Correction (4 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten from scratch: every place below was confirmed at two independent sources between 3 October 2026 and 4 October 2026, and every price was copied from the page it was published on.
This page answers one question: where in Footscray does a venue itself say there is live music? It covers five places, all in Footscray: a gig room, an Ethiopian restaurant with music nights, two pubs and a bar.
Each entry quotes the venue’s own listing for its music, then adds what the door or the menu prints. Gig lists roll over, so we name no acts, and where a listing gives no night or set time we say we could not find one.
Every place was checked against at least two independent sources. Check the venue’s page before you head out, because lineups and hours change.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Order this | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ticketed gigs and free-entry shows | Mamma Chen’s | MIDNIGHT SKIES AUSTRALIA TOUR | $10 + BF // $15 door |
| Ethio-jazz and traditional music nights | Roha Ethiopian Bar & Restaurant | see below | not printed here |
| Open mic at the pub | The Cheeky Pint (The Barkly Hotel) | Parma or Pasta of the night | $23 |
| Friday live music, Saturday DJ | Back Alley Sally’s | CHICKEN PARMA | $29.90 |
| Live jazz on steak night | Station Hotel | HAND CRUMBED CHICKEN PARMA | $34 |
Mamma Chen’s — 42A Albert Street, Footscray VIC 3011
Mamma Chen’s is the one place here that runs a published gig list on its front page. The entries we read print an advance price plus a booking fee (BF) and a higher door price, so the ticket you buy ahead and the ticket you buy at the door are different numbers. The same site lists free-entry events, including an open mic night and a trivia night, both dated September on the list we read. Broadsheet calls it ‘an inclusive, accessible home for the music scene in the west’, and the site’s hours show Friday and Saturday trading to 1 AM. The two priced entries below were the listings for 3 and 4 October 2026; dates roll off the list, so read them as examples of the pricing, not as upcoming shows.
On the menu (copied from mammachens.com.au on 4 October 2026):
- MIDNIGHT SKIES AUSTRALIA TOUR: $10 + BF // $15 door
- SHEER CHANCE WITH SPECIAL GUESTS ALBUM LAUNCH TOUR: $20 + BF // $25 Door
Door: The listings print an advance price with a booking fee and a separate door price, and some shows say free entry, so read the line for the gig you want.
Roha Ethiopian Bar & Restaurant — 171-173 Barkly Street, Footscray VIC 3011
Roha’s own site says: ‘Join us for regular Ethio-jazz and traditional music nights’. It also says it trades with extended hours for special events and live music evenings, and that it is open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. The same page describes house-made injera, slow-cooked stews and vegetarian specialties. AGFG gives the Barkly Street address. We could not find a published gig calendar or any prices, so confirm the night with the venue.
Gig nights: The site lists regular Ethio-jazz and traditional music nights but names no evenings that we could read.
The Cheeky Pint (The Barkly Hotel) — 231 Barkly Street, Footscray VIC 3011
The Cheeky Pint’s site lists ‘Open Mic Night FREE live music for all from 5pm’. It prints opening times of Friday from 2pm till late and Saturday from 12pm till late, and it lists live sports on the big screen. Broadsheet describes beer bottle chandeliers and a British-style hand pump. Our evidence for this pub is thinner than for the others, so treat the open mic as something to confirm with the venue.
On the menu (copied from thecheekypint.com.au on 4 October 2026):
- Parma or Pasta of the night: $23
- Steak Night: $25
- Oysters (Friday from 4pm): $2
- Bottomless beer, wine & cocktails with any main meal (Saturday): $33
Catch: Check the venue’s site for the open mic night and time before you plan around it.
Back Alley Sally’s — 4 Yewers Street, Footscray VIC 3011
Back Alley Sally’s site lists ‘Friday Live Music + Saturday DJ’. Its hours show the upstairs bar open 4PM - 12AM on Friday and Saturday. Broadsheet says you head down a laneway and up a flight of stairs to find ’this unpretentious west-side bar’. The site also lists free trivia by Quizmeisters. We could not find acts, a door charge or set times.
