fbpx
Wikipedia

Sunbury Pop Festival

October 24, 2023

Sunbury Pop Festival or Sunbury Rock Festival was an annual Australian rock music festival held on a 620-acre (2.5 km2) private farm between Sunbury and Diggers Rest, Victoria, which was staged on the Australia Day (26 January) long weekend from 1972 to 1975. It attracted up to 45,000 patrons and was promoted by Odessa Promotions, which was formed by a group of television professionals, including John Fowler, from GTV 9 Melbourne.

Sunbury Pop Festival
The third consecutive year of the Sunbury Pop Festival
GenreRock, pub rock
Dates
  • 29 – 31 January 1972
  • 27 – 29 January 1973
  • 25 – 28 January 1974
  • 25 – 27 January 1975
Location(s)George Duncan's farm
2 km NE of Diggers Rest, Victoria, Australia
30 km NW of Melbourne
Years active1972–1975
Founded byJohn Fowler (Odessa Promotions)

Although conceived and promoted as Australia's Woodstock, the Sunbury Pop Festivals signalled the end of the hippie peace movement of the late 1960s and the beginning of the reign of pub rock. The early festivals were financially successful and featured performances by Australian and New Zealand bands including, Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, Max Merritt and the Meteors, Chain and Wild Cherries. Various live albums were recorded at the festivals including Aztecs Live! At Sunbury issued in September 1972, which peaked at No. 3 on the Go-Set Top 20 Albums; and the triple live album, Sunbury 1973 - The Great Australian Rock Festival which was the inaugural release by Mushroom Records.

Looking to pull in bigger crowds, the founders booked international acts with British rock band Queen performing in 1974.[1] They arrived late, and were initially booed by a crowd who expected to see home grown acts, but they finished their set despite crowd screams of "go back to Pommyland, ya pooftahs". Lead singer Freddie Mercury retorted with "When we come back to Australia, Queen will be the biggest band in the world!".[1] A fledgling Skyhooks were also booed and returned the following year with a new lead singer, Graeme "Shirley" Strachan. In 1975 another British band, Deep Purple, were head-liners. A fracas developed on-stage between Deep Purple's roadies and AC/DC's roadies and members. Due to poor weather and high ticket prices the attendance was down to 16,000. Odessa Promotions was liquidated after paying out Deep Purple but most local acts were not paid by Odessa. Late in the year, Deep Purple placed money into a fund so that unpaid artists were paid at the full musician's rate.

In 2015, the Sunbury Pop Festival was inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame.[2]

There is footage on YouTube about the Sunbury Rock festival .

History Edit

Sunbury Pop Festival was an annual Australian rock music festival that was the seventh of more than a dozen major outdoor rock festivals staged in Australia between 1970 and 1975, but it was the only one that became a continuing event, at least for four years.[3][4] It was promoted by Odessa Promotions, which was formed by a group of television professionals headed by John Fowler from GTV9 in Melbourne.[5] Festival publicist Jim McKay recalled, "It was a good idea over coffee at the Channel Nine canteen... We were a bit bored, wondering what to do next... Why don't we do a pop festival, like Woodstock?"[6] From late 1971, Odessa Promotions touted the forthcoming festival as "41 hours of non-stop entertainment. Sunbury, the rock happening of 1972. Three days of sun-filled togetherness".[6]

In Australia, Sunbury signalled the end of the hippie peace movement of the late 1960s and the beginning of the reign of pub rock.[7] According to Australian music writer, James Cockington, "The Woodstock spirit of peace and love and bad brown acid was largely replaced here by VB, Tooheys and West End, depending on the state".[8] In a 2003 interview for Melbourne newspaper, The Age, on the 30th anniversary of the second festival, Chain guitarist Phil Manning, who performed there, commented:

"It was a time when the hippie thing was declining and the drunken afternoons of too much beer, sun and basic rock developed. The music went from being experimental to being just moronic entertainment for yobbos".[9]

Sunbury—which has often been compared to Woodstock—has been accorded a legendary status in the history of Australian rock.[3][6] Claims persist that it marked a turning point because it featured an all-Australian line-up, but this is misleading, as there had already been several "All-Australian" festivals by the time of Sunbury '72 and some of the performers there were New Zealanders.[5] Sunbury has acquired its status due to its financial success, which enabled it to run annually for four years, and because the inaugural festival was comprehensively documented on film and multi-track audio, which gave it a privileged status in the visual media compared with other contemporary festivals.[4][5]

The film, Sunbury (1972), was produced and directed by John Dixon, with Ray Wagstaff as coordinating director, and includes footage of Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, Max Merritt and the Meteors, Chain, Wild Cherries, Pirana and SCRA.[10] Artists and audience members were interviewed by Go-Set journalist, Ian "Molly" Meldrum including a naked woman, "What sort of made you sort of just get up and shed your clothes like this?"[6][11]

Another large festival, the Meadows Technicolour Fair, was staged in South Australia near Meadows township, 32 km (20 mi) from Adelaide over the same long weekend in 1972.[12] This event attracted almost 30,000 people, and featured many of the same Australian acts, as well three imported acts: singers Mary Hopkin, Tom Paxton and pop band Edison Lighthouse.[12] This festival attracted almost as many people as Sunbury, despite South Australia having less than 10% of the eastern states population.[5] The Meadows festival was not filmed nor recorded and has remained virtually unreported, it is not mentioned in any of the major print references on Australian rock music.[12]

Music entrepreneur Michael Gudinski was involved with the first Sunbury festival—as well as managing several major acts that appeared—he operated a lucrative concession selling watermelon to festival-goers. British-owned record company EMI released a double-album of live performances from the 1972 festival. Gudinski's new record company, Mushroom Records, established later in 1972, became associated with Sunbury thanks to its inaugural release, a three-disc set of live recordings from the 1973 festival. Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs also released a live album of their performance that year on the independent Havoc Records label.

