Grand Hotel - Broadway
Encyclopedia
The Grand Hotel was located at Broadway, Railway Square (originally known as Central Square), Sydney
, Australia
was established in 1849 and demolished in 1983. It was replaced by a $3.6 million motel development complex which included retail shops. Some of the original structure remains at the back but from the front it is totally unrecognisable from its original look.
Primarily its history was the same as many hotels of the time but in September 1977 its publican Fred (last name unknown) opened its doors to the new music craze of the time, Punk Rock
. At first the bands were booked by the manager and lead singer of Johnny Dole & The Scabs
, Ray Walsh and Johnny Dole and the first bands to play there were Johnny Dole & The Scabs supported by Tommy & The Dipsticks.
Opening the Grand Hotel to Punk Rock coincided with the Oxford Funhouse at Taylor Square closing its doors to the bands that played there which included Punk Rock bands such as Radio Birdman
, Psycho Surgeons and also Johnny Dole & The Scabs. Because of this the Grand Hotel would gain the reputation of “the” place to play for a Punk Rock band and for starting the career of some of Australia’s most well known bands including Mental As Anything
.
The Grand Hotel as a venue for Punk Rock was short lived and stopped the bands around 1979 but during this time most of the bands that played there have gone on to be the origins of what would soon be called New Wave
which spawned many well known bands that still play into the present including Rocks, and the Thought Criminals
.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
was established in 1849 and demolished in 1983. It was replaced by a $3.6 million motel development complex which included retail shops. Some of the original structure remains at the back but from the front it is totally unrecognisable from its original look.
Primarily its history was the same as many hotels of the time but in September 1977 its publican Fred (last name unknown) opened its doors to the new music craze of the time, Punk Rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
. At first the bands were booked by the manager and lead singer of Johnny Dole & The Scabs
Johnny Dole & The Scabs
Johnny Dole & The Scabs were one of the first punk rock bands in Australia; they played live and recorded in Sydney, during 1977–78.The band mutated out of The Strays, a typical cover band, and were looking for a new drummer to complete the line-up...
, Ray Walsh and Johnny Dole and the first bands to play there were Johnny Dole & The Scabs supported by Tommy & The Dipsticks.
Opening the Grand Hotel to Punk Rock coincided with the Oxford Funhouse at Taylor Square closing its doors to the bands that played there which included Punk Rock bands such as Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
, Psycho Surgeons and also Johnny Dole & The Scabs. Because of this the Grand Hotel would gain the reputation of “the” place to play for a Punk Rock band and for starting the career of some of Australia’s most well known bands including Mental As Anything
Mental As Anything
Mental As Anything are an Australian New Wave–rock music band formed at an art school in Sydney in 1976. Their most popular line-up was Martin Plaza on vocals and guitar; Reg Mombassa on lead guitar and vocals; his brother Peter "Yoga Dog" O'Doherty on bass guitar and vocals; Wayne "Bird"...
.
The Grand Hotel as a venue for Punk Rock was short lived and stopped the bands around 1979 but during this time most of the bands that played there have gone on to be the origins of what would soon be called New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
which spawned many well known bands that still play into the present including Rocks, and the Thought Criminals
Thought Criminals
The Thought Criminals were an influential and enterprising Australian punk band based in Sydney. They formed in late 1977 and disbanded in late 1981...
.