The Go-Betweens, London, c.1986 Warwick Orme. © Warwick Orme
It was the era of recording your favourite songs directly from the radio; of gluing yourself to the screen to see the latest acts and clips on Countdown; and when the Aussie bands you saw on TV and heard in the charts were the ones you could see live at the pub.
1 Get Wet series (Greedy Smith), 1979. 2 Get Wet series (Reg Mombassa), 1979. 3 Get Wet series (Martin Plaza), 1979. 4 Get Wet series (Peter O'Doherty), 1979. 5 Get Wet series (David Twohill), 1979. All Paul Worstead.
© Paul Worstead.
In 1983, Hoodoo Gurus’ first hit ‘My Girl’ was aired to saturation point on the radio. Their quirky, hugely popular video clips were gaining international attention, yet a Sydney punter could stroll down to see them live at a Kings Cross watering hole. Mental as Anything formed at art school; the influence was clear in the design elements of their debut album Get Wet, and in the group’s clips – TV samples of the vibrant eccentricity of their live gigs at Narrabeen’s Royal Antler Hotel or West Melbourne’s Festival Hall.
1 Hoodoo Gurus, 1984 Wendy McDougall. Courtesy of the artist. © Wendy McDougall. 2 The Church, 1985 Wendy McDougall. Courtesy of the artist. © Wendy McDougall. 3 INXS, Sydney 1985, 1985 Stuart Spence. Courtesy of the artist. © Stuart Spence. 4 Split Enz, 1979 Bob King. Courtesy of the artist. © Bob King.
The Church’s Steve Kilbey remembers the diversity of the early 80s: ‘We were never really fitting in anywhere; we were opening for Mi-Sex, Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil and Men at Work … There was no “sound” but definitely a scene.’ With myriad venues to choose from, a fan could see something to suit their taste on any given night of the week: rock, pop, new wave, metal, punk, post-punk, neo-psychedelic, alternative – the list went on.
1 Dorland Bray and Deborah Conway, Do-Re-Mi. Sydney c.1985, c. 1985 Stuart Spence. Courtesy of the artist. © Stuart Spence. 2 Falling Joys, La Perouse, 1992 Tony Mott. Courtesy of the artist. © Tony Mott. 3 David McComb (of The Triffids), 1987 Bleddyn Butcher. © Bleddyn Butcher
Bleddyn@Tenderprey.com. 4 The Triffids, Sydney, c.1986, c. 1986 Stuart Spence. Courtesy of the artist. © Stuart Spence. 5 The Cockroaches, Darlinghurst, 1989 Tony Mott. Courtesy of the artist. © Tony Mott.
For some, the local gig scenes weren’t cutting it. Indie acts The Go-Betweens and The Triffids headed to post-punk London, gaining critical acclaim, which in turn increased their popularity back home in Australia.
1 Robert, Lindy, Grant, 1981 Jenny Watson. © Jenny Watson. 2 Neil Finn, Crowded House 1986, 1986 Wendy McDougall. Courtesy of the artist. © Wendy McDougall. 3 Grace Knight, The Eurogliders 1985, 1985 Wendy McDougall. Courtesy of the artist. © Wendy McDougall. 4 GANGgajang 1987, 1987 Wendy McDougall. Courtesy of the artist. © Wendy McDougall.