In 1973, the festival included its first international act - Spirit featuring the Staehely Brothers, John (guitar) and Al (bass), with drummer Stu Perry. They played in the line-up not long after Indelible Murtceps, Spectrum's alter ego, and were well received. The Staehely Brothers had been touring Australia for several weeks.

In 1974, Queen arrived 2 hours late, and according to some, were initially booed during their set to screams of "go back to Pommyland, ya pooftahs".[13] Lead singer, Freddie Mercury retorted, "When we come back to Australia, Queen will be the biggest band in the world!"[3] In May 2009, on Spicks and Specks, Daddy Cool front man Ross Wilson disputed this as an urban legend and said Queen finished their set, even doing an encore.[14][15] The early version of Skyhooks were also booed and, after watching a recording of their performance, lead singer Steve Hill quit and was replaced by Graeme "Shirley" Strachan.[6]

The 1975 festival ran at a loss with head liners Deep Purple pocketing $60,000 while most local bands were unpaid when Odessa Promotions was liquidated soon after the event.[16]

Periodically attempts are made to resurrect Sunbury, in 2005 promoter Michael Chugg tried to revive the concept.[13] The widespread success of alternative rock festivals since the 1990s (for example, the Big Day Out) make a successful resurrection unlikely.

Location Edit

The four Sunbury Pop Festivals were held on the same 620-acre (2.5 km2) private farm along Jacksons Creek, 3.5 km south of Sunbury and 2 km north-east of Diggers Rest.[5] The property was owned by 50-year-old farmer and local identity George Duncan who offered the use of his land at no cost to the organisers. Duncan and his son, George Jr, volunteered to erect the site fences and, for subsequent festivals, gave permission for organisers to construct permanent toilets and rubbish bins. The property was known locally as "Duncan's farm". The entrance gates to the Sunbury Pop Festival were off Watsons Road, Diggers Rest. Promoters rejected the name of Diggers Rest '72 in favour of Sunbury '72 as being more suggestive of a good time and sunny destination.[6]

The festival venue was closer to the smaller township of Diggers Rest, so many attendees who travelled by train alighted at Diggers Rest railway station, and not Sunbury. The Diggers Rest Hotel became a de facto festival bar and site of scuffles between fans and police. [17]

Residential subdivision in the area has since altered the landscape and restricted public access to the site.[18] Despite the Bulla Shire Council (merged with the Hume City Council in 1994) opposing the original festival, Hume Council now holds the site to be of national heritage significance for its connection to the Festival and Mushroom Records.[19]

Attendances Edit

Although the 1972 Sunbury Pop Festival was not the first held in Australia, it benefited from a high level of publicity and, despite flagging attendances at 1975 festival, it consistently attracted large crowds. As many as 40,000 people attended Sunbury in 1972, although figures vary considerably depending on the source, and more conservative estimates place the figure between 30,000 and 35,000. Looking back in 1973, promoter John Fowler, who worked with property owner George Duncan, as site manager, said "The papers put it at anything from 25 to 60,000 people. How can you tell for sure?"[6] In 1974 about 30,000 attended.[20] The final festival had a crowd of 16,000 which was affected by poor weather and the higher cost of admission.[16]

1972 Edit

The first Sunbury Pop Festival was touted as the "Rock Happening of 1972" and ran from 29 to 31 January. The attendance was approximately 35,000 and the entry fee was $6.00 (3 days), $5.00 (2 days), $1.00 (1 day).[5] EMI/HMV released a double-album of live performances, Sunbury by various artists: The La De Das, Pirana, Spectrum, Indelible Murtceps, Max Merritt & the Meteors, SCRA and Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs. Calendar Records issued a single live album, The Stars of Sunbury! with Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, Country Radio, Pilgrimage, Chain and Wild Cherries (credited to lead guitarist Lobby Loyde). Meanwhile, Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs released their own double-disc, Aztecs Live! At Sunbury by September, which peaked at No. 3 on the Go-Set Top 20 Albums.[3][21] John Dixon directed and produced the film, Sunbury (1972).[10]

Band line-up

The 1972 festival was opened by progressive rockers, Madder Lake.[22] MCed by Gerry Humphrys, one-time lead singer of 1960s group, The Loved Ones.[3][5]

