GET TO KNOW THE GOV
We talk backstories and famous faces with Melissa Tonkin, co-owner of The Gov.
Image by Nick Astanei
If you love live music, you’ve likely seen a gig at The Gov.
It’s been a cornerstone in the South Australian music scene for almost 30 years – developing into a venue that attracts international artists and touring bands while supporting up-and-coming local acts. Becoming a home for live music was the Tonkin’s family vision when they bought The Gov in 1993. In the 90s, band rooms in pubs, clubs and hotels were quickly becoming filled with noisy poker machines – a situation that left the Tonkins (fourth-generation publicans who are from a musical family) feeling disgruntled. “We wanted to do the opposite,” says co-owner Melissa Tonkin. “We wanted to give musicians a place to play.”
Initially, The Gov was a folk, blues and jazz-based hotel. But in 1997, when Melissa and her sister Jo started running the pub, it changed tune and began booking rock bands. “We had to convince acts there was more to us,” Melissa says.“Now, every genre of music is played here.”
You’ll find a melting pot of musos playing one of four Gov stages on any given night. From Irish folk singers and acoustic sets to headline hip-hop acts and heavy metal bands – any artist is welcome to gig, as long they give it a red hot go.
Melissa’s got a slew of wild stories from the hundreds of gigs The Gov has hosted. And no surprise there, seeing as big acts like the Hoodoo Gurus, The Mark of Cain, Gang of Youths, Ball Park Music, Vance Joy, The Hilltop Hoods and The Whitlams have all played on the intimate, curved stage.
A decade ago, Machine Gun Fellatio performed their alt-rock tracks to a mosh of sweaty people. Melissa was working behind the bar when the four-piece began shooting canons filled with feathers into the crowd of perspiring punters. “They were coming to the bar with feathers stuck all over them,” she laughs. “That was wild.”
The Tonkins have also seen international superstars in the making. They used to employ a bartender called Sia Furler, who played early gigs at The Gov to her loyal fan base of family and friends. She’s since dropped the last name and picked up nine Grammy nominations. “She was such a confident young performer,” recalls Melissa. “Those sorts of stories are what it’s all about.”
Today, the pub walls are a tribute to the greats who’ve performed at The Gov. There’s a restaurant wall decorated with some 50 photos of bands, as well as posters, flyers and signed paraphernalia throughout the venue. The punters are commemorated, too. Printed pictures of the pub’s social club – friends with their arms thrown around each other, wearing big, cheesy grins – are plastered on the front bar wall and weird knick-knacks collected over the years (all with stories) have a certain trophy-like status.
It’s a reminder that The Gov community is the heartbeat of the award-winning venue. It attracts four types of people: the music tragics; tradies at knock-offs; families searching for a good pub feed; and the barflies who’ve claimed the same bar stool for more than 30 years. “But having a bigger venue doesn’t mean you’re a better venue by any stretch. It’s the reputation, the history and the musicians who’ve walked on the stage.
“That’s one of the greatest things about The Gov. It’s a big slice of Adelaide in one place.”
Find out who’s playing The Gov here.
