National Portrait Gallery is celebrating Australian pub rock with its new exhibition
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09.09.2020

National Portrait Gallery is celebrating Australian pub rock with its new exhibition

Jimmy Barnes at The Coogee Bay Hotel 1984 by Grant Matthews © Grant Matthews - image courtesy of National Portrait Gallery
WORDS BY KATE STREADER

There will be digital access and virtual tours available for those unable to travel to see the exhibition in Canberra.

Canberra’s National Portrait Gallery has launched an exhibition celebrating the people, places and sounds of Australian pub rock and how it has shaped our nation and its music scene across the years. The exhibition, aptly titled Pub Rock, runs until February 14, 2021.

Focusing on the pub rock phenomenon which exploded in Australia across the ’70s and ’80s, Pub Rock features a huge range of works by leading Australian music photographers such as Wendy McDougall and Tony Mott, including press images, staged portraits, candid photographs and live shots.

Beginning in the 1960s and capturing pioneering acts through the decades until the early ’90s, the exhibition features the likes of The Easybeats, Little Pattie, Johnny O’Keefe, AC/DC, INXS, Nick Cave, The Bee Gees, and Kylie Minogue as well as highlighting the political activism of acts like Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, and Yothu Yindi.

Being that Victorian music-lovers are unable to travel to see the exhibition in person, Pub Rock will be available online through a live streamed launch, virtual tours and online talks. The exhibition will also showcase classic pub rock hits through a curated Spotify playlist and videos so that you can get the full experience from home.

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Fluff your mullet, ditch your ear plugs and strut on over in your best double-denim because today, Saturday 5 September, we open the doors on our exhibition Pub Rock! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This vibrant (sometimes sweaty) exhibition of homegrown rock ‘n’ roll, punk and pop celebrates the sounds and scenes of Australia's 70s and 80s pub rock and its impact on our nation’s identity.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Get in amongst the staged portraits, publicity shots and grungy energy of live performance as pioneering acts like The Easybeats, Little Pattie and Johnny O’Keefe share the stage with global players and local favourites. The line-up includes AC/DC, Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel, Chrissy Amphlett, INXS, Nick Cave, The Bee Gees, Kylie Minogue, Paul Kelly, Yothu Yindi, Marcia Hines and many more. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The Gallery is open 10am-5pm, FREE entry, but you'll need to pre-book your timed session (which we realise isn't very rock n roll …) at the link in our bio if we're ever gonna see your face again!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ [Jimmy Barnes at The Coogee Bay Hotel 1984 by Grant Matthews, type C photograph on paper, 45.5 cm x 35.0 cm. © Grant Matthews]⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ @jimmybarnesofficial #PortraitAu #NationalPortraitGallery #NPG #PubRockNPG #VisitCanberra #DiscoverCanberra #PortraitAu #NationalPortraitGallery #NPG

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For more information, visit the National Portrait Gallery website.

This article originally appeared on Beat.