I can still feel how cold it was that Winter Sunday huddled outside Broadmeadows town hall after a disastrous rehearsal for the '71 Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds. We were nervous and afraid, debating whether to just make a run for it. Sharing a hip flask of Vodka and Simon throwing up. The band was my schoolboy band, called "Gyp" after Donovan's "Hey Gyp" (I can't remember why, but his "Season of the Witch" was a highlight of our set, along with Black Sabbath selections, half of "Let it Be" and some Aussie future classics). Band members were (l to r in the photo) Simon Goss - keys, David Parkinson - Bass, Me, Geoff Dell - Drums and Richard Braithwaite - Guitar.
We'd chosen to do "On the Road Again" by Canned Heat, which we did as an open ended jam (you could do that in the 70's). As mentioned, rehearsal didn't go well. It was cold, we were nervous, the stage was huge & the hall was empty. The acts were supposed to rehearse their performance exactly for timing & production purposes. I think it was me who pulled the song at about 2 & 1/2 mins and stormed off stage.
So, after agonising and deciding we didn't even have the courage to run, it was time for the show. I don't have much memory of waiting backstage watching the other bands. We were on about mid show and I do remember walking on stage. The Room was packed and buzzing. I instantly made a transition which would stay with me for the rest of my career - from shaking, babbling mess to Master of All I Survey. The atmosphere obviously also affected the rest of the band as we launched into "Road" with gusto. We're rocking and having a ball, the crowd was loving it and I experienced for the first time how a big vibing crowd can give you wings - Devil wings ;)
I had taken the stage in my ubiquitous Naval great coat and was strutting round stage like Jagger! Halfway through the song in a big rush of blood I threw off my coat and waved it full length around my head, pre-dating Sheedy by many years.
We were on fire, totally oblivious to the passage of time & the remonstrations of the stage personnel.
On one of my turns around the stage I noticed the stage hands removing parts of our instruments from the stage - they took Simon's piano stool, so he stood up, some Geoff's kit, so he played what was left, well until they dragged off his kick drum! I think it was when they unplugged the amps, that we called it quits. The crowd went wild and we walked off stage, triumphant and convinced we had won!!
We didn't, we were effectively disqualified. We received the judges notes: we had played for over 8 mins, exceeding the rehearsed time. My coat antics were judged to have a sexualising innuendo (they must have had interesting sex lives) and we failed to follow the directions of the Stage Manager.
I still felt triumphant!
I can't remember who won that day, but I remember they were already an established act, with a contract, so I also got my first taste of how the music industry really works.