View source for Pub rock (Australia)

{{needs more sources|date=December 2024}}
{{Short description|Style of Australian rock and roll}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Australian pub rock
| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|[[Hard rock]]|[[blues rock]]}}
| cultural_origins  = 1970s, [[Australia]]
| derivatives       = 
| other_topics      = 
}}

'''Pub rock''' is a style of Australian [[rock and roll]] that peaked in popularity throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and that continues to influence [[Music of Australia|Australian music]] into the 21st century. It is named after the live music circuit in which most associated bands developed their sound: inner-city and suburban [[Australian pubs|pubs]]. These often noisy, hot, small and crowded venues favoured loud, [[riff]]-based heavy rock.

Australian pub rock emerged in the early 1970s, with bands such as [[Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs]], [[Buffalo (band)|Buffalo]], [[Lobby Loyde#Coloured Balls|Coloured Balls]] and [[Blackfeather]] pioneering the sound by incorporating [[hard rock]] and [[blues rock]], and occasionally elements of [[progressive rock]] and [[psychedelic rock]]. It developed separately from [[Pub rock (United Kingdom)|British pub rock]], with the Australian sound being heavier, bluesier and more hard-edged.<ref>Popoff, Martin (2017). "AC/DC: Album by Album". Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760361740, pp. 12–13.</ref> Later acts such as [[AC/DC]], [[Rose Tattoo]] and [[Cold Chisel]] expanded the sound further and achieved mainstream success.

In a few Australian cities, particularly [[Melbourne]], pub rock was associated with the [[Sharpies (Australian subculture)|Sharpies]] youth subculture.

== History ==
{{unsourced section|date=December 2024}}
=== Background ===
The emergence of the Australian version of the pub rock genre and the related pub circuit was the result of several interconnected factors. From the 1950s to the 1970s, mainly because of restrictive state liquor licensing laws, only a small proportion of live pop and rock music in Australia was performed on licensed premises (mostly private clubs or [[discotheques]]); the majority of concerts were held in non-licensed venues like community, church or municipal halls. These concerts and dances were 'all-ages' events—often with adult supervision—and alcohol was not served.

During the 1960s, however, Australian states began liberalising their licensing laws. [[Sunday Observance Act (disambiguation)|Sunday Observance Act]]s were repealed, pub opening hours were extended, discriminatory regulations — such as the long-standing ban on women entering or drinking in public bars — were removed, and in the 1970s the age of legal majority was lowered from 21 to 18. Concurrently, the members of the so-called "[[Baby Boomer]]" generation  — who were the main audience for pop and rock music — were reaching their late teens and early twenties, and were thus able to enter such licensed premises. Pub owners soon realised that providing live music (which was often free) would draw young people to pubs in large numbers, and regular rock performances soon became a fixture at many pubs.

=== First bands emerge ===
In the early 1970s, [[Sydney]]-based groups such as [[Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs|Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs]], [[Blackfeather]] and [[Buffalo (band)|Buffalo]] pioneered the Australian pub rock sound.<ref name="McFarlaneBilly"/><ref name="McFarlaneBlack"/><ref name="McFarlaneBuffalo"/> Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs consisted of Thorpe on lead vocals and guitar, Jimmy Thompson on drums, Paul Wheeler on bass guitar and [[Lobby Loyde]] (ex-[[Purple Hearts (Australian band)|Purple Hearts]], [[Wild Cherries]]) on lead guitar. They released a cover version of [[Willie Dixon]]'s "[[Good Morning, School Girl]]". They developed a heavy sound and in July 1970, Warren 'Pig' Morgan (piano, backing vocals) had joined and the band recorded ''The Hoax Is Over'', which was released in January 1971.<ref name="McFarlaneBilly"/> Thorpe described their sound: "[It was] like we were standing on a pair of [[Boeing 747]] engines. It cracked the foundations and broke windows in neighbouring buildings".<ref name="1001Aus"/>

