beechworth’s
home of live music
Live Music.
Big Moments.
Great Memories.
Right in the heart of historic Beechworth, Tanswells Hotel has been bringing people together through great music and good times for generations.
From local legends and visiting bands to open mic nights and the infamous Jamswells, there’s always something happening at Tanswells. Whether you’re here for a big night out, a quiet drink or to jump on the mic, Tanswells is where Beechworth comes for live music.
Take a look at what’s happening below and join us for the next one.
up coming gigs
Ships Piano & Sitting Giant
Ships Piano are the butter for your dry ear toast and they’re making the trip up to Beechworth! Join them at Tanswell’s on Saturday 5 September.
Ships Piano’s live show is a mix of jangly overdriven guitars, frenetic drums and slinky bass lines with a bit of cheeky banter thrown in. Free in the front bar, with support from Sitting Giant!
Wonder Mountain
Home of Wonder Mountain | 2026 SOLD OUT
From gold-rush history to contemporary beats, Tanswells has always been a place for people to gather, celebrate and make memories. Today, the historic hotel is home to Wonder Mountain, a boutique music and arts festival born from the creative community behind Strawberry Fields. Each year, the festival transforms Tanswells and its historic spaces into a vibrant weekend of live music, DJs, art, dancing and good times — adding another chapter to the long and colourful story of this much-loved Beechworth pub.
More info at wondermountain.com.au
C.W. Stoneking
Wonder Mountain’s 2026 Tanswells Takeover culminates with the one and only C.W. Stoneking playing his ethereal down home, backwood, folk blues and roots tunes! Performing with his band in the Tanswells back room.
Also playing on the evening are local and total legends Bad Knees and folk punk pop-noir rockers Fenn Wilson and the Weather plus DJ Jane Doe.
Jamswells
Jamswells is the freewheeling & fun jam night held on 3rd Thursday of every month at Tanswells Hotel in Beechworth! For makers and lovers of music, and everyone in between!
The Nowa Nowas
The NOWA NOWAS are a brand new swampy rock 'n' roll band from Melbourne featuring explosive original tunes!
Featuring: Lauren Lime on drums, Jeff Hooker on bass, Yolanda De Rose on guitar, and Pange DeBauche on vocals.
UNIT & Life Girl
The new-ish project of guitarist Asher Bates (00_, Dr Sure’s), UNIT are an off-kilter, experimental swamp rock band from Naarm.
Their sound, like some melding of Polvo and The Drones, features intricate and distinctive guitar work paired with emotive vocals and rich lyricism. Having only played their first show in March, the band have since shared bills with the likes of Party Dozen, Georgia Knight, Romy Vager and Dartz (NZ).
A superstitious bunch, UNIT are hitting the road for a lucky seven shows run to celebrate their first single release ‘Rachel’ -- released on Bandcamp on Sept 24.
UNIT play Tanswells on September 25, joined by Life Girl.
G_Tano
G_Tano is a Melbourne-based multicultural band blending old-school funk, acid jazz, Mediterranean fusion and Hendrix-inspired psychedelia into a genre-defying sound.
Formed in mid-2022, the band is the organic result of an ongoing musical exchange between seasoned musicians from Italy, Indonesia, Chile, Panama, Korea and Australia, each bringing their cultural roots and musical philosophies to the music.
Their debut album "Read the Room" (2025) captures the live energy and cross-cultural fusion the band is known for: a heartfelt manifesto of unity through rhythm.
Romanie & Human Noise
Multi-award-winning Naarm/Melbourne-via-Belgium indie artist Romanie is hitting the road in celebration of her acclaimed sophomore album It's Not That Funny, which landed #14 in the AUS album ARIA charts and was nominated for the Australian Music Prize. It's Not That Funny asks what it means to keep going when life feels overwhelming.
This tour is Romanie's answer: an invitation to make something together.
At the heart of each show is a creative experiment in collaboration. Prior to the show, Romanie and her support Human Noise will write a brand new song together in the space during the day. On the night they'll perform it for the very first time at the end of the support set: raw, unfinished, or perhaps something unexpectedly beautiful. It's a celebration of vulnerability, community and the joy of creating without perfection, so come early to watch the support act and afterwards witness the cowritten song in its very first form.
Joined by her band, Romanie will then perform songs from It's Not That Funny, her most emotionally direct and sonically ambitious record to date. Every show is built around connection: between artists, between songs and, most importantly, between the people in the room. Because while It's Not That Funny was born from navigating life's darkest moments, this tour is about discovering we don't have to navigate them alone.
