Survival, song requests and the spirit of Geelong

ON ANY given weekend in Geelong, a crowd begins to form outside a venue tucked into Little Malop Street.

It’s not a nightclub or a fine-dining restaurant. It’s Piano Bar – a place where music, laughter, and the odd round of afterpay-financed drinks converge under the stewardship of Andy Pobjoy.

Andy, who launched Piano Bar over a decade ago, never imagined his cruise ship piano gigs would become the template for a hospitality mainstay in regional Victoria.

“I used to work on cruise ships,” he says. “There, you’d get everyone from eight to 88 in the room. What brought them together was the music.”

From the outset, Andy understood that in a town like Geelong, you can’t afford to be niche. “There’s just not the market for a jazz bar or a heavy metal venue alone,” he explains. “You have to thread the needle and include everybody.”

That sense of inclusion became Piano Bar’s heartbeat. Night after night, requests are scribbled down and handed over, resulting in anything from Elton John singalongs to boisterous group ballads.

“Even just for a few hours on a Saturday night, it’s like people are on holiday. The escapism has been key.”

When COVID hit, that holiday ended abruptly. But Andy pivoted fast, broadcasting live piano sessions from inside the empty venue to a city stuck at home.

“We had cameras facing us, but behind them was $150,000 of alcohol from four venues. It was harrowing,” he recalls. “But reading the comments and seeing how much it meant to people… it got me through it too.”

He played live for 100 consecutive nights. That effort wasn’t just performance; it was community service.

“Still, two or three times a week, someone comes up and says thank you. It wasn’t selfless. I needed it too.”

Post-pandemic, Piano Bar saw a surge. “People were bored and cashed up,” he laughs. “The loyalty and kindness we felt after that period was unreal.”

It also marked a turning point in how the venue operated. For the first time, they introduced cover charges. New Spanish-style tapas dishes were added to the menu. A partnership with Lou’s Pizza just across the road brought fresh flavours – and foot traffic.

But the high didn’t last. With cost-of-living pressures mounting, Andy says it’s become harder to get people through the door midweek.

“People are choosing between going out or keeping their kids in soccer. That discretionary spend, the fun money, it’s dried up.”

One telling sign?

“We’re seeing up to 2 per cent of our turnover paid through Afterpay. People are using it for rounds of drinks. I have mixed feelings about that.”

Andy knows Piano Bar must now sell more than music. “You can get booze from Dan Murphy’s, food from Uber Eats, entertainment from Netflix. We have to offer something better than what’s already at home.”

That comes down to experience and value. “We’re not going back to $1 pots on a Thursday. But we’ve got to be good value for money.”

He’s also vocal about broader challenges facing central Geelong: limited public transport, a perception of safety concerns, and the need to increase CBD residency.

“Less than 1 per cent of Geelong lives in the CBD. That’s scandalous,” he says. “We need people living in town who want to go out on a Tuesday night.”

Despite the obstacles, Andy remains committed. Piano Bar now pops up for coastal gigs in Portarlington and at the Lorne Theatre. They take a slice of ticket sales, the venue takes the bar. Everyone wins.

“It’s getting people to you that’s the hard part,” he says. “Once they’re in, they always have a great time.”

That resilience is what Andy counts as his proudest achievement. “The fact we survived, that we’re still here after everything, that’s the highlight.”

He keeps his focus tight. No sprawling accounts, no overdue supplier tabs. “Everything is paid when the order goes in. I need to know exactly where I stand.”

When asked about musical idols, he doesn’t name Elton or Billy Joel. Instead, it’s old friends he misses, people he wishes he could see more often. “I work every weekend. It’s hard.”

And while he jokes about playing the same 200 songs every weekend, the passion hasn’t dulled.

“The music stays the same. But the business keeps evolving. That’s what keeps me coming back.”

To hear more from Andy Pobjoy, listen to The Local Palate podcast, available on all major platforms.