Over its century-long history, Footscray's historic ANA building has been home to heaps of beloved businesses. Most recently, it housed Dancing Dog Cafe – a dog-friendly cafe renowned for its open-mic nights and cheap (but delicious) hot dogs. It went up for sale in 2015 and was saved from the clutches of developers when mother-child duo Linda and Emily Chen saved bought it.
They gave the interior a complete renovation and turned it into a live music venue called Mamma Chen's. The space is designed to host gigs of all styles and genres and people of all backgrounds and abilities – as a result, the venue, carpark, courtyard, toilet and bar are all wheelchair accessible. The band room has seats as well as spaces for wheelchairs, earplugs are available upon request and there is no use of strobe lighting in any show.
Mamma Chen's is open from Friday to Sunday, and you can find the gig calendar here. Pop by for some music or to have a couple of drinks - and if you don't drink alcohol, the bar also offers a wide range of non-alcoholic options.
Keen on hearing more live music? Check out our round-up of the best gigs happening in Melbourne this month.