Hugo Race & Michelangelo Russo
Hugo Race returns after collaborative albums with Steve Kilbey (Speed of the Stars ‘While Italy Dreamed’), Michelangelo Russo (‘100 Years’) and Gianni Maroccolo (‘The Vigil’, winner of the prestigious Premio Ciampi Speciale) with I Made It All Up For You, an epic album with his Italian band Fatalists - existential songwriting framed by the band's fusion of roots, electronica, Italian soundtracks and desert rock.
“Fatalists recorded the basic tracks at the floating studio on the Puccini lake an hour out of Florence - Giovanni Ferrario (Scisma, PJ Harvey) on guitars and synth, Francesco Giampaoli (Sacri Cuori/Brutture Moderne) on bass and Diego Sapignoli (Sacri Cuori) on percussion. Jennifer Charles (singer of Elysian Fields) graces this album on the songs I Collide and Broken Love, the lyrics co-written by author/designer Alannah Hill. A lot of joy and pain and reflection went into the making of this album and I hope that comes across. I made it all up for you..."
Winter McQuinn & Acacia Pip
Disassociating On The Travelator is the second collaborative EP from Melbourne/Naarm songwriters Winter McQuinn & Acacia Pip.
Blending indie folk, jangle pop and folk-emo with understated, emotionally rich songwriting, the four-track release reflects on memory, contemporary life and the quiet search for meaning in everyday moments. Recorded with Liam "Snowy" Halliwell at Bakehouse Studios, the EP will be released by Third Eye Stimuli Records on October 16 as a special double EP edition alongside Recently I've Been Missing The Colour Green, bringing both releases to vinyl and CD for the first time.
The release follows a busy year for both artists. Winter McQuinn recently toured his third solo album throughout Australia, North America and Europe, sharing stages with Stella Donnelly, Sylvie (US), Kacy & Clayton (CA) and Glyders (US), alongside appearances at Berlin Folk Festival and New Colossus Festival in New York. Meanwhile, Acacia Pip toured nationally with Pinch Points, supporting legendary punk band Descendents on their Australian tour.
Winter McQuinn & Acacia Pip will celebrate the release of Disassociating On The Travelator with a 13-date Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand tour throughout October, November and December.
Sterling Drake (U.S.)
Country music lovers, prepare yourselves for the Australian debut tour of STERLING DRAKE this October.
Hailing from Montana, Sterling writes songs steeped in the landscapes, traditions and people of the American West. His blend of country, folk and Americana is built on honest storytelling, rich melodies and a deep connection to place, earning him appearances at AmericanaFest, Under the Big Sky and the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
With his debut full-length The Shape I'm In released in 2025, Sterling has emerged as one of the new and exciting voices in American roots music, crafting songs that are both deeply personal and universally resonant.
From Brisbane all the way down the East Coast, come and get to know Sterling Drake this October. BUY TICKETS
Ricky Albeck
Last seen at the pub supporting Phil Jamieson, Ricky Albeck is stoked to announce his own headline tour with his band The Belair Line Band this November and December.
Tartanya/Adelaide “post-pub-rock” artist Ricky Albeck just shared his new single ‘Playing Pool and Drinking All Night’, a fun, noisy rocker with guitars so loud they’re feeding back. It's the first cut from second album, due out this year through Bedroom Suck.
‘Playing Pool and Drinking All Night’ features The Belair Line Band: Tom Spall (violin), Jackson Wright (bass), Alex Dearman (guitar), with the addition of Edo Ekic (Peter Bibby, Carla Geneve) on third guitar.
Ricky Albeck writes largely autobiographical songs steeped in metaphor and satire. Where he strives for sincerity above all, it’s his injection of humour that allows him to not take it all too seriously. This contradiction is the battle; it’s a delicate balance he finds more achievable through writing songs than being in day-to-day life, simply because of the added emotional context that music can provide.
Jack Biilmann & Buddy Dingo
With 15 years of skin in the game and the best songs and show of his career comes Jack Biilmann with album #6, 'Move the Mountains'.
Expect a flowing narrative from the perspective of a man in his mid-thirties navigating the life-altering changes and challenges typical of this period. Themes of the outlaw state of mind, introspection, heartbreak, helplessness, betrayal, disappointment, love & appreciation weave through a neat 10-track LP.
