Elton Chong

Elton Chong is a 100-capacity live-music bar in Penrith, on Sydney’s western edge. Its calling card combines heavy bands with an arcade-bar setting: a focused performance space framed by cocktails, cold beer and old-school games. The scale puts audiences close to local originals, while its program has grown into a regular outlet for loud music in an area with few comparable stages.

From bar-cade to heavy-music outlet

Elton Chong opened in March 2021 as a bar-cade and restaurant, created by Wayne Jenkins, Rod Parbery and Nicholas Siafakas, whose earlier High Street venue was Mr Watkins. The original idea joined food, booze and old-school arcade games inside a High Street shop, establishing the bar-led character still visible in the room. In April 2024, operator Jessica Jenkins said the venue had secured extended trading until 2am on selected nights, creating greater scope for late shows. A sharper shift toward regular performance followed the Live Performance Venue Program: by March 2025, a $74,400 grant had helped optimise the space, and the weekly schedule had risen from one or two shows to as many as five, expanding from solo artists, burlesque and comedy into rock and heavy subgenres.

The room today

Elton Chong actively solicits artist and event enquiries via Good Intent, its booking partner, and its own invitation to bands seeking a slot. Metal leads the bill, joined by punk, alternative, grunge and rock; the wider program also accommodates solo sets, burlesque and comedy. Expect a dedicated 100-person stage space alongside an arcade-bar setup: cold beer and cocktails, retro game imagery, neon signage and a broad canned-beer selection establish a gritty 80s dive-bar environment. Friday and Saturday hours can run to 2am, subject to patronage.