A man is fighting for his life after being stabbed at a popular nightclub where staff desperately tried to stop his bleeding with tea towels and tissues.
The incident happened on the dance floor at Revolver Upstairs on Chapel Street in Prahran at around 4.30am on Sunday.
The 31-year-old man was attacked by two assailants who are believed to have used a machete to inflict serious injuries to his upper body.
An ambulance took the man to hospital with life-threatening injuries, while the two attackers fled the scene and were last seen running along Macquarie Street.
Police have been called and are reviewing CCTV footage from inside and around the venue as they attempt to catch the attackers.
On Sunday morning, the pavement near the club’s back entrance showed what appeared to be blood spatter.
Pieces of police tape were also found stuck to the rear bins and the area appeared to have been washed away.
A bloody leather jacket was discovered nearby, under a fence.
A man was left fighting for his life after being stabbed in the early hours of Sunday morning at Melbourne’s popular Revolver Upstairs nightclub.
However, detectives collected the item of clothing at around 9.30am on Sunday, placed it in an evidence bag and took photographs of the scene.
The nightclub posted a sign on its door around midday on Sunday informing customers that the venue was closed during the day and night.
“We are heartbroken by the violent incident that took place at Revolver Upstairs this morning,” the sign read.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by this terrible event.
‘Our top priority has always been the safety of our customers, artists and staff.
‘Revolver has always been committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone.’
An anonymous waiter working that night told the Herald of the Sun that he heard screams and then “everything went silent” inside the normally exuberant club.
Some staff and customers treated the injured man while others called police or tried to leave the club.
The 31-year-old stabbing victim was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries as police hunt for two attackers.
Other people inside the club gave harrowing accounts of what happened that night.
“There were people sitting on the side of the road crying and crying,” said one anonymous customer.
He said police and nightclub staff scanned everyone’s IDs before allowing them to leave the club, meaning people had to queue for more than an hour to leave.
Another customer, Josh, said he was enjoying the night when he heard a man had been stabbed.
“We were just having a good time and all of a sudden, the next minute, five police officers showed up,” he said.
Another anonymous customer said Melbourne’s nightlife scene had become “polluted and violent”.
“Melbourne nightlife isn’t about that,” he said.
DJ sets, including those by popular electronic duo Bag Raiders, have been rescheduled for when Revolver reopens.
