Mojos: a venue that’s never lost its mojo, in fact has only gotten better

There are few music venues that possess the rock’n’roll DNA of Mojos Bar in North Fremantle.

The Queen Victoria Street institution has been a live music haunt since the 1970s, when the premises were known as The Stoned Crow (before being rechristened to Mojos in the 1990s). In the 1980s, it was very much part of Fremantle’s alternative, counter-cultural music scene, and today that spirit is alive and well.

The relatively small, 190-capacity venue has been something of a launchpad for quality Australian music, with everyone from The Triffids, INXS and John Butler Trio, to Tame Impala, Pond, Stella Donnelly and Spacey Jane all cutting their sonic skills here.

Even today Mojos’ music programming remains wonderfully eclectic, where you can expect indie, rock, punk, soul, funk, experimental music, and even EDM DJs visiting and performing on its intimate stage.

In fact, Mojos’ slightly scruffy, intimate character is precisely what makes it an appealing venue. The difference now is that it has been given a new lease of life. New local owners have added a vinyl record store, a hi-fi listening area, sturdier furniture, a back bar, 16 beer taps, beaut new cocktails, and an expanded beer garden, while acoustic improvements and new sound equipment are helping bring the venue into the 21st century without sanding off its rough edges.

But in our books, the venue’s biggest development is the food coming from its kitchen which, kookily enough, has taken on a bit of a Greek theme. Headed by Reece Lardi, Mojos now serves family-style dishes based on co-owner Tony Papa-Adams’ Greek-Cypriot heritage. Menu highlights include lamb souvlaki slow-roasted then with salad, hummus and tzatziki (the small morsels we sampled were delish!), halloumi served with a potato bake, and – a specialty on Sundays – roast porchetta with honey-glazed carrots, charred Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes and jus.

Getting back to the venue’s music, while the once-sticky floors and sweaty gigs have been given a little polish, Mojos hasn’t lost its soul. It is still one of the best places in Perth to see a great band before they become famous — and now there’s considerably more reasons to arrive early and stay late.

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