By early 1971, Blackfeather consisted of Neale Johns on lead vocals, John Robinson on lead guitar (ex-Lonely Ones, Monday's Children, [[Dave Miller (New Zealand musician)|Dave Miller Set]]), Robert Fortesque on bass guitar, and Alexander Kash on drums. Their debut album, ''At the Mountains of Madness'', appeared in April 1971.<ref name="McFarlaneBlack"/> In May they had a hit with "[[Seasons of Change]]", which peaked at No.&nbsp;15 on the ''[[Go-Set]]'' National Top&nbsp;40 Singles Chart.<ref name="McFarlaneBlack"/><ref name="GoSet1071"/> Buffalo formed in August 1971 by Dave Tice on co-lead vocals (ex-Head) with Paul Balbi on drums, John Baxter on guitar and [[Peter Wells (guitarist)|Peter Wells]] on bass guitar. Their debut album, ''[[Dead Forever...]]'', appeared in June the following year.<ref name="McFarlaneBuffalo"/> According to Australian rock music journalist, [[Ed Nimmervoll]], "The seeds for Australian heavy rock can be traced back to two important sources, Billy Thorpe's Seventies Aztecs and Sydney band Buffalo".<ref name="Nimmervoll"/> In 1972, Aztecs member Lobby Lloyd formed [[Lobby Loyde#Coloured Balls|Coloured Balls]], which became the favoured band of the [[Sharpies (Australian subculture)|sharpies]] youth subculture.

[[File:Largs Pier Hotel Adelaide.jpg|thumb|[[Largs Pier Hotel]], Adelaide, a prominent pub rock venue]]
Notable pub-rock venues include the [[Largs Pier Hotel]] and the [[Governor Hindmarsh Hotel]] in [[Adelaide]]; the Royal Antler Hotel in [[Narrabeen]], Sydney; the Civic Hotel in Sydney's city centre; the Star Hotel in [[Newcastle, New South Wales]]; and the Station Hotel in [[Prahran]], Melbourne, which was one of the premier pub-rock venues in Australia for more than two decades. Additionally, Poyntons Carlton Club Hotel in [[Carlton, Victoria|Carlton]] was Melbourne's first Sunday night live pub-rock venue; Charles Hotel in Perth is the only remaining pub-rock venue in Perth.

=== Expansion of the sound ===
[[File:ACDC-Hughes-long ago.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[AC/DC]] grew out of the Australian pub rock scene.]]
Many city and suburban pubs gained renown for their support of live music, and many prominent Australian bands — including [[AC/DC]],<ref name="McFarlaneACDC"/> [[Cold Chisel]],<ref name="McFarlaneCold"/> [[The Angels (Australian band)|The Angels]]<ref name="McFarlaneAngels"/> and [[The Dingoes]]<ref name="McFarlaneDingoes"/> — developed their style at these venues in the early days of their careers. Australian musicologist [[Ian McFarlane]] described how AC/DC took "the raw energy of Aussie pub rock, extend its basic guidelines, serve it up to a teenybop ''[[Countdown (Australian TV series)|Countdown]]'' audience and still reap the benefits of the live circuit by packing out the pubs".<ref name="McFarlaneACDC"/> He found that Cold Chisel "fused a combination of rockabilly, hard rock and rough-house soul'n'blues that was defiantly Australian in outlook".<ref name="McFarlaneCold"/> He noted The Angels had "a profound effect on the Australian live music scene of the late 1970s/early 1980s. [They] helped redefine the Australian pub rock tradition ... [their] brand of no-frills, hard-driving [[boogie rock]] attracted pub goers in unprecedented numbers".<ref name="McFarlaneAngels"/> The Dingoes provided a "spirited combination of R&B, country and red-hot rock'n'roll was imbued with a delightful sense of time and place" according to McFarlane.<ref name="McFarlaneDingoes"/>

As the pub-rock phenomenon expanded, hundreds of hotels in capital cities and major towns began providing regular live music, and a thriving circuit evolved, enabling bands to tour up and down the eastern and southern coast of Australia from [[North Queensland]] to [[South Australia]].

A band like [[Hunters & Collectors]], for example, saw their sound harden from their arty origins (which included a [[brass section]], experimental percussion, and complex arrangements) to a more straightforward rock sound with emphasis on drums, bass, and simple guitar riffs; it was a sound that more suited the beer barns they were to play in over their extensive touring career.<ref name="McFarlaneHunters"/>

Though Australia has a relatively small population, the proportionally high number of venues that bands could play in, mainly along the Eastern coast{{Citation needed|date=February 2015}}, meant that a band could tour extensively, often playing every night for long periods. This would allow bands such as [[AC/DC]], Cold Chisel, [[INXS]], [[Midnight Oil]], [[Rose Tattoo]] and others to build their reputation and take their live skills into large venues in the US and Europe with ease.

