Crystal Ballroom St Kilda - Melbourne's Punk Scene 1978 to 1987

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The Crystal Ballroom/Seaview Ballroom located inside The George Hotel, St Kilda, was an iconic live music venue from about 1978 to the mid 80s. Dolores San Miguel and others like Laurie Richards and Nigel Rennard all booked a diverse range of early punk, post punk and rock bands such as The Models, The Boys Next Door, Primitive Calculators, The Go Betweens and many more. Enjoy a trip down memory lane with tales and images of those who were there during this unique period in Australia's musical history.
For a more comprehensive guide to the ballroom, I recommend a website by Melynda Von Wayward called
www.punkjourney.com/
Credit must go to the Facebook group "I got drunk at the Crystal Ballroom" and various other websites, podcasts, and print media for information and images.
Books that you might enjoy include:
The Ballroom by Dolore San Miguel
Inner city Sound by Clinton Walker
Boy on Fire by Mark Mordue
Punkline 1980 video • Punkline - A short-fil...
www.philipbrophy.com/
www.clintonwalker.com.au/
Do That Dance ABC Post Punk Show Part 1 and Part 2
www.abc.net.au/radionational/...
www.gatherer.media/current-pr...
Like and subscribe if you enjoyed this vlog. Thanks for watching. 😎

[@Johnny_Ayers]

I saw my first punk gig at the Seaview Ballroom in 1987 as a 17 year old. The bands that played were Arm the Insane, STP, and No Control. My mate Snoz kept urging me to join in the slam dancing, and I kept saying "in a minute", eventually he put his arm around me and dragged me into it and i had a great time. I never hesitated to dive into the slamming again.

[@DogInSpace]

Thank you very much for doing this. It was a fascinating trip down memory lane. I was a regular and I saw all the bands up-and-coming. I also saw horrible things that I won't disclose. This is something I shared with my daughter who doesn't quite understand what it was like back then. Cheers..

[@Gioia67]

Cheers Hope I did a good job as I live in Sydney and also it was kind of outside my age bracket I left school end of 1985

[@DogInSpace]

@@Gioia67 I left school sometime in the 70's, and did get myself caught up with the whole Ballroom crowd. You probably would have found this video useful: *1980 Music around us - New Wave [ complete ]* It has interviews with Ballroom people including Beau Lazenby - the mother of Nick Cave's late son, Jethro. She's a big Boys Next Door fan, which is pretty ominus knowing what it's all led to...

[@KB-os6lh]

One of my favourite gigs there was The Cure back in 1981. Too many others to mention.

[@Gioia67]

Wow How unreal 👏🏼👏🏼😃😃

[@glamnesianouveaux2039]

This is SO brilliant!!!! ... I have a documentary on The Crystal Ballroom from 1979/1980. And 2 years ago, I actually was a guest DJ for The Mavis's at where The Crystal Ballroom once was. It was a thrill to DJ there. Such an amazing scene x Thanks for this!

[@orestetoffoli2063]

I treasure my old photos and memories of the Sick Things.best times

[@Gioia67]

Cheers, thanks for the support

[@douglasbanks3318]

Been there as well, doing lights for Mushroom records all around Melb into the early 80s ,same in Sydney

[@Gioia67]

You got around lol Great era 👏

[@douglasbanks3318]

@@Gioia67 Sure did .I look back now and think i was a very privileged young man to have witness so many great Aussie Bands at many great Venues in Melb and Sydney also a member of the Melb Debonaires group who has a Luncheon every month ,always catch up with Famous Aussie Artists from the 70s and 80s ,also some live acts as well during the Lunch .

[@mwooly1]

I was just thinking you could write a book about all the venues/bands I would definitely buy one

[@Gioia67]

Great idea!!!

[@DaddyDepression]

Your becoming important. Keep going, love ya work, your editing is getting really sharp too.😉👍

[@Gioia67]

Thank you so much 😁

[@gutless1108]

H&C's with drainpipe drums & it was awesome! Church & Dragon were great - Graham was hands on!

[@ewanmcalpine2393]

What about there gas cylinder ??

[@maryburke5423]

@@ewanmcalpine2393they were brilliant then

[@user-vv8xs8bz1r]

The Seaview had four "last-ever" gigs and l was at the second of those. It was pretty scary for a 16 yr old but l was involved in the funniest drug deal of my life outside afterwards.

[@SabracadabrO]

Aah,miss the sticky carpet & Ultramegahardcorethrashpunk nights..🤘🏻

[@jamesb6716]

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

[@Gioia67]

@jamesb6716 they were very much influenced by punk though ...listening to sone of the music I can hear loud and fast.....a lot of punk was also rubbish lol

[@user-hj7zh9re6b]

I lived in nth Fitzroy 77,78,79 & there was no local punk new wave band scene, it was all centred around Seaview & the Tiger room in Richmond. The whole area was in decline, large tracts of Brunswick & Smith St were boarded up. The hippie scene was groaning through a slow death and there was outright hostility towards punks from all sides. First time I saw boys next door was at Preston institute of technology art school. Nick Cave was in bodgie revival mode including moccas & cardigan plus bottle-blond widgie on his arm.They were definitely the outstanding act of that period.

