What happened to the Sydney Trade Union Club? 1980's Rock Music Venue
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ส.ค. 2022
- #sydneymusic #rockhistory #livemusic
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The Sydney Trade Union Club in the 1980s used to host lots of great Australian bands. I check out what it looks like now and go down memory lane with some history of the bands that used to play there
Thanks and credit for my research to the following
/ 6492267538
/ tobyzoates - เพลง
I saw a plethora of Sydney 'grunge' bands there in the mid to late 80s before moving to London and then the US... the Moffs (more 60s psychedelic), any/many of the Tex Perkins acts, Southern Fried Kidneys (whatever happened to them?), the Hard-Ons, etc... and there were overseas touring acts like Tav Falco (Panther Burns), the band with Kid Congo Powers (of the Gun Club) and Patricia Morrison (Gun Club, Sisters of Mercy), etc... good times, surrounded by good people. Everyone has long since scattered. I ended up living over the road from Dave Vanian (the goth-looking singer from The Damned) in North London. He split from his wife Laurie and hooked up with Patty (Patricia Morrison), who joined the Sisters of Mercy at Andrew Eldritch's request. I used to go to Sisters gigs, but Eldritch by this time resided in Germany, so seeing him live was a rarity.
Paul Kidney still touring.
Melbourne Bitter was the beverage of choice, never saw it at any other venue!
Well done! They were the best free times, no angry. Thankyou xx
Cheers, Agree...seems like such a different era ...simple times. Thanks for the support
Myself and friends went nearly every weekend, saw so many bands such great times. Died Pretty were a favourite. Ron used to go off! Box the Jesuit very memorable. Louis Tillet , Plus great people! All types. Punks , New Romantics, goths, hippies. If those walls could talk. You could be side by side watching a band with TexPerkins, or Peno. ..
Great to hear. Glad u enjoyed the vlog👌🤘
Excellent. Thanks for uploading this. Saw so many bands there in the early 80s as well as playing there about 4 times. It was very sad to see it go. Another landmark and part of Sydney’s history gone forever.
Thanks. It sounds like it was a really fun place. There were so many great bands in Australia that may not have achieved "commercial" success but gee they were amazing. I saw a lot in the late 80s and 90s
Very sad the developers didn t have any musical taste or interest. Such a shame it was never renovated and developed.
@@Gioia67 The venues will always say that having bands could never bring in income like the pokies . Blow up the pokies !!
I lived 2 streets down from the Tradie,seen a lot of great bands there in the 80s. 👍
Very cool!
I had great times there.
Memorable gigs were The Triffids, (first trip over from WA)
The excellent - Wet Taxis and
the wonderful- Sekret Sekret
Thanks for sharing ✌️😊
Good work, very interesting. Its amazing the musical history some of these old pieces of land have. Memories from our lost youth! I was a westie, I saw lots of bands in the 1980's at - Sefton Hotel, Comb & Cutter hotel, The Family Inn, Parramatta Leagues club and War & Peace just to name a few... Great times.
Hey fellow westie. Many a night at the RSLs that put on bands..I even saw INXS at Temptations in Mt Druitt during their peak! 1993. Amazing era 👏@TheAuthority
@@Gioia67 I loved going to Temptations, one of the best venues in the western suburbs of Sydney.
Cheers for the video. l was born in 9/1961 and started slipping into venues in 78 and 79.
l saw many bands of the time in local Western suburban hotels and we used to venture into the city too. l was always with my older brother and his mates so l didn't have any trouble getting into venues. The STUC was one we used to go to near the end of the night because it was usually still kicking . My High School friend was in the Bedhogs and later Allniters , still is. My most memorable night at the Stuc was seeing JIM AITKINS ( BEDHOGS / KELPIES ) there one night. All in black leather he dived off the stage and started writhing all over the dancefloor on his back with mic in hand... fantastic ! ln 1979 l was finally legal and had a regular pay packet so going out increased . The Rock Garden, Bondi Lifesaver , The Muso's club , Selina's . Anywhere there was a good gig , North South East and usually starting in the West . Two , three and sometimes four venues in one night. As you said , you could see bands every night of the week in the late 70s early 80s. We had a mad time !