Charts Edit

Chart (1972) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[24] 28

1973 Edit

Sunbury '73 ran from 27 to 29 January. The attendance was 25,000 - 30,000 and the entry fee was $8.00 (3 days), $7.00 (2 days), $5.00 (1 day). Promoter, John Fowler provided a documentary, Sunbury 1973, which was aired on GTV9.[25] Music entrepreneur Michael Gudinski was involved with the first Sunbury festival—as well as managing several major acts that appeared—he operated a lucrative concession selling watermelon to festival-goers. His new record company, Mushroom Records, was established with Ray Evans late in 1972.[26] It became associated with Sunbury thanks to its inaugural album, a three-disc set of live recordings from the 1973 festival, Sunbury 1973 - The Great Australian Rock Festival.[27] Guitarist, Lobby Loyde and his band, Coloured Balls were joined on-stage by Billy Thorpe and Leo de Castro (Friends) to record a live set, Summer Jam, which was issued in November.[3] Carson released their own live album, On the Air in April but had disbanded by that time.[28] Veteran rocker, Johnny O'Keefe, was initially booed but won the crowd over by his performance and went on to do several encores.[3]

Band line-up

The 1973 festival was MCed by comedian Paul Hogan.[25][28]

Charts Edit

Chart (1973) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[24] 23

1974 Edit

Sunbury '74 ran from 25 to 28 January. The attendance was approximately 30,000 and the entry fee was $12.00 (3 days), $10.00 (2 days), $5.00 (1 day). A new concept of a second performing stage was added to include alternative performances such as jazz recitals, theatre, dance, mime, poetry and acoustic music.[29] Mushroom Records released two separate albums, Highlights of Sunbury '74 Part 1 and Highlights of Sunbury '74 Part 2.[27] Blackfeather issued their own album, Blackfeather Live!.[30] The 69'ers released, Francis Butler's 69ers Live from the previous year's performance.[3]

This was the first appearance in Australia of British rock band Queen. Many sources claim that Queen were booed off stage.[3] In May 2009, on Spicks and Specks, Daddy Cool front man Ross Wilson disputed this as an urban legend and said Queen finished their set, even doing an encore.[14][15] Lead singer Freddie Mercury bravely told the audience "When we come back to Australia, Queen will be the biggest band in the world!"[3] Queen returned to Australia to perform again in 1976 at the height of their fame.[6] The early version of Australian group Skyhooks were also booed and, after watching a TV broadcast of their performance, lead singer Steve Hill quit the band and was replaced by Graeme "Shirley" Strachan.[6]

Band line-up

The MC was former The Masters Apprentices lead singer Jim Keays.[20][25]

1975 Edit

Sunbury '75 ran from 25 to 27 January. The attendance was only 15,000-16,000 and the festival suffered terminal financial losses. The entry fee was $20.00 (2022:$150). A second stage was repeated for this year to cater for "alternative" acts such as dance, mime, poetry and acoustic music.[29] A rock opera, Australia – The Sunbury Symphony was commissioned.[25]

British hard rock band Deep Purple went home with $60,000 (2022:$450,000), while most local groups went home empty handed. AC/DC allegedly refused to play after Deep Purple roadies provoked a fistfight with them.[16] According to Deep Purple's lead vocalist, David Coverdale, "Apparently, a young Aussie band had jumped onstage, plugged into our gear and started playing! Well, all hell broke loose, from what I was told. Our roadies (big buggers to a man) wrestled with the young band to get them off our equipment and off the stage. Chaos and frolics ensued".[31] Angus Young relates that there were incidents both before and after Deep Purple played.[32] Jim Keays performed his solo concept album The Boy from the Stars. Keays and his band were reportedly the only act to have been paid for their appearance, having arranged an outside sponsorship. Later in the year, Deep Purple planned a tour for 1976 and after the Australian Musicians Union "made it clear ... that the proposed tour of Deep Purple could lead to considerable unrest" the UK band placed money into a fund so that artists appearing at Sunbury '75 were paid the full musician's rate.[33]

Band line-up

Although slated to appear, AC/DC did not perform.[16][25]

Girl group The Cookies sang as backing singers for various artists including Kush and Linda George (they sang at three of the four festivals).

Popular culture references Edit

The Fauves in 1998 released a song called "Sunbury 97" on their album, Lazy Highways.[34] The lyrics include: There's the tree where mum & dad conceived me / Do you believe that I'm a child of Sunbury '73?. Chris Wilson recorded the track "Sunbury '73" on his 1998 release, The Long Weekend, that reminisces about a road trip south from Sydney to attend the concert.[5]

The television sitcom, All Together Now (1991-1993) features Jon English playing an ageing rocker trying to maintain a music career after his glory days as one of the performers at Sunbury.[5]

Australia Post issued a 50c stamp featuring the poster artwork of the 1972 festival as part of their series, Australian Rock Posters.[5]

Excerpts from Dixon's 1972 film Sunbury have been featured in many Australian TV specials and series including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Long Way to the Top in 2001.[7]

In 1993, festival organiser, John Fowler donated his collection of Sunbury memorabilia to the Performing Arts Museum of the Victoria Arts Centre.[35]

At the Music Victoria Awards of 2015, the Sunbury Pop Festival was inducted into the Hall of Fame.[36]

