The passionate team at Sound System Studios are rallying to open Sunbury’s first music store in years

It once played host to Billy Thorpe, Skyhooks, Queen — who were famously booed — but now you can’t even buy a guitar string in Sunbury.

The home of Australia’s answer to Woodstock, where thousands rocked up to a paddock almost 50 years ago to watch the likes of Billy Thorpe and the Skyhooks, has been left without a dedicated music shop for almost two decades.

The team at Sound System Studios — which operates as a recording studio, live gig and rehearsal space — plans to open Sunbury’s first dedicated music shop “in about 15-20 years” and create a hub to develop local talent.

The plan had been in the pipework for sometime and was given a major boost earlier this year when the studio’s announced plans to downsize their business.

Sound System Studios owner Josh Richards said the goal was to provide a platform for the community to embrace the local music scene.

“You’ve got a town of 40,000 people and they can’t buy guitar strings,” he said.

“I think it’s needed. “we offer everything else from recording to rehearsals, guitar lessons, live bands.

“The last piece of the puzzle is doing something where people can come to the shop, check out local bands and find out new music.

“Our vision is to create a hub for music...having all these elements will help us deliver so much more for this community”.

The 1975 Sunbury Festival.

The crowd makes some noise at the 1975 Sunbury Festival.

Sunbury famously hosted Australia’s answer to Woodstock in the 1970s, an event which featured the likes of Billy Thorpe, Skyhooks, Queen — who were infamously booed off the stage — and Daddy Cool.

ARIA award winner Reece Mastin is among the high profile regulars who use the Sunbury recording studio.

Last weekend the studio hosted an event to raise money for the shop which attracted 11 local acts and more than 200 fans, raising more than $4000.

A GoFundMe page was also launched to help raise funds.

Jacob Petrossian, who regularly performs at the space, said the community’s support for a shop has motivated the team to pursue this dream.

“The community showed at the weekend that there is that support, it was a really good day,” he said.

“You do notice that there is that gap in purchasing music products. It started as an accessory based question from people forgetting a guitar strap and things like that and then it grew into this bigger question”.