Single Reviews 33, Wows + The Leadbeater 34, The Tote + Bar 303

Photography by Brendan Bonsack

Words By Sidonie Bird De La Coeur

Northcote’s second oldest live music bar is celebrating its 22nd year of providing music to the north. They unfortunately couldn’t celebrate their 20th birthday in 2020 because of the pandemic, so this year’s celebration promises to be extra special. With fair prices, great tunes and talkative bartenders, this High Street institution is loved by locals for its friendly atmosphere, retro vibes and ridiculous variety of quality acts.

With a consistently interesting and eclectic mix of performances - their booked acts ranging from blues and jazz to rock - there’s something for everyone at Bar 303. Each time you go you’ll be treated to a vastly different band. Every Thursday night, Bar 303 puts on the iconic Hammond Sessions by Hawker Heights, where the trio bring out the Hammond organ and tear through steamy blues, soulful R&B and vintage jazz for a sophisticated, world class act.

Open until 3am, even on weeknights, this cool and groovy Northcote hotspot is a great spot for late night drinks. With good reading material available on the bookshelf, it’s a nice venue to just chill out and read a book at 2am, if that’s your thing.

A chill dive bar with a great atmosphere and acoustic or jazz bands playing in the front room by the window, Bar 303 lets you get up close and personal with the acts that you’re there to see. They also have film and comedy nights that take place in the backroom, which has seen repertoire from the likes of Ross Noble and Alan Davies. Bar 303 also hosts a monthly comedy open mic called ‘Smiling Politely’. Past film events have included The 303 Cinema, Local Shorts, Cine-Cult, Cinerarium, Melbourne Horror, Dub Offs, Live Soundtracks and many other local showcases.

Bar 303 is located at 303 High Street, Northcote. They’re open from 5:30pm – 3am every day, except for Sundays.

Words By Lucas Radbourne

Despite being fire-bombed, shut down for being high risk, and closed for two years during the pandemic, The Tote is celebrating its 40th anniversary in wild style in 2022.

“The Tote’s 40 year cultural legacy is the history of Australian contemporary music of which, we are immensely proud. It’s a miracle the Tote endures considering being firebombed, shut down by the state government in 2010 for live music being “high risk”, the pandemic lock-downs, and the odd plumbing disaster. We remain today committed to our core value of staging original contemporary Australian live music by celebrating the 40 plus years with hundreds of truly awesome gigs of old school and emerging Australian rock’n’roll bands,” Tote owner Jon Perring said. A cornerstone of live music in Melbourne, The Tote passed 40 years as a live music venue in 2021 and now with eased restrictions, is celebrating the milestone in grand fashion over the next 12 months.

They’re in the midst of hosting 12 featured ‘Tote legends’ gigs, featuring the likes of The Meanies, Holy Serpent, Kim Salmon & The Surrealists, The Slingers, Warped, The Grinding Eyes, a celebration of the life of Spencer P. Jones, Desert Highways Festival and more. They’ll also be handing over the programming reigns to a special series of guest curators, including Bruce Milne, Wally Meanie, Penny Ikinger and Kasumuen Records.

The Tote will also host three outside concerts in the stunning surrounds of the Abbotsford Convent, they’ll release a book of the 40-year history of live music at The Tote, there’ll be a limited-edition Tote Lager by Brick Lane Brewing, and a ‘Tote School’ – a series of public workshops on aspects of live music practice.

In final exciting news, The Tote will be launching Tote TV, a free live streaming channel where you can watch sold-out gigs on The Tote’s main stage. They’ll record the best selection of these gigs for a vinyl LP release to document The Tote’s 40th Anniversary: ‘Live at The Tote’.

The Tote is open from Wednesday to Sunday, located on the corner of Johnston Street and Wellington Street in Collingwood.