See also Edit

References Edit

General
  • Kimball, Duncan. "Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975". Ice Productions. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  • Mackowiak, M. S. (1991). Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll? The Rise and Demise of the Australian Pop Festival Era 1970–1975. Monash University.
  • McFarlane, Ian (1999). . Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 29 April 2011. Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
Specific
  1. ^ a b Kemp, Sam (1 May 2022). "The reason why Queen were booed off stage in 1974". Far Out magazine. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Previous Winners". Music Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j McFarlane, entry. Archived from the original on 8 September 2004. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  4. ^ a b Rawlins, Adrian (1986). Festivals in Australia - An Intimate History. Spring Hill, Vic: Down to Earth Publishers. ISBN 978-0-9592131-0-2.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kimball, Sunbury Festival 1972. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Jenkins, Jeff; Meldrum, Ian (2007). "Festivals". Molly Meldrum Presents 50 Years of Rock in Australia. Melbourne: Wilkinson Publishing. pp. 245–251. ISBN 978-1-921332-11-1.
  7. ^ a b "Episode 3: Billy Killed the Fish 1968–1973". Long Way to the Top. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  8. ^ Cockington, James (August 2001). "Dirty Stinking Hippies". Long Way to the Top. Sydney, NSW: ABC Books (Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)). pp. 141–152. ISBN 0-7333-0750-7.
  9. ^ Waldon, Steve (25 January 2003). "Sunbury 1973: strike any chords with you?". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Sunbury [videorecording] : the original all Australian rock music festival, Australia day weekend, january 1972 / produced and directed by John Dixon". Music Australia. National Library of Australia. 20 December 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  11. ^ "Sunbury [videorecording] produced by Cambridge Films Melbourne in association with Odessa Promotions". Music Australia. National Library of Australia. 15 April 1998. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  12. ^ a b c Stacey, Terence J. Duncan Kimball (ed.). "Meadows Technicolour Fair". Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Productions. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  13. ^ a b Cashmere, Paul (19 August 2005). . Undercover. Undercover Media Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 6 September 2006. Retrieved 29 April 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^ a b "Blur of Sunbury's Rockin' Spirit Lives on in the Back Roads". The Age. Fairfax Media. 11 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  15. ^ a b A fracas between the road crews and management of Madder Lake and Queen may have been behind the urban legend.
    "The issue revolved around Queen refusing to go on at their allotted time because the light wasn't right - I remember it was sundown, so whoever went on stage wouldn't get the full benefit of their light show. It came down to a battle between management, which then spilled into a fracas between the roadies of our respective bands, as each crew jostled to set gear up. The MC (or some other promoter) goaded the crowd into an us and them vibe, with the local band in favour over the unknown "pommie bastards". It ended with us going on stage first, and Queen redeeming themselves to the crowd and showing a hint of what they were to become. And that is how I remember it".
    - Kerry McKenna, bass guitarist for Madder Lake.
  16. ^ a b c d Kimball, Sunbury Music Festival 1975. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  17. ^ "Midoztouch Discussion Forum - A Bravenet.com Forum". pub44.bravenet.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  18. ^ "1972 to 1975 Sunbury Music Festival". Only Melbourne. Ripefruit Media. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  19. ^ Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1964-1975 -Sunbury FestivalL 1972 Milesago
  20. ^ a b Kimball, Sunbury Festival 1974. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  21. ^ "Search results for "Carson"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 1 May 2011. Note: Go-Set published its national charts from October 1966 until August 1974.
  22. ^ Kimball, Madder Lake. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  23. ^ Pirana, Prog Archives website, accessed 24 February 2023.
  24. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 320. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  25. ^ a b c d e "Sunbury Festival Subject Box Collection" (PDF). Contemporary Music Project 2007. The Arts Centre. 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  26. ^ McFarlane, entry. Archived from the original on 28 August 2004. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  27. ^ a b McFarlane, entry. Archived from the original on 23 August 2004. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  28. ^ a b Kimball, Sunbury Festival 1973. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  29. ^ a b Sunbury '75 Souvenir Programme. Odessa Productions. 1975. p. 3.
  30. ^ McFarlane, entry. Archived from the original on 6 August 2004. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  31. ^ Tijs, Andrew (10 January 2007). "Deep Purple Frontman Recalls AC/DC Booting". Undercover. Undercover Media Pty Ltd. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  32. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "AC/DC Brawl With Deep Purple". YouTube.
  33. ^ Peters, Frank (17 December 1975). "Sunbury '75 : Deep Purple Forced to Pay". Juke. quoted in Milesago. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  34. ^ McFarlane, entry. Archived from the original on 23 August 2004. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  35. ^ . Music, Literature and Entertainment. Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (Government of Australia). Archived from the original on 21 November 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  36. ^ "The Age Music Victoria Awards 2015 10th Edition". Music Victoria. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2020.