Amazing era. I'll be doing more old live music venues soon , like Selinas. Stay tuned. Thanks for the feedback. Always great hearing stories like this 👌
@@Gioia67 Selina's was cool , l have a cool story about The MODELS at Selina's
I also went to all.those venues you mentioned you would remember Jim Atkins died of cancer a few years ago in the northern territory sadly he had problems even in those days had to have chemo every now & then thats 1 reason why he kept his head shaved or short hair I went to all those venues even the Narrabeen Hotel sometimes I lived in Sofia st behind the trade union in a terrace house in those days you would remember Chris Cross aka Chris Tom's the bass player he also passed in 2017 and Mark Eastern and the Candy Harlots also and heaps of bands besides great venue and great memories
I don't know those folk ..except Mark Easton. Saw Candy Harlots a lot. Thanks for the feedback. Great to hear from people who are enjoying my vlogs 😊
Saw The Sparklers there, around 86. My one & only attendance. I remember being impressed by the size, 3 levels.
Yes huge place Cheers
Level 1 also had bands on a Friday and Saturday nights. Very hazy memories say they started late. I often rolled down the hill with mates after gigs at the Hopetoun.
The ground floor also had full-sized snooker tables free for the use of members. You had to collect the balls from the first floor bar and leave a deposit.
I saw many bands there between 1980 and 1983. Virtually every weekend. The Birthday Party, John Cooper Clarke, Spy vs Spy, Pel Mel, The Triffids, The Riptides, the Go-Betweens, Laughing Clowns... could go on all day..
Fantastic. What an era.
Chris Bailey did a few gigs of covers on the second floor
Thanks for the trip down memory lane #Gioia ... I really appreciate you making and sharing this
I absolutely remember seeing the Triffids, The Stems, The Hard-ons, Died Pretty, Spy V Spy, Psychotic Turnbuckles, The Johnnys, Exploding White Mice, lipstick killers, Lime Spiders, Birthday Party, Beasts of Bourbon, The Sunny Boys, very early INXS and The Hoodoo's, The Scientists, Hunters & Collectors, and the list goes on. Remember going both nights to see the Dead Kennedys, I remember seeing The Cramps but I think that might a been at Coogee Bay Hotel. Anyway You've certainly brought back some amazing memories for me .... THANK YOU ❤
The tradies was such an awesome venue to see some amazing local bands back in early to mid 1980's. Different bands playing on the mid & top levels and grog and pokies on the bottom. The pub band scene was AMAZING in that time, kids of today really miss out ... there is just nothing like it these days.
The week would start when the GIG GUIDE came out in the paper (Thats a news paper for the youngsters) I think it was Wednesdays paper it would come out in ... Get that sucker out .... see who is playing where & then plan your Friday, Sat, Sun nights. So much fun and some incredible bands you'd go and see with crowds in the hundreds (not the thousands like today) ... Pay your $3 at the door to squeeze in with a few hundred other people crammed into the these venues, the atmosphere was electric. Great memories :) ❤
I bought the papers religiously and would plan my week.
Another regular place to visit in the late 70s early 80s after several drinks at the White Horse in surry hills,the good old days
Thank you for the memories....so much of Sydney's great music venues are gone forever. Very sad
Glad u enjoyed it. Very true Honestly don't think it will ever happen again with SO many venues
Off topic, the KISS t-shirt suits you. Thanks for your series of videos regarding music venues in Sydney. Wasn't part if it however it's very interesting to hear and see these stories. Much thanks. 🤘
Thank you. I agree regards interesting. It's a wonderful time and place that needs to be documented and shown off
Saw the Angels there twice around 1982/83. Jim Hilbun had only just started playing in the band.
Good stuff. I saw a few gigs there in the mid 80s as i lived in a warehouse just up the road.. Sydney bands were seriously going off then but one of the best acts i saw was John Cale solo. His Heartbreak Hotel is hardwired into my brain. And he did again the next night! Brilliant.
Fantastic. So good to hear stories like this. Thanks ☺️
Im loving your series! My weekends were just full of checking out the Drum Media to see who was playing around Sydney and I lived in Mona Vale and used to catch the bus to wherever, I went here many many times TISM, Celebate Rifles viviv memories of, also went to Selinas at Coogee Bay twice in a row (that's a long way from Mona Vale by public transport) to see Hunters and Collectors!
