The Ultimate Pub Setlist: Songs to Keep the Crowd Alive

There's something uniquely magical about the atmosphere in a lively pub - the clinking of glasses, the hum of conversation, and the unmistakable lift in the room when the right song comes on. A great pub setlist blends classic pub singalongs, sing-along anthems and the best pub songs Australia has to offer, keeping the energy high and the patrons coming back for more. This guide brings together 140 of them: 20 classic pub singalongs everyone knows, 20 Irish and folk ballads for the slower moments, and the top 100 Australian pub songs of all time, sorted by category - with a Spotify link on every track so you can hear it before it goes on the set list.

Content Overview

• Classic Pub Singalongs
• Irish & Folk Ballads
• Top 100 Australian Pub Songs by Category
  • Rock Anthems & Pub Classics
  • Singalongs & Crowd Favourites
  • Aussie Pub & Folk Favourites
  • Modern Aussie Rock & Indie Hits
  • Timeless Classics & Influential Tracks

Classic Pub Singalongs

These are the pub singalong songs that turn up in almost every set - the tracks a room sings back from the first line, whether the crowd is twenty people or two hundred. Our guide to 50 songs everyone knows at a bar covers another batch in the same spirit.

• “Sweet Caroline” – Neil Diamond Listen on Spotify
• “Don't Stop Believin'” – Journey Listen on Spotify
• “Livin' on a Prayer” – Bon Jovi Listen on Spotify
• “Wonderwall” – Oasis Listen on Spotify
• “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen Listen on Spotify
• “Piano Man” – Billy Joel Listen on Spotify
• “I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor Listen on Spotify
• “Brown Eyed Girl” – Van Morrison Listen on Spotify
• “500 Miles” – The Proclaimers Listen on Spotify
• “Summer of '69” – Bryan Adams Listen on Spotify
• “Hey Jude” – The Beatles Listen on Spotify
• “Build Me Up Buttercup” – The Foundations Listen on Spotify
• “Dancing Queen” – ABBA Listen on Spotify
• “Y.M.C.A.” – Village People Listen on Spotify
• “I Love Rock 'n' Roll” – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts Listen on Spotify
• “Mr. Brightside” – The Killers Listen on Spotify
• “Friends in Low Places” – Garth Brooks Listen on Spotify
• “American Pie” – Don McLean Listen on Spotify
• “Take Me Home, Country Roads” – John Denver Listen on Spotify
• “I Want to Break Free” – Queen Listen on Spotify

Irish & Folk Ballads

Irish pub songs and traditional folk ballads bring a different kind of energy - voices come together on the chorus, glasses get raised, and for a few minutes the whole room feels like it is part of the same story. They work especially well alongside a pub choir-style singalong later in the night.

• “The Wild Rover” – The Dubliners Listen on Spotify
• “Whiskey in the Jar” – Thin Lizzy / The Dubliners Listen on Spotify
• “The Fields of Athenry” – Paddy Reilly Listen on Spotify
• “Dirty Old Town” – The Pogues Listen on Spotify
• “Molly Malone” – Traditional Listen on Spotify
• “The Parting Glass” – Traditional Listen on Spotify
• “Seven Drunken Nights” – The Dubliners Listen on Spotify
• “The Irish Rover” – The Pogues & The Dubliners Listen on Spotify
• “Finnegan's Wake” – The Dubliners Listen on Spotify
• “Black Velvet Band” – Traditional Listen on Spotify
• “Danny Boy” – Traditional Listen on Spotify
• “The Rare Auld Times” – The Dubliners Listen on Spotify
• “Galway Girl” – Steve Earle Listen on Spotify
• “I'll Tell Me Ma” – Van Morrison & The Chieftains Listen on Spotify
• “The Rocky Road to Dublin” – The Dubliners Listen on Spotify
• “Wild Mountain Thyme” – The Corries Listen on Spotify
• “The Town I Loved So Well” – Phil Coulter Listen on Spotify
• “The Auld Triangle” – The Dubliners Listen on Spotify
• “Sally MacLennane” – The Pogues Listen on Spotify
• “The Green Fields of France” – Eric Bogle Listen on Spotify

Top 100 Australian Pub Songs by Category

100 of the best Australian pub songs of all time, grouped into five categories so a band - or a punter building a request list - can move between rock anthems, singalong favourites, Aussie folk classics, modern indie hits and timeless tracks without missing a beat. These are the songs that consistently appear on "top 100 pub songs" and "best pub songs" rankings across Australian venues, and every one of them has earned its place through years of crowd reaction.