External links Edit

37°37′05″S 144°44′35″E / 37.618°S 144.743°E / -37.618; 144.743

October 24, 2023
sunbury, festival, sunbury, rock, festival, annual, australian, rock, music, festival, held, acre, private, farm, between, sunbury, diggers, rest, victoria, which, staged, australia, january, long, weekend, from, 1972, 1975, attracted, patrons, promoted, odess. Sunbury Pop Festival or Sunbury Rock Festival was an annual Australian rock music festival held on a 620 acre 2 5 km2 private farm between Sunbury and Diggers Rest Victoria which was staged on the Australia Day 26 January long weekend from 1972 to 1975 It attracted up to 45 000 patrons and was promoted by Odessa Promotions which was formed by a group of television professionals including John Fowler from GTV 9 Melbourne Sunbury Pop FestivalThe third consecutive year of the Sunbury Pop FestivalGenreRock pub rockDates29 31 January 1972 27 29 January 1973 25 28 January 1974 25 27 January 1975Location s George Duncan s farm2 km NE of Diggers Rest Victoria Australia30 km NW of MelbourneYears active1972 1975Founded byJohn Fowler Odessa Promotions Although conceived and promoted as Australia s Woodstock the Sunbury Pop Festivals signalled the end of the hippie peace movement of the late 1960s and the beginning of the reign of pub rock The early festivals were financially successful and featured performances by Australian and New Zealand bands including Billy Thorpe amp the Aztecs Max Merritt and the Meteors Chain and Wild Cherries Various live albums were recorded at the festivals including Aztecs Live At Sunbury issued in September 1972 which peaked at No 3 on the Go Set Top 20 Albums and the triple live album Sunbury 1973 The Great Australian Rock Festival which was the inaugural release by Mushroom Records Looking to pull in bigger crowds the founders booked international acts with British rock band Queen performing in 1974 1 They arrived late and were initially booed by a crowd who expected to see home grown acts but they finished their set despite crowd screams of go back to Pommyland ya pooftahs Lead singer Freddie Mercury retorted with When we come back to Australia Queen will be the biggest band in the world 1 A fledgling Skyhooks were also booed and returned the following year with a new lead singer Graeme Shirley Strachan In 1975 another British band Deep Purple were head liners A fracas developed on stage between Deep Purple s roadies and AC DC s roadies and members Due to poor weather and high ticket prices the attendance was down to 16 000 Odessa Promotions was liquidated after paying out Deep Purple but most local acts were not paid by Odessa Late in the year Deep Purple placed money into a fund so that unpaid artists were paid at the full musician s rate In 2015 the Sunbury Pop Festival was inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame 2 There is footage on YouTube about the Sunbury Rock festival Contents 1 History 2 Location 3 Attendances 4 1972 4 1 Charts 5 1973 5 1 Charts 6 1974 7 1975 8 Popular culture references 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksHistory EditSunbury Pop Festival was an annual Australian rock music festival that was the seventh of more than a dozen major outdoor rock festivals staged in Australia between 1970 and 1975 but it was the only one that became a continuing event at least for four years 3 4 It was promoted by Odessa Promotions which was formed by a group of television professionals headed by John Fowler from GTV9 in Melbourne 5 Festival publicist Jim McKay recalled It was a good idea over coffee at the Channel Nine canteen We were a bit bored wondering what to do next Why don t we do a pop festival like Woodstock 6 From late 1971 Odessa Promotions touted the forthcoming festival as 41 hours of non stop entertainment Sunbury the rock happening of 1972 Three days of sun filled togetherness 6 In Australia Sunbury signalled the end of the hippie peace movement of the late 1960s and the beginning of the reign of pub rock 7 According to Australian music writer James Cockington The Woodstock spirit of peace and love and bad brown acid was largely replaced here by VB Tooheys and West End depending on the state 8 In a 2003 interview for Melbourne newspaper The Age on the 30th anniversary of the second festival Chain guitarist Phil Manning who performed there commented It was a time when the hippie thing was declining and the drunken afternoons of too much beer sun and basic rock developed The music went from being experimental to being just moronic entertainment for yobbos 9 Sunbury which has often been compared to Woodstock has been accorded a legendary status in the history of Australian rock 3 6 Claims persist that it marked a turning point because it featured an all Australian line up but this is misleading as there had already been several All Australian festivals by the time of Sunbury 72 and some of the performers there were New Zealanders 5 Sunbury has acquired its status due to its financial success which enabled it to run annually for four years and because the inaugural festival was comprehensively documented on film and multi track audio which gave it a privileged status in the visual media compared with other contemporary festivals 4 5 The film Sunbury 1972 was produced and directed by John Dixon with Ray Wagstaff as coordinating director and includes footage of Billy Thorpe amp the Aztecs Max Merritt and the Meteors Chain Wild Cherries Pirana and SCRA 10 Artists and audience members were interviewed by Go Set journalist Ian Molly Meldrum including a naked woman What sort of made you sort of just get up and shed your clothes like this 6 11 Another large festival the Meadows Technicolour Fair was staged in South Australia near Meadows township 32 km 20 mi from Adelaide over the same long weekend in 1972 12 This event attracted almost 30 000 people and featured many of the same Australian acts as well three imported acts singers Mary Hopkin Tom Paxton and pop band Edison Lighthouse 12 This festival attracted almost as many people as Sunbury despite South Australia