'70s Aussie Rock Band SKYHOOKS Shaped Oz Rock. 'BONGO' STARKIE tells all

In the mid '70s, the SKYHOOKS shook and shaped Australian rock almost as much as The Beatles and Elvis Presley. They basically gave the Australian music industry the enema it had been needing. For too long many Australian bands had spent hours copying their American and English cousins and songs about local culture were unheard of.  When Skyhooks burst onto the scene, they were cheeky, brash, colourful and wore makeup and costumes (long before Kiss were even conceived). Their irreverence and catchy tunes spoke cynically of local people and places, and they lit the fuse that put Australian bands back on the front covers of newspapers and Australian music on the shelves of record shops. They appeared on Australian tv on the first day of colour transmission, shocking the parents and becoming the pin up heroes for a generation. With a lead singer named Shirley, guitarist Red Symons who wore red satin and flicked his tongue at the masses and bassist and songwriter, Greg Macainsh sporting silver hair and long drop earrings, theatrics were a key feature that added another level to the electricity of the music. When it comes to classic Aussie rock acts, none is more revered than legendary Melbourne ensemble SKYHOOKS. The glam rockers combined melodic guitar riffs and a pub rock sensibility with relatable lyrics addressing drugs, sex and everyday life in a changing Australia throughout the ‘70s. The band boasts a delectable cocktail of chart-topping singles. They did more in seven years than most rock acts achieve in a lifetime. SKYHOOKS helped change the face of rock’n’roll in the 1970s with a string of Number One and Top 10 singles to their credit, as well as two of Australia’s biggest selling albums, ‘Living in the 70s’, and ‘Ego is Not A Dirty Word’. Joining me this week is Skyhooks’ guitarist BOB 'Bongo' STARKIE- a long time member of the band who still performs their songs today. He tells us about those heady days, what it felt like to be idolised by millions of teenagers and what possibility there maybe of a long awaited comeback. I hope you’ll join me - this week on A Breath of Fresh Air. To learn more about SKYHOOKS head for https://www.skyhooks-music.com/ To find out where you can catch Bongo and the Skyhooks show https://skyhooksshow.com.au/ And to reach out to me with a request, feedback or a comment, head to my website https://abreathoffreshair.com.au