Special time special place thanx for the memories and all the best Gioia.

I remember playing at the Playroom in the early 90's. Great memories and thanks for the reminisce Gioia

Saw The Party Boys with Angry Anderson

Sweethearts was just out of my sweet spot for "Raging" 😂, but I did get the tail end of Caringbah (Coyotes), which you did great justice. Well Done.

It went the way of the revolution....they all got stoned and drifted away.......?????

This just popped up on my feed. Me just being in 20s you just have to appreciate old school. And way you speak is so smooth so thanks for the little education 😎 subbed and liked

Thanks 🙏 for bringing back some fantastic memories of touring QLD and the rest of the country with my brother Rigger and he’s crew as a roadie in the 80’s fun times indeed

Great recording of history. Well done.

Saw AC/DC in my high school gym at Granny Boys ................cost us 60c and they only played 3-4 songs before the headmaster came in and stopped the show, noise complaints from the neighbors. AC?DC for 60c.................unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤟

When ever we toured we played there, was a great venue.

I was a playroom gal, thankyou so much for this footage

You still have those unmistakable pipes James 👍 If I ever see you out and about… I owe you a beer I remember one night in the early 1980s Upstairs in the Governor’s Pleasure I think it was Mi Sex playing that night You were standing in the bar area with an army of female admirers surrounding you I deliberately bumped into you I was only a kid maybe 16 years old Was trying to knock you down a peg or two as thought you thought the son shined out your you know what ! Young and stupid my actions were So .. A Nice cold beer for you one day James My shout mate And I promise not to spill it on you ! 🍺

Wow!! You have brought back some great Playroom ,Jet Club, Bombay Rock. You are a champion, thank you so much.

☝️ great part of rocknroll history 🙏❤️ thanks very much for putting it on the record 👍🏻

I think the main reason the pub rock scene died off was gentrification and changing tastes. Pub Rock was a working-class man's (and girls) thing. Pubs became cleaner, the fans grew up, and the new kids liked electronic music leading to the rise of DJs and nightclubs. No new bands were coming along, and the new music was different. Pokies had some effect, also the rise of gastropubs that served food, Responsible Service of Alcohol laws, Random Breath-Testing etc There were a lot of factors.

I've still got a photo of me wearing a Sweethearts T-shirt from about 1985. I got when I was there to see The Radiators (The Rads).

I saw The Sweet there, that was a bizarre experience lol.

I actually worked in the Harry Sidler building at Milson's Point for an IT company, and about every 15 minutes the rollercoaster used to fly by with screaming people about 5 metres from the window every 15 minutes. It was insane when I started there, but soon I forgot about it. Harry's penthouse apartment was upstairs obviously.

Thanks for a great insight into The Playroom, some of its history, bands and performers, much loved by most Gold Coasters over the years. Brings back great memories. Even had the pleasure of playing there myself a number of times.

Sydney Pub Rock in the 80s was the School of Hard Knocks. You had to be good, or no one showed up.

Very well done. Really value and appreciate you creatively capturing Australian musical history. There has been monumental talent in this country that has not been actively promoted. Great talent has its day and quickly gets minimalised by those in the music industry interested in the next quick buck. Together with the regulated, monopolised control that closed so many classic venues. A carpark - insane. What you are doing has highly significant value for Australian music history/entertainment and culture. Thanks very much.

Another great one Gioia. Its weird cos your shows such as this put me in two minds. 1: Melancholy and happy to see such great vids and to know I have seen these places and bands. 2: Angry and sad that these places were shut or pulled down cos of beurocratic bullshit

One of the first albums I bought was Avion, I LOVED the band. I went to that concert at Lidcombe Oval. Used to go to watch bands at Caringbah all the time, and lots of other venues.

The Jet Club was another haunt I frequently slithered around, back in the day.

Unrelated but I just remembered another place we used to see bands - The Harbord Diggers otherwise known as The Harbord Hilton. A guy gave me a joint there one time and I was so stoned I went outside for a lie down in the garden. I woke up in the garden at 9am the next morning!

I can remember seeing Cold Chisel, amongst lots of others in there and that was one of the most out of control gigs I've ever been to. The Playroom was packed to the gills, Chisel were on fire, and the owner, I think her name was Beryl, was on stage with them and some lewd and crude acts were in progress. A night to remember.

I was basically a Rads groupie from about 1982-1986. Saw them about 50 or more times all over Sydney. If they were on, we jumped in the car and went. I never saw them at Blacktown, but I saw them at Sweethearts in Cabramatta several times. It was rough, the bikies drank they. One time something happened in the car park, and someone was shot! We came out after the band finished and there was blood all over the place and cops screaming into the car park with sirens blaring. Good times!

Back in the days of Grundy's Family Entertaniment Centre !