Yes I did the same ...On The Street newspaper too and the Green gig guide inside the Daily Telegraph. Spoilt for choice we were ! ✌️🤩
Thanks for the upload. It really takes me back.
You're welcome. They're so much fun. I'm doing quite a lot of them lately 🤘✌️
Welcome. It's a real treat seeing so many people are enjoying it. Cheers ✌️
I was a backpacker from overseas, and worked in the bar 1987. My brush with fame. The other girls behind the bar went "crazy" when I served a person who ordered a lot of drinks.... Girls: "do you know who you're serving!!?" Me: "huh?"... it was Michael Hutchence, INXS. At the time, a young girl from Sweden, I had no clue. It certainly was an interesting place to work at.
One of my favourite venues, saw the Riptides there numerous times, they were brilliant.
I remember playing here in '83 the band I was in supported John Cooper Clarke great venue!
I was there that night! JCC is still going strong and as sharp as ever. Last saw him 6-7 yrs ago in Brighton, UK.
@@RebelRebelious I'll tell you a little story about that night, We weren't allowed backstage 15 mins before he went on as that's when he was shooting up.
@@austake I can well believe it. He had bad addiction issues around that era. A few years later I was at a gig of his which waa cancelled at the last minute as he was a no show. The local promoter took a call from his minder, saying he was 'unwell' and not able to perform that evening.
I remember those days, with the top floor for main bands & 2nd floor, for I guess lesser known . There was food carts outside for LATE night snacks. And now I think, it was a place with multiple bands on one night eg The Go Between's came on about 1 am!
The place was, like a few places, not the safest & changes for fire guidelines meant......
I spent more time, even played a couple of times, down the Road, at the Excelsior Hotel [64] which had plenty of bands in its day. The building is there, but is a Mexican restaurant!.
Yo, what a trip down memory lane. As a trumpet player I played there many a time in the 80's. The thing that set the TRC apart was that ANYONE of any style could get a gig there. Jazz, World Music, Punk, Rock, you name it. It was totally unpretentious. The room was BIG and the PA system really good compared to many other venues of the day. Best of all I never saw any "agro" there, everyone was cool and just out for a good time with live music.....OH BOY, those were the days...
Thanks !
Pete
Thanks for the feedback. What a fabulous place to have attended. I only wish I had been older and lived nearer! Cheers
Doc Marten boots were banned for a while there though to keep out Oi skins.
Oh wow. A trip down memory lane! Recall seeing John Cooper Clarke, No Fixed Address and Mental as Anything at the Trade Union Club. I'm sure I must have gone there more than three times, but ageing memory fade and excess hedonism of those years! I believe (?) they started doing live music there 1981-ish. The Lifesaver and Astra at Bondi had closed by then so the TU filled a venue void. Remember after some gigs, leaving early hours and into the journalists club down the hill by central station. It had a 24/7 licence!
I can see the old hotdog guy out there now if I squint. The Trade Union closed and opened up again for a short period. It was three floors, second floor was arty film stuff, first floor was free, third floor was paying bands and everybody used to hang out when other venues closed. We were very young and asked to leave once for playing in the elevators. Sometimes we were only there because it was open and we had missed the last train home out to the western suburbs. I went to Sedition and saw Died Pretty in their very early days. We called it the Trendy Onion and it was a bit of a scene but ... we missed it when it was gone.
Hi Gioia, visited the Tradies often. Great venue. First floor, punks with super glued hair spikes playing poker machines, very surreal. Second floor, Jay & the Brazilian Cockroaches, later known as the Wiggles. Third floor very, very loud rock. Saw a band there called Flowers. They had the same name as another band at the time. The second decided to change their name to Icehouse. So there you go.
Awesome. Thanks for the support
@@Gioia67 Hi Gioia, here is a place I don’t think you have covered. Do you remember “Soup Plus” in George street Sydney. This was a great place for food, and soup, and music. They had a lot of jazz groups but also a verity of other music. It was a fabulous place in a basement on the west side of George street down toward Martin Place. Cheers, Neil.