Several Australian pub rock bands, including [[Cosmic Psychos]] and [[feedtime]], directly influenced the emergent [[grunge]] scene in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the 2010s, a new generation of Australian bands revived the Australian pub rock sound, including [[Bad//Dreems]], [[Amyl and the Sniffers]]<ref>Trimboli, Isabella (24 May 2019). [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/24/amyl-and-the-sniffers-review-turning-pub-rock-bravado-into-punk-mayhem "Amyl and the Sniffers review – turning pub rock bravado into punk mayhem"], ''Guardian''. Retrieved 28 October 2024.</ref> and [[The Chats]].<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/triplejunearthed/artist/chats-0/ The Chats], [[Triple J Unearthed]]. Retrieved 28 October 2024.</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Music|Australia}}
*[[Music of Australia]]
*[[List of public house topics]]
*[[Roots rock]]
*[[Grunge]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="McFarlaneBilly">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040419085423/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=724 'Billy Thorpe'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=724 the original] on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 15 July 2013.</ref>

<ref name="McFarlaneBlack">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040806231255/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=106 'Blackfeather'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=106 the original] on 6 August 2004. Retrieved 15 July 2013.</ref>

<ref name="McFarlaneBuffalo">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040615101752/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=146 'Buffalo'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=146 the original] on 15 June 2004. Retrieved 15 July 2013.</ref>

<ref name="1001Aus">{{cite book|title=1001 Australians you should know|last=Creswell|first=Toby|author-link=Toby Creswell|author2=Samantha Trenoweth |chapter=Billy Thorpe|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QqtinbjO0oEC&q=billy+thorpe&pg=PA221|publisher=Pluto Press Australia|year=2006|location=[[North Melbourne]]|pages=221–222|isbn=978-1-86403-361-8}} Note: On-line copy has limited view.</ref>

<ref name="GoSet1071">{{cite web | url = http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1971/top1971.html | title = Top Records for the Year of 1971 | work = [[Go-Set]] | publisher = Waverley Press | last = Nimmervoll | first = Ed | author-link = Ed Nimmervoll | access-date = 15 July 2013 }}</ref>

<ref name="Nimmervoll">{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080804161545/http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/en2/rosetattoo/rosetattoo.htm | url = http://www.howlspace.com.au/en2/rosetattoo/rosetattoo.htm | title = Rose Tattoo | last1 = Nimmervoll | first1 = Ed | author-link1 = Ed Nimmervoll | publisher = Howlspace. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd | archive-date = 4 August 2008 | access-date = 10 July 2013 }}</ref>

<ref name="McFarlaneACDC">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040806010608/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=9 'AC/DC'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=9 the original] on 6 August 2004. Retrieved 15 July 2013.</ref>

<ref name="McFarlaneCold">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040803183157/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=213 'Cold Chisel'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=213 the original] on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 15 July 2013.</ref>

<ref name="McFarlaneAngels">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040803080238/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=34 'The Angels'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=34 the original] on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 15 July 2013.</ref>

<ref name="McFarlaneDingoes">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040803172000/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=281 'The Dingoes'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=281 the original] on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 15 July 2013.</ref>

<ref name="McFarlaneHunters">McFarlane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040607184813/http://whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=931 'Hunters & Collectors'] entry. Archived from [http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=931 the original] on 7 June 2004. Retrieved 15 July 2013.</ref>

}}
===General references===
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia | last = McFarlane | first = Ian | author-link = Ian McFarlane | encyclopedia = [[Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop]] | title = Whammo Homepage | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040405231007/http://www.whammo.com.au/index.asp | url = http://www.whammo.com.au/index.asp | archive-date = 5 April 2004 | access-date = 15 July 2013 | year = 1999 | publisher = [[Allen & Unwin]] | location = [[St Leonards, New South Wales|St Leonards, NSW]] | isbn = 1-86508-072-1 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }} Note: Archived [on-line] version has limited functionality.
{{refend}}

{{Rock}}
{{punk}}
{{Music of Australia}}

[[Category:Rock music genres]]
[[Category:Pub rock (Australia)| ]]
[[Category:Australian rock music]]
[[Category:Pubs in Australia]]

[[pl:Pub rock]]