Rock Anthems & Pub Classics

The pub rock songs that built the genre in this country - big riffs, bigger choruses, and decades of pub stages behind every one of them.

1. “Khe Sanh” – Cold Chisel Listen on Spotify
2. “You Shook Me All Night Long” – AC/DC Listen on Spotify
3. “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again” – The Angels Listen on Spotify
4. “The Boys Light Up” – Australian Crawl Listen on Spotify
5. “Eagle Rock” – Daddy Cool Listen on Spotify
6. “Beds Are Burning” – Midnight Oil Listen on Spotify
7. “Working Class Man” – Jimmy Barnes Listen on Spotify
8. “Run to Paradise” – Choirboys Listen on Spotify
9. “Bow River” – Cold Chisel Listen on Spotify
10. “It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)” – AC/DC Listen on Spotify
11. “Cheap Wine” – Cold Chisel Listen on Spotify
12. “Back in Black” – AC/DC Listen on Spotify
13. “Never Tear Us Apart” – INXS Listen on Spotify
14. “Power and the Passion” – Midnight Oil Listen on Spotify
15. “The Real Thing” – Russell Morris Listen on Spotify
16. “Evie (Parts 1, 2 & 3)” – Stevie Wright Listen on Spotify
17. “High Voltage” – AC/DC Listen on Spotify
18. “Take a Long Line” – The Angels Listen on Spotify
19. “Prisoner of Society” – The Living End Listen on Spotify
20. “What About Me” – Moving Pictures Listen on Spotify

Singalongs & Crowd Favourites

Stadium anthems and lounge-room classics make up this set of Aussie pub songs that every crowd sings back - several of these also turn up on our list of drinking songs.

1. “The Horses” – Daryl Braithwaite Listen on Spotify
2. “You're the Voice” – John Farnham Listen on Spotify
3. “Throw Your Arms Around Me” – Hunters & Collectors Listen on Spotify
4. “I Was Only 19” – Redgum Listen on Spotify
5. “Great Southern Land” – Icehouse Listen on Spotify
6. “To Her Door” – Paul Kelly Listen on Spotify
7. “Down Under” – Men at Work Listen on Spotify
8. “Holy Grail” – Hunters & Collectors Listen on Spotify
9. “Sounds of Then (This Is Australia)” – GANGgajang Listen on Spotify
10. “Treaty” – Yothu Yindi Listen on Spotify
11. “Reckless” – Australian Crawl Listen on Spotify
12. “True Blue” – John Williamson Listen on Spotify
13. “Solid Rock” – Goanna Listen on Spotify
14. “Better Be Home Soon” – Crowded House Listen on Spotify
15. “Don't Dream It's Over” – Crowded House Listen on Spotify
16. “My Happiness” – Powderfinger Listen on Spotify
17. “Come Said the Boy” – Mondo Rock Listen on Spotify
18. “I Touch Myself” – Divinyls Listen on Spotify
19. “Pleasure and Pain” – Divinyls Listen on Spotify
20. “Howzat” – Sherbet Listen on Spotify

Aussie Pub & Folk Favourites

Classic pub songs with a larrikin streak - the ones that have soundtracked Australian pubs for generations and still get a laugh and a singalong every time.

1. “A Pub with No Beer” – Slim Dusty Listen on Spotify
2. “Duncan” – Slim Dusty Listen on Spotify
3. “Chunder in the Old Pacific Sea” – Frankie Davidson Listen on Spotify
4. “I Love a Sunburnt Country” – Frankie Davidson Listen on Spotify
5. “Beer, Beer, Beautiful Beer” – Frankie Davidson Listen on Spotify
6. “The Bloke Who Invented Beer” – Frankie Davidson Listen on Spotify
7. “Come On Aussie Come On” – Frankie Davidson Listen on Spotify
8. “Have a Drink on Me” – AC/DC Listen on Spotify
9. “Roll Out the Barrel” – Traditional Listen on Spotify
10. “The Last Keg on Earth” – Frankie Davidson Listen on Spotify

Modern Aussie Rock & Indie Hits

Newer additions to the pub songs list, proof that Australian rock and indie acts keep producing tracks built for a live room. A few of these also feature in our best Australian pop and dance songs roundup.