I do remember that . I'll consider that one too. Thanks for the tip 👍
Best times
Mods OK ↗
First floor, I recall
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.
A great venue, it really was Cheers
The Peno/Lovelock AC/DC duet was a New Years Ever show. 1986 i reckon.
I lived in Surry Hills around 1974 and worked as a barman at the STUC. Good memories of those times. I worked the top floor on cabaret night where an octogenarian with an atrocious singing voice usually hogged the mic. On one occasion I tipped the contents of a 'Fluffy Duck' down the blouse of the wife of the Communist Party leader. Shout out to Norm the inebriate, Merv, Marie and Fina et al.
🇬🇧 Hey there, i was wondering if you could tell me if a couple of friends i knew well in the late 1960s early 70s ever played in any bands ( probs in the 1970s)
I used to live in Rose Bay, Edgecliffe in those days with my parents
We were from Britain & my father was responsible for setting up branches of his company in the Australian & N Zealand & New Guinea
So we lived there for about 6 or 7 yrs
On our voyage by sea from UK to Sydney my mum made friends with quite the Sydney Socialite who was returning home after a sojourn in London
Her & her son ( my age, then at 12yrs) became our very good friends & the reason we settled in Edgeware because they lived there,
My friends brother was called
Andrew Johnson & at that time played drums ( he was 16 or 17yrs then) he was determined to become famous in a rock band & had started his own sort of session musicians
My friend Tom also wanted to sing in a band, even at 12yrs he had a gravelly voice
So all i really wanted to know was if either of the Johnson Brothers Andrew & Thomas ever made it into a band ??
Id lost touch with them both after returning to Britain with mum & dad
I did however find out another friend called Andrew Sharp became quite a well known actor in Sydney.
I actually saw a film he was in about the lifestory of a famous designer of women's undergarmets ie bra's & corsets in the 30s or 40s!
Lol an odd theme for a film,
A friend did send me a couple of
News clippings showing Andrew Sharp out & about in the Sydney scene
He was wierdly given the name
Andrew " squirrel " Sharp in the photos.... hmm
Well he was actually my 1st boyfriend at 14/15 but it was so very innocent then.
Andrew Sharps brother was artist Martin Sharp & together with Richard Neville of OZ magazine & subsequent indecency in print ie the OZ mag
Were taken to trial in London & jailed!!!
Martin Sharp evaded being intangled as hed left to return to Sydney months prior.
Funny old world!
However if anyone does know if either of my 2 friends, Andrew & Thomas Johnson of Edgecliffe/
Rose Bay, ever made it into a rock band???
Thank you, ive enjoyed these videos from a brilliant era of rock music at unforgettable venues!
I doubt id recognise Sydney today
Regards & good cheer
🇬🇧👧
Sorry not sure if I can help. I'll have a look and see if anyone knows
You could search Discogs
There was a singer in an Australian band called “box of fish” there may be photos or a Facebook page
Saw the Dead Kennedys there in August 83. Best gig ever.
Aaah...l thought it was 84.... great gig!!
I saw the Dead Kennedys there too. Had fake ID as I was only 15.
SunnyBoys
Great band
DKs in 84(?)...
Yes probably Cheers
No mention of The Sunnyboys? Im pretty sure The Lime Spiders would have played there as well. My mates and I used to travel from Wollongong to Sydney almost weekly to see gigs. Definitely saw the Rifles and Died Pretty there.
Yes lots and lots of bands I probably missed - too many to mention 😜
Try the lift upstairs , what a cram . Played the Cross and Surry Hills in the early 80's saw Grong Grong most notably with the Gurus at the Trade.
Grong Grong!!
Fukme mate!!
Great band!!
@@baabaabaa-yp2jh The pride of S.A along with Mark of Cain and most recently Hidden Intent.
Great content Gio . I think to continue with these videos You should get interviews with some of the band members who played at all these venues and ask them .Fave Sydney venue . Get them to tell you a few stories . Reach out . I am sure they would love to chat about the glory days .
Definitely on the cards. This video has outperformed the others regards views in such a short time from upload. A popular venue it appears.