“SUNBURY 50th ANNIVERSARY”

It’s Australia Day Weekend 1972, and Melbourne is about to have its response to Woodstock – The Very First Sunbury Pop Festival. A three-day festival of music, fun, love, and peace.

Featuring the cream of Australian Artists. It was touted as “The Rock Happening of 1972”. Close to thirty acts played, one of them being “Queen” from the UK, the only overseas act; but they were booed off stage in favour of our own “Madder Lake”. The crowd weren’t ready for the glam of Queen yet. Madder Lake opened the festival to a rapturous response. They later went on to support the “Rolling Stones “on their Australian Tour that year and were the first act to be signed to “Mushroom Records”- delivering the company their first Gold Record with the brilliant album “StillPoint”. This album spawned the singles: “12lb. Toothbrush” and “Goodbye Lollipop”.

Next, we have “Spectrum” who were Australia’s most popular Progressive Rock Act, the catalyst for the genius of Mike Rudd. Their Number One National Hit “I’ll Be Gone” released a year earlier had and has become an Anthem with the Australian public. Later in his career Mike with new band was privy to record at the famous Abbey Road Studios in England. “I’ll Be Gone” has been covered by many artists from Manfred Mann’s Earth Band to local act “Lost Ragas”. Next comes “The Indelible Murtceps” another of Mike Rudd’s alter egos. They were the vehicle for more dance orientated songs in contrast to “Spectrum’s” more in-concert style. Songs like:” Red Hot Mumma”, “We Are Indelible” and “Esmerelda” soon became crowd favourites. So come, 50 years later, re -live, celebrate the nostalgia and great music with these three bands that remain today and who were part of the so called ‘Golden Era of Australian Rock Music”.

Also performing will be Broderick Smith (Carson / The Dingoes) with Shannon Bourne