South Geelong’s Barwon Club Hotel is readying for a rousing ruckus when its 16th annual ‘River Rocks’ festival hits in early November.
Presented by River Rocks, B. Bookings, Balter Brewery and Bad Batch Zine, the festival promises rock, punk and even a neo-bush balladeer.
Venue manager Jason Stokes told PubTIC that the River Rocks festival is the pub’s “biggest day of the year”.
“It’s a great day for everyone. We sell a lot of beer, the punters love it and there’s no trouble.”
The pub has been serving locals for the past 165 years and has been a rock pub since the heady days of the eighties.
Sixteen years ago, the festival was created as locals were tired of seeing touring bands bypass Geelong and wanted to revive the local scene.
Since then, the venue has punched well above its weight in the stellar acts it has enticed to play. Bands such as USA’s Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and Mudhoney, Aussie legends Cosmic Psychos, Mental as Anything and Lime Cordiale are just a few of the names who have graced Barwon Club’s stage.
This year, the festivals will welcome Los Angeles’ Pat Todd and the Rankoutsiders and returning guests Los Chicos from Spain, as well as New Zealand’s Dick Move.
In all, the festival weekend will play host to 27 local, interstate and international acts over 9 and 10 November.
The Barwon Club Hotel also hosts Jerkfest, Negative Waves, Drencher and Melted Fest each year.
