Here's what you can expect at the region's finest music venues.
The Margaret River Region has long been a hub of live music and the event schedule is at full swing in the summer months, when longer days and balmy weather mean that heaps of venues host outdoor music.
That’s not to say that things go dead in winter; there are plenty of indoor events and steamy dancefloors year-round. Every venue offers something different, and these are the kinds of vibes you can expect to find at some of Margaret River’s finest.
Clancy’s Fish Pub in Dunsborough offers a soulful, groovy experience to the music lover. The music is a little different to what you might find in other pubs about the place, with worldly, up-tempo acts like Tijuana Cartel, didgeridoo artist Si Mullimby, and Grace Barbe regularly making Clancy’s a stop on their touring schedule.
Clancy’s regularly host artists like this in their indoor, red curtained music room and dancefloor at the back of the pub. There’s also live music every Sunday, and it’s home to a plenty of local favourites too, like Boom! Bap! Pow! and Brayden Sibbald.
Caves House hold live music mostly throughout the summer months, when the classic Caves House Sunday session draws a crowd. They’re huge supporters of local music, with many regular features from artists like Pete Mathews, and Katie White.
The music venue is outdoors with a stage in the beer garden, and a back drop of the classic old Yallingup top shop. Music here is a late afternoon and early evening kind of affair. In peak holiday times, the crowd sometimes spills out into the beautiful outdoor gardens surrounding the old hotel.
Settlers are an iconic south west music venue. Having been around since 1977, they have been a pioneer of Margaret River’s live music scene, and been duly recognised as such.
‘The Tav’, as it’s affectionately known, were awarded APRA Music Awards Licencee of the Year in 2018, and received Hall of Fame status at the Australian Hospitality Awards after winning the ‘Best Entertainment Venue’ award three years running, from 2013-15.
They host over 150 live acts ever year, with live music on the main stage every Friday and Saturday night, and outdoors on the sunny veranda on Sundays. There is a wide range of music here, from local bands to national stars like Peter Garrett, Birds of Tokyo, and San Cisco all having taken the stage. The Tav are real supporters of the live music industry, with many of their gigs free to punters, unless otherwise specified.
The River is, arguably, the region’s primary music venue, and regularly hosts some of the hottest bands and artists playing in the area. It’s a more intimate venue, with a dining room in the restaurant and a large undercover stage area where you’ll find the music out the back.
They’ve hosted artists like Thelma Plum and The Waifs, but one of The River’s biggest selling points is the classic acts it brings to town, with 2021 seeing performers like Ed Kuepper, and The Whitlams.
This really is a place for the live music lovers, and offers just about everything, new and old.
The Margaret River Region has long been the cultural and arts hub of the south west, and in 2019 this Margaret River HEART facility was purpose built to provide a central feature for that hub.
It’s Margaret River’s newest and biggest venue, with a huge concert hall that can host 1100 people. Music events here are mostly a sit-down affair, and sees a wide variety of shows, from acts like Mama Kin, musical theatre shows like The World of Musicals, and large festival events like WA’s ‘Strings Attached’ guitar festival.
Aside from live music, the venue also hosts various programs and workshops throughout the year. HEART is also a massive supporter of local music, with it’s free weekly Young@HEART and Homegrown@HEART music programs fostering local talent, and helping to grow some of the region’s youth into its next big acts.