1. “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” – Jet Listen on Spotify
2. “Tomorrow” – Silverchair Listen on Spotify
3. “On My Mind” – Powderfinger Listen on Spotify
4. “Better” – The Screaming Jets Listen on Spotify
5. “Berlin Chair” – You Am I Listen on Spotify
6. “Black Betty” – Spiderbait Listen on Spotify
7. “Early Warning” – Baby Animals Listen on Spotify
8. “The Nosebleed Section” – Hilltop Hoods Listen on Spotify
9. “My People” – The Presets Listen on Spotify
10. “Sweet Disposition” – The Temper Trap Listen on Spotify
11. “Geronimo” – Sheppard Listen on Spotify
12. “Riptide” – Vance Joy Listen on Spotify
13. “Hoops” – The Rubens Listen on Spotify
14. “Big Jet Plane” – Angus & Julia Stone Listen on Spotify
15. “Scar” – Missy Higgins Listen on Spotify
16. “Adore” – Amy Shark Listen on Spotify
17. “Chandelier” – Sia Listen on Spotify
18. “Somebody That I Used to Know” – Gotye feat. Kimbra Listen on Spotify
19. “Lanterns” – Birds of Tokyo Listen on Spotify
20. “Plans” – Birds of Tokyo Listen on Spotify

Timeless Classics & Influential Tracks

Pub crowds know these without being told - good pub songs that have stayed in rotation across generations and still hold their own against anything modern.

1. “Friday on My Mind” – The Easybeats Listen on Spotify
2. “Cool Change” – Little River Band Listen on Spotify
3. “Georgy Girl” – The Seekers Listen on Spotify
4. “Shadow Dancing” – Andy Gibb Listen on Spotify
5. “Into My Arms” – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Listen on Spotify
6. “I Got You” – Split Enz Listen on Spotify
7. “Hopelessly Devoted to You” – Olivia Newton-John Listen on Spotify
8. “I Want You” – Savage Garden Listen on Spotify
9. “Love Is in the Air” – John Paul Young Listen on Spotify
10. “Age of Reason” – John Farnham Listen on Spotify
11. “Chains” – Tina Arena Listen on Spotify
12. “Buses and Trains” – Bachelor Girl Listen on Spotify
13. “Absolutely Everybody” – Vanessa Amorosi Listen on Spotify
14. “Not Pretty Enough” – Kasey Chambers Listen on Spotify
15. “Tucker's Daughter” – Ian Moss Listen on Spotify
16. “No Aphrodisiac” – The Whitlams Listen on Spotify
17. “Cry” – Dragon Listen on Spotify
18. “Computer Games” – Mi-Sex Listen on Spotify
19. “Send Me an Angel” – Real Life Listen on Spotify
20. “Out of Mind Out of Sight” – Models Listen on Spotify
21. “Heaven (Must Be There)” – Eurogliders Listen on Spotify
22. “Counting the Beat” – The Swingers Listen on Spotify
23. “I See Red” – Split Enz Listen on Spotify
24. “One Perfect Day” – Little Heroes Listen on Spotify
25. “The Unguarded Moment” – The Church Listen on Spotify
26. “Love My Way” – The Psychedelic Furs Listen on Spotify
27. “Under the Milky Way” – The Church Listen on Spotify
28. “Electric Blue” – Icehouse Listen on Spotify
29. “Man Overboard” – Do-Ré-Mi Listen on Spotify
30. “State of the Heart” – Mondo Rock Listen on Spotify

Whatever the night calls for, a set built from these 140 tracks moves from classic pub singalongs through to Aussie pub and folk favourites without a dead spot on the dance floor. Our guides to building a pub gig setlist and the best pub songs of all time cover set structure and song choice in more depth. If you are after a live band that knows every one of these songs and how to read a room, get in touch with VIVID to talk about your next event.