Old Mervs

170 Russell is a large live music venue and nightclub, depending on the day and event. The venue opened as Lido Theatre in 1965 and showcased some of the largest live music acts in Melbourne. In 1980, 170 Russell began operating as Billboard Nightclub, and is colloquially referred to as Billboards. The Billboard brand still operates on a Saturday at 170 Russell, as well as, associative company Lucky Entertainment that runs the Lucky Thursdays.

170 Russell is deceptively huge, given the view from the street. You walk down stairs and into a large slightly tiered space, with a stage at the front. The main dance floor space is wider than it is long, but the venue is also long with space leading up around and past the bar. The smoker's area is to the left of the stage, going upstairs on to ground level next to an alleyway lined the local apartment and business big rubbish bins.

One of the great aspects of the venue is the side room to the right of the stage area, called the 'Bunker'. This area is most often used during Lucky Thursdays and Billboard Saturdays as an electronic music room. On your way to the 'bunker', is an area filled with couches.

The music offerings at 170 Russell vary depending on the night of the week and event/show that's on. when the venue operates a live music venue, they host a range of well-known international artists, that consistent sell out. However, on a Thursday and Saturday, the music centres around party anthems and commercial pop music, whilst dabbling in EDM and other pop sub-genres.

The crowd on a Thursday is typically 18-22 years old and targets school and university students, as they get a significant discount when they show their student card. The crowd on a Saturday is slightly older, 18-28 years old, for the most part. The crowd at the live music shows is ultimately dependent on who is playing.