RAD PRESENTS

On the final Saturday of August, we were blessed to witness an incredible showcase of some of the country’s best bands at Eora Sydney’s Liberty Hall. Hockey Dad, The Belair Lip Bombs, Shady Nasty and many more. Obviously, we had the best night ever.

The link that tied together this all star line up is Wollongong hero Dan Radburn. Many of you would know Dan already—or at least know the name. Dan’s the man who hand-forged the sorely missed, ever iconic community space Rad Bar, whose legacy lives on in Wollongong to this day. He now manages an impressive roster of bands, most of which played this show. A few months back, during an interview with Dan for our new print issue Which Way Now, he let us in on the little secret that was this one day fest. Since that moment, it was on our minds. Even now, we are still talking about it. With our launch party coming up this weekend in collaboration with Dan, we thought we’d go back and shine a well-deserved spotlight on what we remember.

It all started with a short train and even shorter tram ride that took us straight to Liberty Hall—the real crown jewel of the Moore Park entertainment precinct. As we entered we discovered the huge room was already buzzing with early birds. So we joined the tight knit group crowding around the floor stage, craning our necks and peering around its huge speakers to catch a glimpse of the band. Of all the places we’ve seen Sevilles play—in a beer garden, in a shed, in a carpark, near the edge of a cliff – this somehow felt most intimate. Standing eye to eye with the musicians, we were reminded of the days at Rad Bar, where punters would stand shoulder to shoulder with the bands.

Following Sevilles, we watched as Perth's Paint, our freshly found shoegaze sweethearts, christened the main stage, filling the hall with cool fuzzy sounds and making us smile with their warm authenticity. Swapping back to the floor, Blistar breezed their way through their slacker surf rock set with a smirk. 

Paint

The Belair Lip Bombs

Bridge Dog

As the night went on, these alternating stages continued to keep the crowds moving, shifting people back and forth towards one or the other. Coming back in from the smokers could be disorienting, especially as the night went on and the crowd doubled.

One major highlight from the night was Bimbo, a newly minted act formed in Illawarra’s northern suburbs. Serving up a fresh blend of pub rock and femme punk, Bimbo really amped up the energy, with frontwoman Bry owning all sides of the floor stage, sunnies on and pink hood up, radiating with confidence and attitude .  

Crocodylus

Armlock is always a must-see for the Wanderer team, Simon Lam’s hushed vocals and the band’s shimmering, addictive sound drew in the crowd. By this point, we had all found each other again, standing amongst hundreds of others singing the words back to them.

The room was well and truly packed by the time Shady Nasty took the stage. The crowd had huddled tightly around that small floor stage, and there was a real intensity in the air. What we have come to expect from a Shady Nasty set was delivered—a blur of moshing, sweat, fist pumps and shouts, the room erupted to the band’s hard hitting dance punk hybrid.

This restless energy eventually gave way to the night’s headliners, Wollongong’s golden boys Hockey Dad, who rightfully closed out the evening and sent the room reeling with pure joy., With a huge crew watching on from the balcony, the now enormous crowd boomed with applause, whistles and singalongs to the band’s fan favourites.

The only thing that could have made this show better would be a surprise set from Phil Collins — or maybe a Tom Collins.

We’d love to send our appreciation to Dan for including us in the festivities, and our admiration for the stellar night of live music he hosted and for pulling it all together with style.

Here’s to more nights like Rad Presents…