The Biggest Rock and Roll Event the GC’s Ever Seen Is Here Next Month

Do you whip out the air guitar when no one’s looking? Crank a vinyl instead of a Spotify playlist? Use phrases like “rock on!”? Daydream of the time when a mullet would earn you respect and not the stink-eye?

If you do, you’ve probably got a bad case of the Rock and Rolls. And, as a Gold Coaster, who could blame you? You are, after all, living in the Classic Rock Mecca of days gone by.

The Playroom. Fisho’s. Jet Club. Bombay Rock. The Patch.

The Playroom was the heart of Australia's rock scene during the 1970's. Photo credit: HOTA

From the ‘70s to the ‘90s, these iconic Goldy bars and clubs were a hotspot for Australia’s live music touring circuit. Some of the best and most notorious local and international acts played here: The Ramones, Cold Chisel, INXS, The Go-Betweens, Nirvana and The Violent Femmes.

Well… It’s all coming back, baby.

“It was violent and wild. This is back in the days when groupies were rabid, punters were violent and the bouncers had just been released from prison!”

- The Church’s Steve Kilbey on playing The Jet Club, Coolangatta

From 8 December–17 February, HOTA are hosting a free gallery exhibition celebrating our city’s heyday as the capital of hardcore rock. Let There Be Rock! will feature stories, memorabilia, photos and footage of one of the greatest times to be alive.

And while the free gallery exhibition is bound to keep you in a state of blissful nostalgia for hours on end, that is far from all HOTA are offering.

The free gallery exhibition will keep you in a state of nostalgia for hours. Photo credit: Pexels.

This summer, it’s all about music, art, movie conversations and mayhem at the GC’s home of entertainment.

We’re talking up-close-and-personal evenings with living legends such as Nick Cave, discussions with industry insiders on the past, present and future of rock, pub choirs, film screenings on the history of the Aussie music scene, and plenty to keep the kiddies occupied too – from glamming-up guitars to making wild wigs.

What’s more, plenty of these events are completely free, but are getting booked-up fast. All of the dates and details can be found at the HOTA website.

Most events are free, but bookings are essential through the HOTA website. Photo credit: Pexels.

If you want to be completely Thunderstruck by an event that won’t leave you Standing On The Outside, then we’ve got a Good Feeling that What You Need is to get along to HOTA’s Let There Be Rock! And… Don’t bother dressing up. Just Come As You Are.

Let There Be Rock! is a free exhibition at HOTA Gallery from 8 December 2018 to 17 February 2019. For more information click here