Yep, I saw Bon Jovi (1986) there, also Phil Collins, Robert Plant and The Honeydrippers, who also played Stairway to Heaven which was gold. I saw the Queen - Works concert there. A friend did screen printing, and I designed some T-shirts with the QUEEN writing in black with a red lightning bolt through it. We all wore them and had loads of inquiries about where people could buy them, could've sold hundreds if we'd thought it about, but we just made 5 for us. The last thing I saw there was the Volleyball during the Sydney Olympics.

The other mid-late 80s places I used to go to see bands were St George Sailing Club, Sweethearts at Cabramatta, Selinas at Coogee Bay Hotel, Dee Why Tavern, others I'm forgetting. My mate's girlfriend didn't drink so she was our designated driver, and we'd get her to drive us all over Sydney, mostly wherever The Radiators were on, but also Johnny Diesel and others. I hated The All Nighters lol and sometimes they were on the ticket and I'd spend the whole time whingeing haha.

Oh shit, I LOVED Avion, I had their album on vinyl. The purple and silver one. Had The Expression album too. I went to a concert at Lidcombe Oval and I'm pretty sure it was called 5 bands for 5 Bucks, and Triple M sponsored it. From memory, The Angels were the headliners, I remember Doc Neeson dressed in black with his red scarf and he climbed up to the top of the massive speaker stack next to the stage. Great concert. I saw Johnny Diesel and the Injectors at Caringbah in 1986. I still remember because I played football that day and I was sore as shit, I could barely lift my drink up haha.

I never ventured over the border of NSW to see live music As Sydney pretty much wore the crown in the golden Era. And bands from all of Australia … North,south,east,and west knew that to make it,Sydney was the career launching pad for success and the door way to overseas However venues like the Playroom were integral in the national live music landscape and each state had its own great venues such as the Playroom Thank you Gioia for another wonderful and memorable video of the history of Australian music venues,they are always great to watch You have a gift ! Keep them coming Happy days

I saw the Radiators there multiple times.

I used to go to Tradie's on Saturday mornings sometimes around 1993 after I left Sugar Reef and I still "wasn't tired" if you get what I mean. All the party animals used to pile in their, plus Gays and Trannies. It was a wild place.

Great video. I lived in Villawood and went to sweethearts many times, i saw many of the bands you mentioned. the 80s was agreat period for Live music. we witnessed history actually. i saw canned Heat there

When I saw inxs there they played david Bowie and rolling stones songs in the play list and once the girl from the numbers had full on argument with a guy when they were finished and just having drinks saw the radiators there so many times good work on the pubs that use to play music 👍

I'm so very sad about the destruction of Sydney's culture. Now everything has to be squeaky clean with sniffer dogs running around. The Cross was grimy, gritty and real, no bullshit, a great place.

My sister-law told me a story about Frenchs, apparently a band that wasn't well known called "Midnight Oil" was playing and there were about 50 people there, who didn't like them much. She was chatting to her friend and Peter Garrett lost his shit and started abusing her for "not listening to the band, if you don't like it, leave". Hilarious.

It's hard to believe Sydney's cultural heart was destroyed, just like that. Very sad. I used to go to Sugareef from about 93-99. Yes that is Sugareef. I had my 30th birthday there in 1996. Kardomah was just a concrete floor lol. Used to go to Bennys sometimes after. I grew up on Aussie rock then stumbled into "Doof doof" as you say, and I loved it.

I had so much fun up the Cross, never felt in danger, no sniffer dogs or bullshit, just kids going out on a Saturday Night for a bit of fun. So glad I enjoyed it in the 90s, before the govt nannies destroyed it.

The boys next door and all related bands at the time hated punk, I don’t recall punk really having much popularity in Melbourne until 82-83

great trip down memory lane for me spent a lot of time there , saw some awesome gigs at that pub, few stories can't be told

I dont buy the pokie killed music narrative. The music died, it was good for a while, then wore off like pop art does, and people didnt want to go because the music wasnt that good anymore. And nightclubbing became the thing, with records playing. The 80s was just a good period for aus pub rock and all good things come to an end

My father, Jack Benson, RIP, used to manage Caringbah inn, this was around 1973-76, had my 21st birthday in the bar waiting to pick up the booze for said party,needless to say the party started way early, pub rock was alive and kicking back then

Seen the HARD ONS at Sydney Cove Tavern.

Tracks Epping Electric ballroom Ermington all these clubs bring back priceless memories .Big thanks for the vidoes long live aussie pubs.

Stallions /General Bourke/KCS cannonball/Collectors Tavern/Vauxal Inn/Tivoli/Reevsby Roundhouse/Tiffanys Blactown/St James Tavern

If u need help I could help u with some clubs in the western suburbs.

R U still making videos of clubs?

Bombay rock,surfers.