Since opening the doors to his Janis Joplin-inspired Solomon Street bar, Cry Baby, in July last year, owner-operator Jon Di Pinto has poured drinks to the A-Z of music royalty, from Anthrax to DZ Deathrays, proving the maxim 'if you build it, they will come'.
To celebrate their one-year anniversary, Cry Baby will host a rock-centric line-up of some of Australia’s finest, including the boys from Kingswood, for an outdoor extravaganza of riffs.
The early days of Adelaide’s small-bar revolution were characterised by a proliferation of venues catering to every culinary and mixological taste; we have the whiskey bar, we have the vodka bar, we have the lager bar, we have the cider bar.
Jon, after working in some of the finest iterations of such venues, such as Bank Street Social and Hains & Co, had a brain wave; maybe a small bar can be known for the tunes it serves up instead?
It is a philosophy that has worked spectacularly; instead of attracting gourmands, Cry Baby has become a rock star beacon.
The word quickly spread and the venue’s reputation has become red hot, attracting Chili Peppers and metal icons. Musos don’t just pop in for a post-show drink, they make themselves comfortable. “We had Slayer come in and we gave them control of the jukebox all night, so they were having a great time as well.”
For Cry Baby’s one-year anniversary, Jon has drawn upon the friendships he has made since opening to curate a stellar line-up of acts, including Kingswood, who will play an outdoor stage, while DJs will spin '70s music in the adjoining alleyway.
While food and drink are not Cry Baby’s emphasis, they certainly are not neglected either; the venue hosts regular BBQ nights, while Latin meat doyens, CARŌclub, will be on hand to load fries and chargrill steaks and burgers.
The festival will also feature stalls and will integrate the talents of the venue’s neighbours. “Food wise, obviously having Sunny’s next door, we’d be silly not using them, it’s probably the best pizza in Adelaide.”
The full line-up hasn’t dropped yet, but Jon assures us they’re going to “keep it rock & roll, which is what we love”.