[@Gioia67]

Great time to be around 👌👏👏

[@markhowie6564]

Nice bit of nostalgia for me - thanks. I used to drag my friends from the outer east on the long trek in to see whatever bands I was into...bit of a blur now...but recall some great Gravies gigs - with the vice squad as support! - and followed the corpse grinders around a bit...we were pretty clueless though - went to see the Birthday Party but missed them as we had no idea there was an upstairs...er...ballroom!...first band I actually saw upstairs was X...did catch the BP later...and am sure I saw The Fall there...and believe me when I say it was easier to be into the punk scene in the city than it was in the suburbs...

[@ewanmcalpine2393]

WHAT - No mention of The Chosen Few , many gigs there . Lugging all the gear up th FN stairs . Thanks for a Great vid.

[@Gioia67]

Yeh I’m sure I missed a heap of bands Chosen few were great

[@James-wj8eq]

Great vlog! Thanks Gioia for your dedication creating informative, fun viewing for us!

[@Gioia67]

Thank u. Much appreciated👌👌👌

[@mstarprincess1379]

I think ice house used to be known as flowers too

[@Gioia67]

Correct 👍

[@professornuke7562]

By the mid 1990's a lot of that North v South stuff seemed to have dissipated, though it was still around. Tony "Bonehead" Shaw (Corpse Grinders / INNTOXICA/ Exotics) once told me "nothing good happens North of the river", which was odd as we were playing in Brunswick that day. The Psychobilly scene really helped spread things around, because Fireballs seemed to play everywhere.

[@markallen6543]

I remember people making giant sandwichs , big platers of straz and buttered bread. Even the cops would come in and have some. Great times, long in the past. Cheers.

[@Gioia67]

Thanks 😊

[@robynsullivan427]

I did that. It was a free feed 😂

[@mstarprincess1379]

Please cover the Windsor, revolver and viper room if you can 🙏

[@Gioia67]

Cheers 🍻

[@shadowmullus294]

Iggy Pop wasn't just swinging from the light rig, he was trying to kick it down while hanging from it. He was hanging from the cross beam and was kicking the right side struts holding it up. He was nuts. It was near the end of his drug taking days. Next time I saw him he had sobered up. Even said hello to him after the gig in the band room, which you could just walk into. He was very friendly.

[@Gioia67]

Wow Very interesting ☺️ thanks for the support

[@warrenpitt6205]

Any mention of Laurie Richards?

[@Gioia67]

In other vlogs, yes

[@mollyjenkins1702]

Hey Gioia! Love this video. I'm researching for a segment on Whirlywirld, a band that emerged in the late 70's/80's in Melbourne. They played a prominent gig here at the Crystal Ballroom. I'd love to interview you as part of this project to add context around the venue and the scene! Let me know if you'd be interested :)

[@Gioia67]

Hi. I'll be honest , I'm probably not the best person to interview for this. Thanks for considering me. My knowledge is limited as I'm not from Melbourne and never attended the Ballroom nor any WW gigs .... Cheers 👌👌

[@gabriellecunningham7196]

Friends of mine recorded Whirlyworld bitd.

[@Occult_Gibbet]

10:12 - THAT'S YOU KIRT !!!

[@Gioia67]

lol Cheers

[@jpracing6913]

It's a shame that you didn't do a little more research regarding the part that Laurie Richards played in the success of the Seaview Ballroom and included it in this video. I'm disappointed about that.! Laurie's legacy needs to be upheld. May he rest in peace.

[@Gioia67]

Quite honestly including more narrative makes the vlog too long. I wanted to shine a light on Dolores for her invaluable contribution and the fact that she started the ball rolling. Laurie prob needs a vlog on his own as he sounds like a very prominent figure in Melb. I'll consider a separate vlog on Laurie tbh..its a great idea. Hope you enjoyed the vlog. I😃👍👌

[@mareehercules1676]

I can tell you stories about the ballroom.mumma Herculues.?

[@mareehercules1676]

Christian conlly.or Hercules

[@Gioia67]

No idea sorry I'm from NSW lol

[@warrenpitt6205]

Is Dorian Gray worth a mention?

[@Gioia67]

of course, so many musicians played here Cheers

[@gabriellecunningham7196]

"The Dark Side of Melbourne". Hahaha Tourists.

[@Gioia67]

It was a Melb person who described it like that lol

[@mareehercules1676]

Lufuem pommy

[@Gioia67]

cheers