After nearly two decades spent pounding the pavement of Australia’s live music circuit in various bands, Black Rheno frontman Ryan Miller aka “Milla” is stepping up as venue co-owner of Wings & Tins in Dee Why. Joining forces with local bar owner Mark Baird, the pair have transformed the venue from an already killer Wings & Tins restaurant into a dedicated rock ’n’ roll dive bar and live music destination on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
What began as Milla casually lending a hand around 18 months ago has organically evolved into something much bigger. Over the past four to five months, Milla has officially joined Baird as a business partner, bringing his extensive experience as a touring musician, music promoter, music producer and owner of Housefox Studios and Cult Etiquette PR, into the venue’s next chapter.
Together, Milla and Baird have been steadily transforming Wings & Tins into a dedicated live music space, with extensive renovations to the bar and performance area, a substantial new PA system, professional stage monitoring and a renewed focus on delivering quality live sound.
The result is an intimate, 100-capacity rock ’n’ roll dive bar with a serious commitment to live music.
Over the past several months, the guys have been building a growing calendar of live performances, championing local bands and creating new opportunities for the Northern Beaches music community to connect, perform and grow.
The weekly program now includes music trivia on Tuesdays, an inclusive open mic night every Thursday welcoming musicians, songwriters, poets and performers, and live bands across Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
But while nurturing the local scene remains central to the venue’s focus, Milla and Baird have their sights set on something more.
Connecting Australia’s touring circuit with the Northern Beaches.
Wings & Tins is now putting the call out to touring bands or all styles of music, booking agents, promoters and artists from across Australia to bring their shows to Dee Why and connect with the Northern Beaches’ thriving local music community.
The intimate 100-cap venue offers an ideal stop for emerging touring acts looking to build their audience, as well as established artists seeking a sideshow opportunity outside Sydney’s traditional inner-city circuit.
For Milla and Baird, the ambition is about more than simply filling a gig calendar. It’s about creating lasting connections between local musicians and the wider Australian live music scene, bringing touring artists and Northern Beaches bands together on the same stage.
Milla tells us:
“I’ve spent half my life touring Australia in various bands, and I know firsthand how important smaller venues are to the music scene. I understand what it’s like being in a touring band, but I also understand what goes into booking tours, promoting shows and making it all work.
“When I first started helping Mark at Wings & Tins, I was purely doing it for the love of it, to help build something cool in my area. Over time, that grew into something bigger, and when the opportunity came to officially join the business, it just felt right.
“We’ve spent the last few months building up our local music scene, and now we want to open the doors to touring bands from across Australia and beyond. Big or small, local or international, across all genres. We want Wings & Tins to become a regular stop on the East Coast touring circuit connecting our local artists with bands from all around Australia and beyond.
An open invitation to Australia’s live music community.
With a professionally equipped stage, an established local music network and a growing calendar of events, Wings & Tins is actively welcoming enquiries from touring bands, independent promoters, booking agents and artists looking to add a Northern Beaches date to their touring schedules.
From emerging underground acts to established touring bands seeking an intimate sideshow, the venue aims to bring touring artists and local talent together, creating opportunities to share stages, build audiences and strengthen connections across Australia’s live music community.
For Milla and Baird, the mission is straightforward: build a great rock ’n’ roll bar, support the bands that make the scene possible and give Australia’s live music community another stage to call home.
Australia’s touring bands: Sydney’s Northern Beaches are calling.