On the menu (copied from backalleysallys.com.au and backalleysallys.com.au/back-alley-sallys on 4 October 2026):
- CHICKEN PARMA: $29.90
- PARMAS: $19
- SALLY’S SMASH BURGER: $27
- VIVA FOREVER (V) (VGO): $17
Gig nights: Friday for live music and Saturday for a DJ, per the venue’s own site.
Station Hotel — 59 Napier Street, Footscray VIC 3011
The Station Hotel’s site ties its music to the kitchen: ‘Our Thursday Steak Night just got even better, with the smooth sounds of live instrumental jazz.’ Its hours list Monday - Thursday 12pm - 10pm. Broadsheet calls it ‘a contender for the best steaks in the west’. This is a pub with jazz at the table rather than a ticketed band room, and we could not find a set time or a door charge.
On the menu (copied from thestationhotel.com.au and thestationhotel.com.au/STN_-Midweek-Lunch-Menu.pdf on 4 October 2026):
- HAND CRUMBED CHICKEN PARMA: $34
- WAGYU BEEF BURGER: $31
- STATION CHEESEBURGER: $25
- Sunday Roast: $38 Adults
Catch: The jazz is listed against Thursday steak night only, so it is not a promise of music on other nights.
Quick answers
Where can you see live music in Footscray?
Five venues list it. Mamma Chen’s has a gig list on its front page, Roha Ethiopian Bar & Restaurant lists Ethio-jazz and traditional music nights, The Cheeky Pint (The Barkly Hotel) lists an open mic, Back Alley Sally’s lists Friday live music, and the Station Hotel lists live instrumental jazz on Thursday steak night.
Is there free live music in Footscray?
Two listings say so. The Cheeky Pint’s site lists ‘Open Mic Night FREE live music for all from 5pm’, and Mamma Chen’s site lists an open mic night with free entry, plus a free-entry gig on its list. Check the date on the listing, because both change.
Where can you hear jazz in Footscray?
Roha’s site lists ‘regular Ethio-jazz and traditional music nights’, and the Station Hotel’s site lists live instrumental jazz with its Thursday steak night. Neither listing gave us a set time, so confirm with the venue.
Which Footscray venues have live music on a Friday?
Back Alley Sally’s is the one whose listing names it: ‘Friday Live Music + Saturday DJ’. Mamma Chen’s lists Friday trading until 1 AM and keeps a gig list on its front page, so look there for that night’s entry.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources between 3 October 2026 and 4 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, the places’ own websites, Broadsheet and the Australian Good Food Guide. Every price is copied exactly as printed on the page linked under Sources, on 4 October 2026. Menus, prices and opening hours change, so check with the venue before you go. The photos are illustrative, from Unsplash: they show the kind of food or place, not the places on this page.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Mamma Chen’s: openstreetmap.org/13238301101, mammachens.com.au, broadsheet.com.au/best-bars-footscray
- Roha Ethiopian Bar & Restaurant: agfg.com.au/roha-ethiopian-bar-restaurant-150693, rohafootscray.com/about
- The Cheeky Pint (The Barkly Hotel): openstreetmap.org/6033562227, thecheekypint.com.au, broadsheet.com.au/best-bars-footscray
- Back Alley Sally’s: openstreetmap.org/5456948824, backalleysallys.com.au/back-alley-sallys, broadsheet.com.au/best-bars-footscray, backalleysallys.com.au/Back-Alley-Sallys-Menu-May-2026.pdf
- Station Hotel: openstreetmap.org/320400959, thestationhotel.com.au, broadsheet.com.au/best-bars-footscray, thestationhotel.com.au/STN-FoodMenu-Apr26.pdf, thestationhotel.com.au/STN_-Midweek-Lunch-Menu.pdf, thestationhotel.com.au/sundayroast, thestationhotel.com.au/beer-garden, thestationhotel.com.au/jazz-night
