What happened to the Comb & Cutter Hotel Blacktown Rock Music Venue. AKA The Curb & Gutter

#australianmusic #pubrock#livemusic
Find out what happened to the popular Comb and Cutter live music venue in Blacktown NSW. Relive the glory days of the Golden era of Australian rock'n'roll. Bands such as The Radiators, The Angels, Jimmy and The Boys etc. Check out the story behind the song Mr Damage.Lots of images of a bygone era that will have u enjoying a trip down memory lane.

[@robertbyrne5901]

you are bringing back some great memories, from The Cure to Norman Gunston some happy days were had there, thank you, loving your work

[@Gioia67]

Cheers Thanks for the support 👌😜✌️

[@kitchendezina]

The 'Curb & Gutter' was located on Kildare Rd, Blacktown. Bands played at the very rear of the building. I saw The Angels and The Radiators many times there. There was a traffic light system installed on the ceiling to monitor sound levels. When it hit red, all power to the band was cut!. After the gig you could always rely on the hotdog man with his cart, serving hotdogs to patrons at the front of the venue. Great times :)

[@Gioia67]

How funny!

[@theaussiebackflipboy]

Fast forward to the 2000s - can't see a live band in a pub/club because the poker machines have taken over and the nimbys hate having their dinner parties ruined by live bands doing their thing at the local.

[@frontman62]

Very good thanks brings back great memories the Sydney live music scene will never return to that magic..😢

[@sadzsadzy5897]

Robert Smith playing pool and having a beer in the front bar before the Cure gig.

[@rodhmu]

This was the glorious age of OZ rock, late 70s early to mid 80s. Every night of the week you could see live music throughout Sydney.

[@user-cz8pm9fo8j]

The Telegraph had the gig guide with bands everywhere everyday of the week

[@arttyboo5923]

the rooty hill rsl got some good bands in the 80,s

[@regfries8279]

I was informed by a reliable source that the Cure played at the Gutter in 1981, and scenes were tense.

[@Gioia67]

I believe that Wow Very cool 👌

[@kellyswoodyard]

I worked for a number of bands back in the day, and if I saw the Curb and Gutter on the work sheet, it gave you good reason for concern. It could be a really dangerous place.

[@Gioia67]

Yep. Rough as guts lol

[@DavidCunningham-dj5ck]

As a young police police officer attached to Blacktown my first night shift in the job involved attending the carpark at the Comb and Cutter (it had changed it's name but I always referred to it as the Com and Cutter) for an all-in brawl. There were literally one hundred people punching on in the carpark!!

[@Gioia67]

Idiots in every crowd unfortunately. And the publicans keen to continue selling drinks when cut off should have been a priority 🙃

[@peterryan6497]

The main reason these venues have all been shutdown, blokes turning into aggressive dickheads because they can't handle there booze, so thanks very much

[@hodaka1000]

​@@Gioia67 We hung there regularly for a few years I saw one fight there, it was a fight to remember with the underdog righteously defending his lady and whipping the much larger instigators arse

[@avanti797]

Great presentation on this legendary venue!

[@Gioia67]

Thank u !

[@aldunlop4622]

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!

[@Gioia67]

I was at heaps of gigs too , travelled with my girlfriends all over - the gig guide was our Bible LOL

[@kimenchantress46]

I remember this venue. I saw John English & the Foster Brothers there. Thank you for the memories xo

[@Gioia67]

Love Jon English. Thank u

[@garryryan5358]

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 👍

[@queenslander7756]

Comb and Cutter was one of many wonderful rock beer barns that constituted a circuit travelled by many 80’s bands. Most had “can bars” to facilitate faster service at the main bar. You could barely walk on the floor without stepping on empties strewn there by drunken punters.

[@Gioia67]

@@queenslander7756 I remember those can bars 😄 cheers✌️

[@queenslander7756]

@@Gioia67 ❤️👍🏼

[@ivgot1]

Also saw Pommie bands there too, saw "Boom Town Rats" and " The Vapours", they had to play that Song "Turning Japanese" about 5 times to please the crowd..😂😂

[@Gioia67]

Cool!