Biilmann’s signature vocal soar & guitar mastery remain prominent, supported by his loyal band: Jono Warren (drums), Pat Quinn Quirke (guitar) & Alec Coulson (Bass). Their creative input has elevated Biilmann’s writing and live show to the highest point of his career.
Catch them free in the front bar, with Buddy Dingo supporting!
Nadia Reid (NZ/UK)
Nadia Reid returns to Australia this December for an extensive tour. Now based in Manchester, UK, Nadia has recently finished recording her fifth studio album in New York. She'll be joined by her longtime guitarist and producer Sam Taylor.
Come and celebrate the end of the year with Nadia and Tom. A few new songs, plenty of old ones, and long, warm summer evenings.
Hard Rubbish & Body Tax
Join Hard Rubbish for their return to the hallowed halls of Tanswells Hotel with Body Tax.
Hard Rubbish boasts a rich musical pedigree with frontman Jason Katsaras having travelled across the country, including most recently living in nearby Albury (NSW).
Hard Rubbish crafts songs that tap into the raw nerve of personal experience, exploring the familiar landscapes of lost love and the universal yearning for belonging
Harvey Russell & The Widowmakers
Country/Americana with swagger: Harvey Russell and his band The Widowmakers offer their own combination of alt-country and honky tonk, drawing inspiration from a range of artists from George Jones right through to American Aquarium. With the successful release of his second solo album "Pure as the Flame" in 2024, Harvey has a bunch of new songs to share.
After over a decade developing and honing his songwriting, Harvey has dialled into the heart of country music with an authentic and finely-tuned ear for the song-craft of the genre, in all its forms. On stage, The Widowmakers deliver Harvey’s songs full of heart and energy, mixing old school country stylings with contemporary rock n roll. Harvey and the boys are thrilled to be coming back to Tanswell's for a big night of country rock!
Jeane & My Dog Satellite
Fresh off the release of their debut EP "Sicko", Naarm’s Jeane bring their wild live show to Tanswell's front bar. Led by frontwoman Jazz Johnston, the band have quickly built a reputation for emotionally charged indie rock that pairs sharp lyricism with an explosive live energy.
Across "Sicko", Jeane lean into jagged guitars, hook-heavy songwriting and raw, unfiltered storytelling. The recent single ‘Wildfire’ captures the band at their most fearless, earning praise from triple j Unearthed, Frankie Magazine and Women In Pop, alongside airplay across triple j, rage, PBS, Triple R, FBi and 4ZZZ.
Following a sold-out show at The Gem and performances alongside Full Flower Moon Band, WILSN and The Slingers, Jeane now step into their biggest headline tour yet. Catch them for free at Tanswells, with support from My Dog Satellite!
Rarebit Fiends
The Rarebit Fiends return to the front bar for the psychedelic countryfied takes on '90s classic and mind-bending originals with a lashings of cheese.
Gelli Printing Workshop
Explore the playful world of Gel plate printing in this hands-on workshop. Learn simple techniques using layers, texture and colour to create a beautiful collection of unique prints and greeting cards, while exploring sustainable artmaking practices using botanicals, recycled goods and found materials. Materials and equipment provided.
Smoked Salmon
Art School dropout, seminal punk rocker, and living legend.
Born into the isolation of the semi-industrial wastelands of 1950s outer suburban Perth, Kim Salmon clawed his way out of the swamp and onto the world stage in his bands, the Scientists, the Surrealists, and the Beasts of Bourbon.
Kim Salmon has earned his reputation as an authentic artist incapable of choosing the safe road. For nearly fifty years, he has performed on the world's biggest stages and with the most remote punk bands; traversing every corner of music and art to create a body of work that stands up with the best.
His latest band, Smoked Salmon is a concept, a collection of recordings, a collective, a philosophy of least resistance flowing from a reputation for resolutely going against the stream! Wait a minute! Least resistance? Against the stream? Here’s the clincher. You can do both! Kim still has the desire to go upstream but has found a great source of new repertoire fishing in the streams from whence such classics as "Frantic Romantic", "Last Night", "Dropout", "Come On Spring" and "Swampland" sprang!
They have toured Europe and Japan - combining classic moments from across his career with an album of brand-new original songs in 2025 and a brane new follow-up, ‘Totally Sick’.
Mark Campbell & The Ravens
Mark Campbell and The Ravens released their self-titled debut album last year, fusing country, blues, soul and Americana to bring to life themes of love, grief and redemption in an enduring love story. The recording features members of You Am I, Augie March, The Bamboos and Cash Savage and the Last Drinks.
Catch the full eight-piece band (including horns) for free at the pub!
