but that wasn’t all Arthur Art Bar had to offer…

A staircase led to a second level filled with at least five different Art rooms each with a completely different atmosphere - but shared the common theme of ‘Space’. We found ourselves in an old-style cinema room watching old re-runs of 60's space movies, then adventured into a room which mimicked being on the moon. The impressively decorated rooms made me feel like an astronaut in space or an astronaut exploring an unknown planet. I don’t want to spoil too much, but there was this incredible art room that is still on location that you have to visit (hint: lots of tree sticks)!

After this night, I found myself there three more weekends in a row—it was a perfect time to listen to jazz for a few hours then explore upstairs. I just recently found myself back at Arthur Art Bar and intend on going back more often. My recent visit included the band playing my requested song—Cry me a river (no… not the Justin Timberlake version, the one by Ella Fitzgerald).

What also really amazed me was how welcoming and kind the band, bartenders and creative directors were. I truly felt at home being in the space. Arthur Art Bar cherishes expression and creativity—they support local artists and have a space for musicians (anyone is free jam on stage with the jazz bands)! It was amazing to hear that some of the jazz band members were recent graduates from the University of Adelaide, which I was happy to support them.

So next time you find yourself out in the City on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, check out Arthur Art Bar. Jazz on Friday’s usually have a 9pm start and play till late – and don’t forget to check out the Art rooms upstairs!