It was a day back in 2005 when I first encountered St Jerome’s and Caledonian Lane. The Laneway Festival was set to start the next day and Danny Rogers, one of the partners behind the festival, wanted me to come down and see the site. For weeks, Danny had claimed it was the greatest festival location ever — not to mention coolest bar — and I had to come see it to believe it. Now I know Melbourne is famous for its quaint laneways and hip cafes. I had been to many around the city over the years but nothing prepared me for what I was about to see as I rounded the corner. ‘This is where you want to have a festival?’… ‘You can barely get a car down the thing… ‘Isn’t that the back of a Chinese restaurant?’… ‘There’s trash cans everywhere’… I almost died with laughter and or fright, but I kept my thoughts to myself. We proceeded to walk into the bar and were met by Danny’s partner, the legendary St. Jerome himself. Jerome, wearing his customary shorts and thongs, beer in hand, was holding court in the corner booth. He must have misheard my name. He kept calling me ‘spinal’ — his sister thought it was ‘spirally’ — as we sat down at one of the most uncomfortable booths known to man. ‘How does someone sit here?’ I thought. Looking around I understood why. Everyone in the bar was skinny — skinny and hip. Not the best place for an aging plump indie-rocker like myself. Jerome helped me relax with a fresh beer in hand — one of many that night — and proceeded to tell stories of the regulars and typical shenanigans that went on. I really felt at home. The place was packed with kids drinking and talking and basically having a great time, with Monkey DJing in the courtyard. It was ‘going off”, as they say. The next day at the festival, and severely hung-over, we were back in the laneway. I couldn’t believe the transformation. All the dirt and grime was gone… thanks partly to me helping move the bins the night before I would think. The festival was a huge success. The bands and crowd loved it. It left me with such great memories that I ended up coming back year after year. And to this day I tell everyone that St Jerome’s and the Laneway Festival are the best. That good vibe is one of the many reasons I now call Melbourne home. I miss that laneway and bar but I know ‘Spinal Spirally’ will always be there.
