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A night at Cloudland with Rockpile (feat. Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds) and The Apartments, 1979

By Myles Sinnamon - Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland | 30 July 2017

On October 13, 1979, Brisbane radio station 4ZZZ presented British rock and roll group Rockpile in concert with Mental As Anything and The Apartments at the now demolished Cloudland in the suburb of Bowen Hills. Tickets were $5 or $3 for 4ZZZ subscribers (approximately $23 and $13.50 respectively today).

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Rockpile (Dave Edmunds, left and Nick Lowe, right) at Cloudland, Brisbane, October 13, 1979. From 29127 Paul O’Brien Collection 1970-1987. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. (In copyright CC-BY)

Rockpile featured the talents of singer-songwriters Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds. Lowe, as a solo artist, had international chart success in the same year with the single Cruel to be Kind. David Edmunds also had success as a solo artist during the 1970s with songs such as I Hear You Knocking and I Knew The Bride and that year's Girls Talk.

Rockpile (Dave Edmunds, left and Nick Lowe, right) at Cloudland, Brisbane, October 13, 1979. From 29127 Paul O’Brien Collection 1970-1987. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. (In copyright CC-BY)

Rockpile (Dave Edmunds, left and Nick Lowe, right) at Cloudland, Brisbane, October 13, 1979. From 29127 Paul O’Brien Collection 1970-1987. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. (In copyright CC-BY)

The evening also featured a performance by Brisbane indie band The Apartments, featuring singer-songwriter and guitarist Peter Milton Walsh. The band released the EP, Return of the Hypnotist a few months earlier. The Apartments split the same month as the Cloudland concert. Walsh reformed the band in 1984 and continues to produce music to this day.

The Apartments at Cloudland, Brisbane, October 13, 1979. From 29127 Paul O’Brien Collection 1970-1987. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. (In copyright CC-BY)

Peter Milton Walsh of The Apartments at Cloudland, Brisbane, October 13, 1979. From 29127 Paul O’Brien Collection 1970-1987. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. (In copyright CC-BY)

The Apartments at Cloudland, Brisbane, October 13, 1979. From 29127 Paul O’Brien Collection 1970-1987. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. (In copyright CC-BY)

The concert would also include Sydney band Mental As Anything.

The photographs of Rockpile and The Apartments are part of the Paul O’Brien Collection, a series of 800+ images documenting Brisbane’s music scene from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, and can be found online through our One Search catalogue.

Audience at Cloudland, Brisbane, October 13, 1979. From 29127 Paul O’Brien Collection 1970-1987. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. (In copyright CC-BY)

Do you have any materials (old flyers, posters, stickers, reviews, tickets, recordings, films, videos, photos, letters and other memorabilia) from Queensland’s music scene needing a new home? This material has a valuable place in our music history and cultural heritage and should be looked after and preserved for current and future generations.  Please contact us about any material you think should come to the library.

If you have any memories of this concert please leave a comment on our blog.

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