Ben Tillman, Adam Smith and Balunn Jones, who were graduates of the University of Wollongong, were the previous owners of the site, a coffee shop called Yours and Owls, which hosted live music five or six nights a week.[1] Opening in 2010, it quickly became an important hub for local artists wanting to refine their live show for bigger audiences.[2] The cafe was sold and closed in 2013, and the three owners pivoted their brand more towards music booking and festivals.[3] Taking over the site was drummer Daniel Radburn, who was committed to keep hosting live music.[4] The newly renamed Rad Bar opened on 15 September 2013.[5]
It’s impossible to find another room with that atmosphere again. It’s just iconic. The stairs are iconic – they’re so ugly, so impractical!
Rad Bar's floor size was less than 80 square meters[7] and had a maximum capacity of about 80 people, making for an intimate and raucous live music setting.[6] It was the only dedicated music space of its size in Wollongong.[6] The venue was credited for nurturing many young bands across the Illawarra,[7][8] and being a unique setting where they could "learn how to play".[9] Prominent local bands to have come through Rad Bar in their early years included Pacific Avenue,[9] Totally Unicorn, the Pinheads, Totty, Los Pintar,[6] and most notably Hockey Dad, who played at the venue on its first trading night.[6]
Not long after Radburn took over the venue in 2013, the Lang's Corner block, which was built in 1933, was sold to developers for $4.5 million.[1] The property then changed hands multiple times until May 2017, when a proposal was issued to turn the building into a high-rise office tower. The plans for demolition attracted intense criticism from the Wollongong music community.[10] In April 2019, Radburn announced that all tenants of the block were being told to vacate.[8]
Rad Bar's final trading night was 16 August 2019, with Sydney band Dear Seattle headlining.[1] There were concerns that after its closure, the youth music scene in the Illawarra would lose momentum.[9] In October 2019, Yours and Owls opened the 150-cap La La La's dive bar and music venue a short distance away in Globe Lane.[11]
The Lang's Corner block was turned into an 11-storey office tower, which opened in 2022.[12]
One of the stages at the 2019 Yours and Owls Festival was named after Rad Bar in honour of the venue's legacy.[7] This occurred again for the 2023 festival.[13]