having less than 10 of the eastern states population 5 The Meadows festival was not filmed nor recorded and has remained virtually unreported it is not mentioned in any of the major print references on Australian rock music 12 Music entrepreneur Michael Gudinski was involved with the first Sunbury festival as well as managing several major acts that appeared he operated a lucrative concession selling watermelon to festival goers British owned record company EMI released a double album of live performances from the 1972 festival Gudinski s new record company Mushroom Records established later in 1972 became associated with Sunbury thanks to its inaugural release a three disc set of live recordings from the 1973 festival Billy Thorpe amp the Aztecs also released a live album of their performance that year on the independent Havoc Records label In 1973 the festival included its first international act Spirit featuring the Staehely Brothers John guitar and Al bass with drummer Stu Perry They played in the line up not long after Indelible Murtceps Spectrum s alter ego and were well received The Staehely Brothers had been touring Australia for several weeks In 1974 Queen arrived 2 hours late and according to some were initially booed during their set to screams of go back to Pommyland ya pooftahs 13 Lead singer Freddie Mercury retorted When we come back to Australia Queen will be the biggest band in the world 3 In May 2009 on Spicks and Specks Daddy Cool front man Ross Wilson disputed this as an urban legend and said Queen finished their set even doing an encore 14 15 The early version of Skyhooks were also booed and after watching a recording of their performance lead singer Steve Hill quit and was replaced by Graeme Shirley Strachan 6 The 1975 festival ran at a loss with head liners Deep Purple pocketing 60 000 while most local bands were unpaid when Odessa Promotions was liquidated soon after the event 16 Periodically attempts are made to resurrect Sunbury in 2005 promoter Michael Chugg tried to revive the concept 13 The widespread success of alternative rock festivals since the 1990s for example the Big Day Out make a successful resurrection unlikely Location EditThe four Sunbury Pop Festivals were held on the same 620 acre 2 5 km2 private farm along Jacksons Creek 3 5 km south of Sunbury and 2 km north east of Diggers Rest 5 The property was owned by 50 year old farmer and local identity George Duncan who offered the use of his land at no cost to the organisers Duncan and his son George Jr volunteered to erect the site fences and for subsequent festivals gave permission for organisers to construct permanent toilets and rubbish bins The property was known locally as Duncan s farm The entrance gates to the Sunbury Pop Festival were off Watsons Road Diggers Rest Promoters rejected the name of Diggers Rest 72 in favour of Sunbury 72 as being more suggestive of a good time and sunny destination 6 The festival venue was closer to the smaller township of Diggers Rest so many attendees who travelled by train alighted at Diggers Rest railway station and not Sunbury The Diggers Rest Hotel became a de facto festival bar and site of scuffles between fans and police 17 Residential subdivision in the area has since altered the landscape and restricted public access to the site 18 Despite the Bulla Shire Council merged with the Hume City Council in 1994 opposing the original festival Hume Council now holds the site to be of national heritage significance for its connection to the Festival and Mushroom Records 19 Attendances EditAlthough the 1972 Sunbury Pop Festival was not the first held in Australia it benefited from a high level of publicity and despite flagging attendances at 1975 festival it consistently attracted large crowds As many as 40 000 people attended Sunbury in 1972 although figures vary considerably depending on the source and more conservative estimates place the figure between 30 000 and 35 000 Looking back in 1973 promoter John Fowler who worked with property owner George Duncan as site manager said The papers put it at anything from 25 to 60 000 people How can you tell for sure 6 In 1974 about 30 000 attended 20 The final festival had a crowd of 16 000 which was affected by poor weather and the higher cost of admission 16 1972 EditThe first Sunbury Pop Festival was touted as the Rock Happening of 1972 and ran from 29 to 31 January The attendance was approximately 35 000 and the entry fee was 6 00 3 days 5 00 2 days 1 00 1 day 5 EMI HMV released a double album of live performances Sunbury by various artists The La De Das Pirana Spectrum Indelible Murtceps Max Merritt amp the Meteors SCRA and Billy Thorpe amp the Aztecs Calendar Records issued a single live album The Stars of Sunbury with Billy Thorpe amp the Aztecs Country Radio Pilgrimage Chain and Wild Cherries credited to lead guitarist Lobby Loyde Meanwhile Billy Thorpe amp the Aztecs released their own double disc Aztecs Live At Sunbury by September which peaked at No 3 on the Go Set Top 20 Albums 3 21 John Dixon directed and produced the film Sunbury 1972 10 Band line upThe 1972 festival was opened by progressive rockers Madder Lake 22 MCed by Gerry Humphrys one time lead singer of 1960s group The Loved Ones 3 5 Blackfeather The Bushwhackers amp Bullockies Bush Band The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band Glenn Cardier Carson Chain Company Caine Greg Quill amp Country Radio Friends Healing Force Highway Indelible Murtceps The La De Das MacKenzie Theory Phil Manning Max Merritt amp the Meteors Mulga Bill s Bicycle Band Barrie McAskill amp Levi Smith s Clefs Pilgrimage Pirana 23 Wendy Saddington SCRA Spectrum Tamam Shud Billy Thorpe amp The Aztecs Total Fire Band Wild Cherries Charts Edit Chart 1972 PeakpositionAustralia Kent Music Report 24 281973 EditSunbury 73 ran from 27 to 29 January The attendance was 25 000 30 000 and the entry fee was 8 00 3 days 7 00 2 days 5 00 1 day Promoter John Fowler provided a documentary Sunbury 1973 which was aired on GTV9 25 Music entrepreneur Michael Gudinski was involved with the