New owners of iconic Mojo’s Bar unveil plans to save the Fremantle live music institution

The new owners of Mojo’s Bar have vowed to continue the legacy of the iconic North Fremantle live music venue. Earlier this year a trio of locals in architect Michael Benson, musician and venue manager Tony Papa-Adams and DJ Paul Malone bought the 190-capacity institution from Triple-1-Three, which operates Otherside Brewing Co. and Freo.Social. Triple-1-Three took over Mojo’s, a breeding ground for top WA artists such as Tame Impala, John Butler and Stella Donnelly, in 2021. Mr Benson, who is a shareholder in Otherside, said the owners plan to continue hosting live music but will “transform” Mojo’s so it can operate as a bar regardless of whether there is a gig. He said it is difficult for small bars, like Mojo’s, to survive in the current market as purely a live music venue. “Everyone is struggling, and Mojo’s is no different,” Mr Benson told The West Australian. “For small music venues to survive we have to change the business model. “If we don’t make that change, it’s just not going to survive,” he said. Mojo’s is operating as per normal while minor refurbishments are done but will start opening as a bar Wednesday to Saturday afternoons from late November. Major renovations are due to begin early next year. The new owners plan to put a new roof over the beer garden, which will feature a small bar and sound system for patrons not attending a performance in the front room. When performers are not using it, the green room will become a vinyl record store. In October, the Federal Government gave the owners a $60,000 grant as part of its Revive Live program to help improve the venue’s acoustics. “When we’re open and there’s no paid gig on it will be a high-fidelity listening bar,” Mr Benson explained. “There will be good music playing at times — it was always about the music.” The new owners plan to reactivate the kitchen to serve a “simple” menu. Mr Benson added that the new-look Mojo’s will continue to support up-and-coming bands. The venue aims to attract locals from North Fremantle, which is enjoying a hospitality boom with the North Fremantle Bowls Club and The Bridge House restaurant on Harvest Road both opening to add to a thriving pocket of bars and restaurants. “It’s a great community, it’s vibrant,” he said. “You go down any night of the week and the community is really supporting all these local venues. “The gigs will draw in people from around Perth and possibly tourists,” Mr Benson added, “but the venue itself, we’re building it to be a community venue.” Before John Butler, San Cisco and The Waifs manager Phil Stevens and his wife Anna Chiovitti took over Mojos in 1998, the North Fremantle bar was called The Stoned Crow. The venue has been an important incubator of local musical talent thanks, in part, to its relatively small capacity. “We’re going to refresh it,” Mr Benson said, “but we want to retain that DNA of Mojo’s.”