Adamstown Bowling Club Praised for Commitment to Local Music

On 6 May 2022, an anonymous person lodged a complaint with Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) alleging undue disturbance from the operation of the Club. 

Police had been asked to visit the venue on 28 occasions over a 12-month period from 2021 to 2022. 

However, in January 2024, a court found in favour of the Club continuing to offer live music.

Fast forward to 21 July and their music event Live with the Pines, involving a plethora of local bands, received rave reviews, which led to their local member, Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp, praising the Club in parliament.

"Congratulations to the Adamstown Bowling Club, who hosted their first micro-festival on Sunday 21st of July," Crakanthorp told the Legislative Assembly on 6 August.

"Live with the Pines at the Bowlo featured 14 local bands across 2 stages, a jam-packed day of good music, good friends and good vibes.

"Matt Field and the team at the Bowlo have been champions of Newcastle's live music scene and have shown great resilience in the face of shutdowns and lockdowns.

“This micro-festival format is an innovative way of combatting the nationwide decline in music festivals, caused by the cost-of-living crisis. This smaller festival format keeps ticket costs low and supports smaller artists. 

"This event marked the first of many festivals to come at the Adamstown Bowlo. Supporting live music in Newcastle is always a win, and I applaud the Club for their commitment to bringing exciting and vibrant performances to our community."

Matt Field, the Club’s Live Music Manager, took to the Club's socials to proudly show off his official Hansard certificate.

“I had to look up what Hansard means. It's officially gone down on record in Parliament forever for the rest of time,” Field said. 

In a further boost, the Club has also recently received a $89,500 grant for upgrades to its live music facilities to help improve the sound proofing.

“City of Newcastle said we can't have bands in the beer garden until we do this soundproofing,” said Field.

“We applied for a grant, we're now successful and we can now do that work and we can put bands back in the beer garden.

“Not only that, there is plenty of money left in that grant to do the works to the green room that we need to do to welcome those international and national tourists back into the Bowling Club. This is a massive win for everyone.

“Thank you Minister John Graham (NSW Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy). Thank you Michael Rodrigues (24 Hour Economy Commissioner). Thank you Tim Crakanthorp for really believing in our live music industry and doing what you can to help us rebuild it at a venue level.”