[@bigboyoz]

I saw the Radiators and Rob Riley,s( Rose Tattoo) Beast around 1983-84. Great gig ,rough place! Thanks 💋❤

[@aldunlop4622]

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!

[@Gioia67]

Didnt know they had bands there - Harbord is a beautiful spot...LOL Thats a funny story Cheers

[@SteveStokesCouselling]

Loved seeing live music there so many vague memories 😂

[@johnlancashire4821]

Used to go most Friday nights ..lots of fights ... but it seemed normal .. that was mainly the main bar, stayed away from there .we were stoners .. 'the piss heads ' were the fighters....really only liked where the bands played .. used to buy amazing acid there .. purple mazes .. had my first line of speed there as well . Was at most of the gigs you talked about and more .. D-Minor and the Discords were big there .. saw InXs maybe 15 people on the dance floor..my girlfriend and i had a bottle of amyl and were up and going off lol. xx

[@Gioia67]

Amyl😳🤣 stoners Pissheads . Goodness. The music 🎶 was enough for highs but I get it. Youth 😊

[@peterryan6497]

Lucky you didn't have a heart attack with amyl. That all that crap does

[@kenlawton1531]

Wow, great bit of history there. That's where we'd get our videos from in the early 80s. The video section was in the liquor barn. I also used to live across the street from Chris Tag the original drummer from the Rads....he still lives there in Love St.

[@grahambingham1649]

We went there pretty often in the early 80s because they always put on the best bands of the time and it wasn't far from us. l clearly remember seeing the SPY V SPY / ALLNITERS / INXS gig . That was a great night. l especially remember arriving , buying a beer and suddenly hearing SPY V SPY start playing . They had a huge sound for a 3 piece and Craig Bloxam's Bass and voice just boomed . l was really impressed !

[@Gioia67]

Spy's were amazing I agree! 👏

[@jasonjohnson1178]

Good work

[@Gioia67]

Thank you 😊

[@marekpodworski7835]

This is awesome

[@user-cz8pm9fo8j]

Sports ,Jimmy and the Boys no breath testing ….the good old days

[@Gioia67]

Yes indeedy, good ole days there were Cheers

[@kentgorrell]

As I recall the promoter was John Tag(Taglioni) the brother of Chris the Rad's drummer.

[@Gioia67]

Yes I'm sure thsts correct 👌👍

[@jamesw4895]

Saw chisel there many times.

[@ronmcfarlane]

The roof was really low and the DJ had to climb up a ladder into a box in the roof.

[@hodaka1000]

We called it The Curb and Gutter Search 160 known gigs of The Comb and Cutter Hotel

[@Gioia67]

Yes I mention that in the video 👌🤪

[@hodaka1000]

@@Gioia67 I found three old Comb and Cutter tickets recently and a Suzi Quatro ticket from one of the local clubs, maybe I've been out in the senile too long but I keep thinking I saw Suzi Quatro at the Cutter twice I haven't looked at all your videos but two other venues from the time worth mentioning are the 1983 Narara concert, and although it wasn't a music venue Big Chiefs restaurant on Parramatta Road Clyde When we weren't pubbing and clubbing we were at Big Chiefs

[@Gioia67]

Yes u might have as she played I'm so many clubs . It's unreal if u did.

[@Gioia67]

I've never heard of Big Chiefs ? Did it have another name?

[@hodaka1000]

@@Gioia67 Yeah nah, it was "Big Chief" Search Big Chief drive in restaurant Parramatta Road Clyde It was the hub of the Sydney car scene where the whole place would congregate on Sunday nights 🙏 Some of the best, although brief, footage of Big Chief is in the movie "FJ Holden" you'll find the movie on here All of Sydney would converge on Big Chief and then go to Brickies, Homebush Bay, for racing Australia in the seventies was like the US in the fifties with hot cars and the best music

[@ardnagreine]

Did AC/DC play there in the early days I wonder?

[@Gioia67]

No they didn't ✌️

[@holboroman]

Does anyone know if any barbershop quartets played there?

[@Gioia67]

Interesting. I haven't heard of tbis✌️

[@holboroman]

@@Gioia67 i was making a joke of the venue's name.........Comb and Cutter = barber shop!

[@Gioia67]

🤣🤣🤣

[@jamesw4895]

Shame how sydney has changed.