Warwick Orme The Go-Betweens, London c.1986. © 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.
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 Wendy McDougall Hoodoo Gurus 1984. © Wendy McDougall. 2 Wendy McDougall The Church 1985. © Wendy McDougall. 3 Stuart Spence INXS, Sydney 1985 1985. © Stuart Spence. 4 Bob King Split Enz 1979. © Bob King. Courtesy of the artist.
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 Stuart Spence
Dorland Bray and Deborah Conway, Do-Re-Mi. Sydney c.1985 c. 1985. Courtesy of the artist. © Stuart Spence.
2 Tony Mott
Falling Joys, La Perouse 1992. Courtesy of the artist. © Tony Mott.
3 Bleddyn Butcher
David McComb (of The Triffids) 1987. © Bleddyn Butcher
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4 Stuart Spence
The Triffids, Sydney, c.1986 c. 1986. Courtesy of the artist. © Stuart Spence.
5 Tony Mott
The Cockroaches, Darlinghurst 1989. 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 Jenny Watson Robert, Lindy, Grant 1981. © Jenny Watson. 2 Wendy McDougall Neil Finn, Crowded House 1986 1986. Courtesy of the artist. © Wendy McDougall. 3 Wendy McDougall Grace Knight, The Eurogliders 1985 1985. Courtesy of the artist. © Wendy McDougall. 4 Wendy McDougall GANGgajang 1987 1987. Courtesy of the artist. © Wendy McDougall.