first Sunbury festival as well as managing several major acts that appeared he operated a lucrative concession selling watermelon to festival goers His new record company Mushroom Records was established with Ray Evans late in 1972 26 It became associated with Sunbury thanks to its inaugural album a three disc set of live recordings from the 1973 festival Sunbury 1973 The Great Australian Rock Festival 27 Guitarist Lobby Loyde and his band Coloured Balls were joined on stage by Billy Thorpe and Leo de Castro Friends to record a live set Summer Jam which was issued in November 3 Carson released their own live album On the Air in April but had disbanded by that time 28 Veteran rocker Johnny O Keefe was initially booed but won the crowd over by his performance and went on to do several encores 3 Band line upThe 1973 festival was MCed by comedian Paul Hogan 25 28 Bakery Band of Light Blackfeather The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band Glenn Cardier Carson Coloured Balls Country Radio The Flying Circus Friends Healing Force Indelible Murtceps MacKenzie Theory Madder Lake Margret RoadKnight Max Merritt amp the Meteors Mighty Mouse Mississippi backed by a full orchestra Mulga Bill s Bicycle Band Johnny O Keefe Sid Rumpo Spirit featuring the Staehely Brothers Matt Taylor Spectrum The 69 ers Dutch Tilders Billy Thorpe amp the Aztecs Charts Edit Chart 1973 PeakpositionAustralia Kent Music Report 24 231974 EditSunbury 74 ran from 25 to 28 January The attendance was approximately 30 000 and the entry fee was 12 00 3 days 10 00 2 days 5 00 1 day A new concept of a second performing stage was added to include alternative performances such as jazz recitals theatre dance mime poetry and acoustic music 29 Mushroom Records released two separate albums Highlights of Sunbury 74 Part 1 and Highlights of Sunbury 74 Part 2 27 Blackfeather issued their own album Blackfeather Live 30 The 69 ers released Francis Butler s 69ers Live from the previous year s performance 3 This was the first appearance in Australia of British rock band Queen Many sources claim that Queen were booed off stage 3 In May 2009 on Spicks and Specks Daddy Cool front man Ross Wilson disputed this as an urban legend and said Queen finished their set even doing an encore 14 15 Lead singer Freddie Mercury bravely told the audience When we come back to Australia Queen will be the biggest band in the world 3 Queen returned to Australia to perform again in 1976 at the height of their fame 6 The early version of Australian group Skyhooks were also booed and after watching a TV broadcast of their performance lead singer Steve Hill quit the band and was replaced by Graeme Shirley Strachan 6 Band line upThe MC was former The Masters Apprentices lead singer Jim Keays 20 25 Ayers Rock Ballet Victoria Blackfeather Buster Brown Chain Commonwealth Youth in Concert Daddy Cool The Dingoes Full Moon Kush MacKenzie Theory Matt Taylor Madder Lake Mississippi Pirana Queen Ross Ryan Sid Rumpo The 69 ers Skyhooks Skylight Sherbet1975 EditSunbury 75 ran from 25 to 27 January The attendance was only 15 000 16 000 and the festival suffered terminal financial losses The entry fee was 20 00 2022 150 A second stage was repeated for this year to cater for alternative acts such as dance mime poetry and acoustic music 29 A rock opera Australia The Sunbury Symphony was commissioned 25 British hard rock band Deep Purple went home with 60 000 2022 450 000 while most local groups went home empty handed AC DC allegedly refused to play after Deep Purple roadies provoked a fistfight with them 16 According to Deep Purple s lead vocalist David Coverdale Apparently a young Aussie band had jumped onstage plugged into our gear and started playing Well all hell broke loose from what I was told Our roadies big buggers to a man wrestled with the young band to get them off our equipment and off the stage Chaos and frolics ensued 31 Angus Young relates that there were incidents both before and after Deep Purple played 32 Jim Keays performed his solo concept album The Boy from the Stars Keays and his band were reportedly the only act to have been paid for their appearance having arranged an outside sponsorship Later in the year Deep Purple planned a tour for 1976 and after the Australian Musicians Union made it clear that the proposed tour of Deep Purple could lead to considerable unrest the UK band placed money into a fund so that artists appearing at Sunbury 75 were paid the full musician s rate 33 Band line upAlthough slated to appear AC DC did not perform 16 25 AC DC Ariel Ayers Rock Billy Thorpe amp the Aztecs Buster Brown The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band Chain Daddy Cool Deep Purple Jim Keays Kush The La De Das Linda George Matt Taylor Skyhooks Renee Geyer and Sanctuary The Keystone Angels Madder Lake Ross Ryan Solid Rock Big Band Sherbet Skylight Foreday Riders Girl group The Cookies sang as backing singers for various artists including Kush and Linda George they sang at three of the four festivals Popular culture references EditThe Fauves in 1998 released a song called Sunbury 97 on their album Lazy Highways 34 The lyrics include There s the tree where mum amp dad conceived me Do you believe that I m a child of Sunbury 73 Chris Wilson recorded the track Sunbury 73 on his 1998 release The Long Weekend that reminisces about a road trip south from Sydney to attend the concert 5 The television sitcom All Together Now 1991 1993 features Jon English playing an ageing rocker trying to maintain a music career after his glory days as one of the performers at Sunbury 5 Australia Post issued a 50c stamp featuring the poster artwork of the 1972 festival as part of their series Australian Rock Posters 5 Excerpts from Dixon s 1972 film Sunbury have been featured in many Australian TV specials and series including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation s Long Way to the Top in 2001 7 In 1993 festival organiser John Fowler donated his collection of Sunbury memorabilia to the Performing Arts Museum of the Victoria Arts Centre 35 At the