Torpedoes
The first Friday of every month means Torpedoes! Come have a dance to their vintage 1950s-era rock 'n' roll, blues and more!
The Sweet Betrayals
The Sweet Betrayals played their first set at Tanswells in June and brought the house down with their take on retro genres with songs from James Brown, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and The Faces, to name a few.
They’re coming back August 1 to take on the whole night--and rocking a bigger lineup this time, with screaming sax, boogie piano and wailing guitar solos. These guys are going to keep you dancing all night. Don’t miss it
Miya Zawa
Existing somewhere between softness and chaos, shadow and colour, Miya Zawa is a genre-bending princess that soundtracks love, friendship and messy feelings.
There’s an honesty to Miya Zawa’s music that feels immediate, like hearing a thought as it forms. She's letting you in on something you weren't meant to hear. Detached but not distant. Playful but never soft. Miya Zawa builds a world that feels unstable in the best way.
The Distant South
The Distant South are a Melbourne alt-country band who write songs that are confessional, raw and instantly relatable.
Blending the sounds of country, folk, blues and soul, The Distant South channel heartache and angst into captivating performances that are melancholic… yet still somehow uplifting.
With two EPs and an album already behind them, the band is all set to release their second LP “Map of My Life” in August.
Blown Cones
Blown Cones hit the Tanswells front bar for their long-awaited first Beechworth show. Joining Melb music stalwart Michael Hager on guitars and rhythm section, Mic Muc & Trevor Cotton is Henry Hugo for a full-band, four-course feast of introspective songwriting and gritty garage rock
The Smith Street Band
The Smith Street Band head to Beechworth on July 17 for their first-ever show in town at Tanswells!
In late 2025 The Smith Street Band released their seventh studio album, Once I Was Wild, which reached #14 on the ARIA Album Chart and #2 on the Australian Artists chart. Currently, The Smith Street Band are spending all of June touring Europe, playing 17 shows across eight countries and selling out iconic London venue The Garage.
SOLD OUT!
Jamswells
We host an open jam on the third Thursday of each month. We supply the backline (including PA and mics) so just bring your instrument and join in. All welcome!
Badlanders & Fountain Lakes
Badlanders and Fountain Lakes are hitting the road together this July for a run of shows through regional Victoria.
The ghosts of gothic country rock presents: BADLANDERS, born from the ashes of a CCR Halloween show, brushing off the dust with a new swag of Van Walker originals in the style of newly released I Feel Alright area Steve Earle, country rock as dark as it is catchy, Van joins Nick O’Mara (Raised by Eagles) guitar, Mick Stylianou (Saint Jude) bass, Dave Rose (Joni Lightning) drums & Camilla Hodgkins (Boof!) keys.
Joining them are Fountain Lakes, the dreamlike atmospheric harmony duo of Jac Tonks and Emma Heeney, playing songs from forthcoming EP Junkyard of Lost Hearts.
Jessie Monk
Jessie Monk is an artist devoted to making space for the old ways in the new world – through song, story and ritual. Drawing inspiration from the folk traditions of her Gaelic ancestry, the Naarm-based artist is obsessed with old myths, poetry, stories and musical motifs from various traditions and lineages throughout the ages, weaving them amongst new threads of jazz/experimental sounds that situate them at the forward facing thresh-hold of this time.
Coming from a theatrical background, she learnt a lot from performing in the Australian Premier of David Bowie’s, Lazarus and the Australian tour of Anais Mitchell’s, Hadestown. In 2023, she released her debut album, Continually Becoming, regarded as ‘Boundless Folk’ by Rolling Stone Magazine – and is now touring her sophomore album – Mis O’ The Mountains – a concept album based on the myth of an ancient Celtic goddess named Mis, which was nominated for AFMA’s Contemporary Folk Album of the Year, 2025.
She has headlined many a Europe and UK tour and been lucky enough to support other wonderful artists like Rachel Sermanni, Ocie Elliot and Matthew and the Atlas.
The Woodland Hunters
The Woodies play their home away from home, Tanswells Hotel! Front bar, warm fire, hot licks and bushy beards, and 2 sets of Woodies classics.
Torpedoes
The first Friday of every month means Torpedoes! Come have a dance to their vintage 1950s-era rock 'n' roll, blues and more!
Rarebit Fiends
Rarebit Fiends return to the front bar for the psychedelic countryfied takes on 90s classic and mind-bending originals with a lashings of cheese.
