Well hi.

For whatever reason, I've recently decided to upload scans of band gig posters from my early days in Sydney, when I used to regularly go out and see at least two or three bands a week. I'm talking 1979 - 1990 ish here. At that time, Sydney had a healthy, thriving pub band culture which f
ostered the careers of many of the top Aussie export bands of the last couple of decades. The Angels, The Radiators, Midnight Oil, INXS, (Le) Hoodoo Gurus, The Church, etc etc etc. Anyway, being a lifelong collector of strange and irrelevant things, I find myself with scraps of paper, flyers, set lists, coasters and more from many of the gigs I attended, so at least I have something to remember them by. Most of that era is a total blur in my memory, but I just know that I had a really good time, and my tinnitus and foggy brain was worth it all.

Now, I'm not claiming to be any kind of expert or authority on any of these bands, or the era in general, I'm just sharing what I remember, and a few bits and pieces that may bring back memories for some. Feel free to add your own recollections, tell me if I'm wrong, share stories of gigs you went to.

You can click on them and they get bigger.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

The Hotel Manly


The Hotel Manly was a local for me for years. They had bands on six days a week, and got all the big local names. Ugly, dingy place, but an integral part of the Sydney circuit. They pulled it down in 1989, and left a pile of rubble there for a couple of years. At one point the council decided to charge us to park on this vacant, depressing site. Now there's a really good wood fired pizza place there and a Moorish restaurant, among other things. RIP, the Hoey Moey.

Died Pretty are one of my all time favourite bands. I was at this gig, and most probably many of the others on these bills. Joe Camilleri is still around, my band supported the Black Sorrows in Perth in about 1992 I think. Chasin the Train were a great rhythm and blues band. I mean actual rhythm and blues. We used to watch them a lot at the Cat & Fiddle in Balmain, too. Jump Back Jack were a great funk band featuring Jackie Orszaczky on bass and vocals. (I bet that IS how you spell it). He's still about, too.



Vegimite Reggae were a Sunday arvo fixture at the Manly for a long time.

You can see the concept bands starting to creep in in a big way. Hey 19, Gold Zeppelin, Beatnix, Wild Heart, Blues Bros Revival...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Memories! I consider the demolition of the Hoey (it had that name well before the Hopetoun did) to be Year Zero of the 'new' Manly, ie. the overpriced whitebread suburb it is now. Vale.

Post midnight, you inhabited either the Hoey, Grouchos (at the Rugby Club-a sh*thole that served warm cans of VB) or Rolfes/Binjies if you were older.

Many a great gig. Slightly before my gig-going time, but I remember Motorhead were to play there (in the smaller public bar at the cop station end of the pub before they put the bands in the bigger room at the Wharf end) but they had to cancel as they couldn't get their gear through the door. Any truth to that one or am I dreaming it?

And as for the fights you'd see there & across the road at the cab rank...

Great blog.I've got a ton of flyers somewhere around that I ought to scan. Mid 80s onwards.

Mark said...

The Motorhead thing sounds like it may have been a dream... but what do I know?

Yeah, Manly is pretty much dead now as far as live music goes. You have to queue up to get into shiteholes like the Steyne or Ivanhoe pubs, to endure crap dance music with ten million teenagers. There is no music in Manly for over 35's, that's for sure.

Love to see your flyers...!

Unknown said...

The Motorhead thing is true, The band had a semi trailer plus a pantech carrying their production. They had a double four way each side of the stage as a sidefill, This was what every major touring act at the time used as their FOH. Motorheads FOH rig was big enough to do the Hordern. The crew set up what they could fit into the smaller back bar leaving the rest in the truck. When the band arrived they cancelled the gig because the production was not up to their spec. Saw them at the Family Inn in Rydalmere They were load, I had earplugs and it was still load, the air moving from the Ws hit you full force, I remember a guy sitting in the front of one of them, surely his eardrums must have been bleeding!