Music Victoria Awards of 2015 the Sunbury Pop Festival was inducted into the Hall of Fame 36 See also Edit nbsp Rock music portalList of historic rock festivals List of music festivalsReferences EditGeneralKimball Duncan Milesago Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964 1975 Ice Productions Retrieved 29 April 2011 Mackowiak M S 1991 Sex Drugs and Rock n Roll The Rise and Demise of the Australian Pop Festival Era 1970 1975 Monash University McFarlane Ian 1999 Whammo Homepage Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop St Leonards NSW Allen amp Unwin ISBN 1 86508 072 1 Archived from the original on 5 April 2004 Retrieved 29 April 2011 Note Archived on line copy has limited functionality Specific a b Kemp Sam 1 May 2022 The reason why Queen were booed off stage in 1974 Far Out magazine Retrieved 6 November 2022 Previous Winners Music Victoria Retrieved 13 August 2020 a b c d e f g h i j McFarlane Festivals entry Archived from the original on 8 September 2004 Retrieved 30 April 2011 a b Rawlins Adrian 1986 Festivals in Australia An Intimate History Spring Hill Vic Down to Earth Publishers ISBN 978 0 9592131 0 2 a b c d e f g h i j Kimball Sunbury Festival 1972 Retrieved 29 April 2011 a b c d e f g h i Jenkins Jeff Meldrum Ian 2007 Festivals Molly Meldrum Presents 50 Years of Rock in Australia Melbourne Wilkinson Publishing pp 245 251 ISBN 978 1 921332 11 1 a b Episode 3 Billy Killed the Fish 1968 1973 Long Way to the Top Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 29 April 2011 Cockington James August 2001 Dirty Stinking Hippies Long Way to the Top Sydney NSW ABC Books Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC pp 141 152 ISBN 0 7333 0750 7 Waldon Steve 25 January 2003 Sunbury 1973 strike any chords with you The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 29 April 2011 a b Sunbury videorecording the original all Australian rock music festival Australia day weekend january 1972 produced and directed by John Dixon Music Australia National Library of Australia 20 December 2008 Retrieved 30 April 2011 Sunbury videorecording produced by Cambridge Films Melbourne in association with Odessa Promotions Music Australia National Library of Australia 15 April 1998 Retrieved 30 April 2011 a b c Stacey Terence J Duncan Kimball ed Meadows Technicolour Fair Milesago Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964 1975 Ice Productions Retrieved 30 April 2011 a b Cashmere Paul 19 August 2005 Plans Underway for Another Sunbury Undercover Undercover Media Pty Ltd Archived from the original on 6 September 2006 Retrieved 29 April 2011 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint unfit URL link a b Blur of Sunbury s Rockin Spirit Lives on in the Back Roads The Age Fairfax Media 11 April 2010 Retrieved 1 May 2011 a b A fracas between the road crews and management of Madder Lake and Queen may have been behind the urban legend The issue revolved around Queen refusing to go on at their allotted time because the light wasn t right I remember it was sundown so whoever went on stage wouldn t get the full benefit of their light show It came down to a battle between management which then spilled into a fracas between the roadies of our respective bands as each crew jostled to set gear up The MC or some other promoter goaded the crowd into an us and them vibe with the local band in favour over the unknown pommie bastards It ended with us going on stage first and Queen redeeming themselves to the crowd and showing a hint of what they were to become And that is how I remember it Kerry McKenna bass guitarist for Madder Lake a b c d Kimball Sunbury Music Festival 1975 Retrieved 30 April 2011 Midoztouch Discussion Forum A Bravenet com Forum pub44 bravenet com Retrieved 20 April 2018 1972 to 1975 Sunbury Music Festival Only Melbourne Ripefruit Media Retrieved 30 April 2011 Australasian Music amp Popular Culture 1964 1975 Sunbury FestivalL 1972 Milesago a b Kimball Sunbury Festival 1974 Retrieved 29 April 2011 Search results for Carson Go Set Waverley Press Retrieved 1 May 2011 Note Go Set published its national charts from October 1966 until August 1974 Kimball Madder Lake Retrieved 30 April 2011 Pirana Prog Archives website accessed 24 February 2023 a b Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book p 320 ISBN 0 646 11917 6 a b c d e Sunbury Festival Subject Box Collection PDF Contemporary Music Project 2007 The Arts Centre 2007 Retrieved 30 April 2011 McFarlane Independent record labels entry Archived from the original on 28 August 2004 Retrieved 3 May 2011 a b McFarlane MacKenzie Theory entry Archived from the original on 23 August 2004 Retrieved 3 May 2011 a b Kimball Sunbury Festival 1973 Retrieved 30 April 2011 a b Sunbury 75 Souvenir Programme Odessa Productions 1975 p 3 McFarlane Blackfeather entry Archived from the original on 6 August 2004 Retrieved 3 May 2011 Tijs Andrew 10 January 2007 Deep Purple Frontman Recalls AC DC Booting Undercover Undercover Media Pty Ltd Retrieved 30 April 2011 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine AC DC Brawl With Deep Purple YouTube Peters Frank 17 December 1975 Sunbury 75 Deep Purple Forced to Pay Juke quoted in Milesago Retrieved 4 May 2011 McFarlane The Fauves entry Archived from the original on 23 August 2004 Retrieved 4 May 2011 The Sunbury Music Festival Collection Music Literature and Entertainment Department of Communications Information Technology and the Arts Government of Australia Archived from the original on 21 November 2007 Retrieved 1 May 2011 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link The Age Music Victoria Awards 2015 10th Edition Music Victoria 18 September 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2020 External links EditThe 69 ers at Sunbury 1974 Sunbury Community Website Photographs of Sunbury Pop Festival 1972 at National Library of Australia 37 37 05 S 144 44 35 E 37 618 S 144 743 E 37 618 144 743 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sunbury Pop Festival amp oldid 1179826956, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.