New book highlights Sunbury Pop Festival’s place in music history

PETER Evans doesn’t describe the Sunbury Pop Festival as the birth of Australian music as such, but “it’s at least the Aussie rock’s midwife”.

Peter Evans took a trip down to the site of the Sunbury Pop Festival in Duncans Lane to promote his book. Picture: Rob Leeson

PETER Evans doesn’t describe the Sunbury Pop Festival as the birth of Australian music as such but “it’s at least the Aussie rock’s midwife”.

In 1971, Mr Evans, then a lighting technician with GTV Nine, talked to Channel Nine colleague John Fowler about a music festival in Ourimbah he had experienced.

As they weighed up the idea of bringing a music festival to Victoria, Mr Evans told Mr Fowler it could attract 5000 young people each paying $5.

“His eyes lit up,” Mr Evans said. “We kept on talking and planning around the lunch room and on and off set.”

When Australia Day came around in 1972, up to 40,000 came to Duncans Lane to witness what was later described as Australia’s Woodstock.

It had been organised ostensibly by GTV Nine television professionals.

Crowds at the Sunbury Pop Festival in 1975.

Mr Evans said the festival was Australia’s first bringing together of counter culture and commercialisation.

The Friday night had already attracted thousands of expectant campers and no music was planned.

But such was the anticipation an informal jam session took place.

It laid the foundation for the three-day festival which in four years launched several bands and myths, none greater than Billy Thorpe, “the king of the hill”.

Mr Evans has written a definitive history of the four-year festival with the coffee table book — Sunbury — Australia’s Greatest Rock Festival.

To help him tell the story of the festival, he did some 20 interviews with performers, organisers and punters involved in the iconic events, including a water melon salesman.

Many of his own slides taken from the shows were used in the book.

A performer at the Sunbury Pop Festival in 1975.

To Mr Evans, the story of the festival remains compelling.

“It was a time of change in Australia and we were 10 months away from a Whitlam government,” he said.

“There was Hector Crawford making television with Australian accents, you had David Weir telling Australian stories on film and David Williamson doing the same on stage.

“Musically, Sunbury showed Australian music stood alongside American and English music and there were record labels such as Mushroom championing that.”

The first three festivals turned a profit but in 1975 rain, or rather the expected rain, turned people off coming. It was the last thing organisers who had bankrolled English group Deep Purple needed.

A fight between Deep Purple and AC/DC roadies ensued. Mr Evans said legend had it that then 16-year-old Angus Young was in tears as AC/DC left without playing.

“He was allegedly walking up the hill crying — all he had wanted to do was play Sunbury,” he said.

Mr Evans will discuss the book at Collins Booksellers Sunbury on Thursday, March 8, 5.30-6.30pm. He will sign books and screen unseen footage from the event.

Battling the rain at the 1975 Sunbury Pop Festival.

Just hanging around at the 1975 Sunbury Pop Festival.

In the groove at the Sunbury Pop Festival.

Check out the fashion at the 1974 Sunbury Pop Festival.

People enjoy a swim at the Sunbury Pop Festival in 1972.

Crowds at the Sunbury Pop Festival in 1975.