Legendary Melbourne music institution The Punters Club is set to reopen next month, 22 years after calling last drinks.

The pub and live music venue, located on Brunswick Street Fitzroy, was a mainstay of Aussie indie and alternative music throughout the ’90s, showcasing bands such as Magic Dirt, Frente!, Something for Kate, Spiderbait, You Am I, Frenzal Rhomb and Rocket Science.

Known for sticky carpets, unhinged gigs, a dog-friendly front bar and a much-abused Addams Family pinball machine, the venue became an icon for local gen X (and elder millennial) music fans.

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Since then the site has hosted pizza joint Kewpie (formerly known as Bimbo Deluxe), which shuttered in June this year.

New ownership has come in the form of “a group of local mates”: Jason Cameron (Near & Far), Matt Francis (Marquis of Lorne), chef Dylan Marshall (Marquis of Lorne, The Scenic Hotel), musician Mark Wilson and Britt King of creative agency Akcelo.

In an exclusive statement to Broadsheet this morning, the group says they aim to deliver “a great neighbourhood pub that locals will be proud of again”.

Co-owner Wilson – who plays bass in longstanding Melbourne-based band Jet – remembers the original Punters Club as a place where he found “his people” and created long-lasting friendships with fellow musicians he still tours the world with.

“The Punters Club will be relaunching in August as a classic Fitzroy boozer with a plan to offer some of the best pub fare in the city,” he says. “The menu will focus on classic food done well – with a nostalgic Aussie twist. The beverage list will be rotating and feature many of the team’s favourite local and independent producers as well as all the crowd favourites.”

As for live music, the team says it will convert the upstairs function space into an intimate band room. They plan to “provide a platform for many new bands to make their mark on the Aussie music scene and continue the Punters Club legacy”.

News of the revival initially broke July 2 on Facebook group Sound As Ever, with admin (and ’90s era Triple J presenter) Jane Gazzo announcing: “Yes, it has been bought by some Fitzroy locals … They are restoring the pub’s name back to The Punters Club (because all the locals still refer to it as that) and will be painting it back to its original colours of cream and green.”

After touring the site, Gazzo added: “Their hearts are totally in the right place … and they are restoring all the old wood panels and buying up ’90s band posters to hang all around the venue. There’s even a CD player jukebox which will be filled with all local Oz ’90s CDs!!!”

Gazzo’s post has since attracted 1.4K likes and over 400 comments, including some Oz rock royalty reflecting on the news.

Ben Ely of Regurgitator wrote, “This is great news. The Punters was the first venue we played in Melbourne. So many great memories there. More to come. Yay!”

Angela Hart – frontwoman for Frente!, which formed after Hart met bandmate Simon Austin at the venue’s front bar – simply added, “For real? Amazing!”

The new owners say they have been overwhelmed by music lovers’ interest since the news of the acquisition went live, and plan to open the venue in August.