Northbridge’s famed Mustang Bar is celebrating its 26th Birthday in a manner befitting its beloved aesthetic of American music, cars, bars, and diners.
A Tailgate Party is indeed a very American phenomenon — the celebration around cars, music, and beer in stadium parking lots prior to sporting events.
“As you say, it’s a recognition of the tailgate parties before the Super Bowl and all that sort of thing,” says Mustang Bar owner, Mike Keiller. “We’ve got the American flavour early with our favorite American country band Peter Busher & Friends. He’s playing again, he sort of suddenly comes out of the woodwork these days and we’re happy to have him back.
“He’ll kick off from six o’clock and go through to 9.30pm and then we’ll turn into a raging rock ’n’ roll bar thereafter.”
The latter half comes courtesy of Mustang regulars — concert band Felix and DJ James MacArthur. The combination of country, rock ’n’ roll, and a DJ over the early and late sessions of a night is an approach that indicates juts how well the venue knows its clientele and the manner in which it serves them.
“In a word, it’s consistency,” explains Keiller when asked what he attributes 26 years of trading to.
“I mean, obviously I’ve been here for 26 years. Pat [Murphy] the venue manager has been here for 24. He’s had an illustrious career in hospitality… the Aberdeen, Left Bank, Leederville Hotel. And then the assistant manager, Jaye [Gardner], has been here for about 20 years. She started out working behind the bar. So there is that consistency, and that also flows through with the entertainment program.
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“We haven’t changed what we’ve what we’ve done since we opened, really. I mean, we added an extra night, and it was something that I wasn’t confident would work in the long term. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, and that’s the Salsa Night.
“But I kind of felt sorry for the guy, because he was getting tipped out of a venue in Northbridge, and it was reasonably successful. And I said, ‘Look, mate, you can come here, and if in three-or-four-weeks’ time, you tell me you’ve found a new home we’ll just shake hands and say good luck to you.’
“A couple of months went by, and he said, ‘Oh everyone really loves it. Here. Can we lock it in?’ I thought, ‘Oh, you know, probably doing better than if there was a solo artist playing bad cover versions on an acoustic guitar.’ That’s now been going for 19 years.
“So there’s just this consistency, whether it’s the people running the bar or the entertainment format itself. We’ve always run two bands on Friday and Saturday night, and it’s just sort of a safe harbour. There’s always a vibe here, you know? Not at 4pm in the afternoon, but certainly after 6pm it’s one of the few bars that’s got an entertainment vibe happening at that time of the night. So you see people going around in circles, and half an hour later they walk through the front door just to get a vibe.”
Keiller will tell you that running an entertainment venue is as hard work as ever, but what makes it all tick is the connection with people — both the punters and the staff.
“Well, I mean, it’s fun to be around young people because they are having fun,” he notes. “And you think, ‘Oh well, at least we’re making someone happy.’ It’s not just one thing though.
“I mean, obviously the Peter Busher thing’s sort of dear to my heart,” he says of his old muso friend, “but I’ve got a heap of respect for the commercial cover bands that are playing late on Friday and Saturday night, because they’re very good. Not that I get to see them very often these days myself, but they pull a lot of people, and they entertain a lot of people. And some of them have been approached to be session musos in Los Angeles and stuff like that. So they’re great musicians in their own right.”
The lively lineups will only continue into 2026, with notable events including the Matt Hill Combo album launch on November 25 and Ezra Lee early in the New Year. November also sees return of venue favourites Rusty Pinto Combo, Jack Royale & The Hotshot Playboys and The Feel Alrights.
“We’ve always tried to have a quality as a base,” Keiller says. “So whether it’s a country band, a rockabilly band or a swing band, or whatever, if they’re no good we won’t put it on just for the sake of fitting within the theme at the bar. They’ve got to be good, and if it happens to fit in with one of the genres we do, that’s a bonus. But I have to say, we’re just ruthless when it comes to the quality!”
Tailgate Sunday with Peter Busher & Friends! happens at the Mustang Bar on Sunday, September 28th. Free entry before 8pm. More details at mustangbar.com.au.
