Forgotten Music Competition Sparks New Research
The Newcastle-based radio presenter, Jack Hodgins, never intended to write a book about a forgotten music competition, but the more he researched, the more he became fascinated by the stories of Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds.
- As a radio presenter, Hodgins was interviewing local musicians from the 1960s and 1970s, and they kept mentioning Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds.
- Stories of wild shows, traveling bands, and crowded country halls sparked Hodgins’ interest, but he was surprised to find almost nothing about the competition on the internet.
The competition, which ran from 1966 to 1972, was a major annual event in Australia’s pop and rock music scene.
| Year | Heats | State Finals | National Grand Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 60 local heats | State finals in each state and territory | National grand final in Melbourne |
| 1969 | Over 60 local heats | State finals in each state and territory | National grand final in Melbourne |
Local bands would play to crowded halls in regional towns and cities, the winners then traveling to capital cities for the state country finals.
“This wasn’t just the biggest music competition in Australia, it was a competition of this size didn’t happen anywhere else in the world.”
Hodgins says there have already been several surprising finds, including surviving audio of the 1966 Lismore heat and a mention of Jeff Fatt, later of The Wiggles, in a band called The Brass Nobbs.
- He was sent surviving audio of the 1966 Lismore heat.
- He read an article that mentioned Jeff Fatt, who later became a famous musician, playing in The Brass Nobbs, who performed at the Lismore heat.
Over its short life, Battle of the Sounds featured bands like The Valentines, Sherbet, and The Twilights, spawning Aussie icons Bon Scott, Darryl Braithwaite, and Glenn Shorrock, respectively.
- The competition featured bands like The Valentines, Sherbet, and The Twilights.
- These bands went on to become famous musicians, including Bon Scott, Darryl Braithwaite, and Glenn Shorrock.
Hodgins hopes to capture the wild energy and passion of the competition, which gave so many of Australia’s great artists their start in the industry. “I don’t think you’d be able to do it today,” he says, pointing to the rising costs of live music events and the changing landscape of the industry, where emerging artists are often discovered on Spotify or social media rather than on the stage.
If you have any information about Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds, in Goulburn or elsewhere, please contact Jack Hodgins at jackhodgins67@gmail.com. Daily
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