Borderline
Borderline is a rocking 5-piece band based in N.E. Victoria and playing modern blues, blues rock and Americana.
Phil Jamieson (Grinspoon)
Ahead of the release of his sophomore album '10Charlie', Phil Jamieson is taking flight with his PJ Air tour - bringing songs of triumph, joy, heartache and bluster to the edges of Australia. Experience one of Australia's most revered frontmen in an intimate setting as he navigates the turbulence of life through a rejuvenated creative lens.
Tickets are $35 + bf in advance or $45 at the door: https://events.humanitix.com/phil-jamieson-tanswells-2026
Great Falls & Sitting Giant
After their last attempt to play at Tanswell’s Hotel was foiled by a heatwave so cooked it sent the entire town’s power grid into meltdown, Great Falls are heading back for redemption this time armed with a new single, cooler weather and significantly lower chances of climate-related cancellation.
Naarm five-piece Great Falls have been steadily carving out a space in the local scene with their evocative, guitar-driven sound. Since the release of their debut 12” EP Negatives into Positives, the band have earned praise across Triple J, online and print media for their blend of jangly overdriven guitars, slinky bass-lines and songs steeped in sickly sweet nostalgia.
Following a two-year hiatus, Great Falls returned in late 2025 with “Radioinactive” — a gritty, unpredictable release that marked a bold reinvention for the band. The single quickly picked up national radio rotation and acclaim from outlets including Happy Mag, Broken 8 Records and Market Records, cementing Great Falls as one of Naarm’s most compelling live acts right now.
Now, six months on, the band return with their latest single “Blue Bricks”. A meditation on identity, impermanence and the fleeting nature of experience. Moody, propulsive and textured, the track continues to push the band into exciting new territory while holding onto the dark emotional core that defines their sound.
Joining them will be Great Falls very own lead guitarist, Liam Moran who will be debuting his solo project, Sitting Giant.
Al Carr (Bad Debts)
Hailing from Castlemaine, Al Carr is an accomplished solo artist as well as a member of Bad Debts, a twangy rock band who released their debut album "Under Kalimna Skies" last year.
Catch him in the front bar, playing both solo and Bad Debts material in an intimate setting!
Jungle Jim Smith
Armed with a 3-string cigar box guitar, bottleneck slide, trusty 6-string and shed-built foot drums, Jungle Jim Smith is a one-man-electric-boogie-band based in the rolling hills of South Gippsland Prom Country.
Delivering high-energy performances since 2021, Jungle Jim’s blend of up-tempo garage grooves and stompin’ blues sits somewhere between RL Burnside, ZZ Top and The Black Keys. Delivered with a grin, Jim’s songs are charged with infectious hooks and a riffage finesse, with vocals that conjure up shades of Elvis and Morrison crooning over primal percussive riffs and rhythms.
Ragged Company
Special Sunday gig for King’s Birthday Eve! Hailing from the vibrant inner-city suburb of Brunswick in Melbourne, Ragged Company are making waves in the alt-country music scene.
The Rubber Band & Sweet Betrayals
The Rubber Band are your official blues madmen from Phillip Island, with a dangerous dose of “Kelly Country” blood coursing through their veins.
Prepare thyself for some dynamic grooves and playful tomfoolery on the King's Birthday long weekend as The Rubber Band dish out an array of half-truths and observations on sex appeal, day-to-day existence and hard-partying blended with bouncy rhythms, powerful vocals and solid blues/rock vibe. And don't miss support act The Sweet Betrayals!
our venue
the front bar
The musical heart of Tanswells, where great music, good company and a lively atmosphere have come together for generations.
From talented locals to bands travelling from near and far, the Front Bar has hosted an eclectic mix of performers. Many a visitor to Beechworth has been drawn through the doors by the unmistakable sounds and atmosphere drifting from the bar, often turning a passing listen into a memorable part of their Beechworth experience.
Take a look at what gigs at the Front Bar look like in the 21st century, and come experience it for yourself.
the band room
The bigger brother to the Front Bar, the Band Room is where Tanswells turns things up a notch. Home to larger bands, Jamswells, trivia nights and live entertainment, there’s always something happening in this historic space.
It’s not just the music that makes a night at Tanswells memorable — it’s the atmosphere. There’s something special about live music in a historic Beechworth pub, surrounded by character, stories and generations of good times.
When there’s no music playing, the Band Room transforms into a dining space and the perfect spot to catch your favourite live sport.
Great music. Historic surroundings. Classic Tanswells atmosphere.