The Star's final night featured live music and free beer. Many attendees that night remember that at exactly 10pm the police interrupted the live band in the middle of a song and demanded that everyone leave immediately, creating a hostile mood among the patrons. As the patrons began leaving the hotel confrontations began with a small contingent of police, which escalated into throwing of missiles, arrests, injuries and the burning of cars, which continued for more than two hours.
Cold Chisel never cease to amaze me for their ability to take a song I've listened to forever, play it live and its like I've never really heard it before. Incredibly talented band. And who needs those american wankas anyway-they dont know no bullshit rock even if it hits them in the face.
I was there the night this happened. Born and raised in Newcastle, the Star Hotel was known by everyone. It was a family orientated pub and this was the last night it was open, they closed it down. Music was about music and good times back then, I miss the days and I will never forget the night Newcastle burned.
I was never around for this (born 1990) but grew up hearing Cold Chisel songs everywhere. I've listened to this song so many times, and it wasn't until Saturday night at Bimbadgen where I saw Cold Chisel, I learnt that this song is about a riot in Newcastle over the closure of a pub. Sure was interesting to learn about.
Newcastle's nightlife is pretty much dead these days..
Kids now would be too busy texting everyone and iphoning it to twitter ubook and fuckyourface to actually bother or be able to overturn a cop car and fuck it up. What a dull bunch we are now.
That is fantastic footage. The cops really were pigs then and largely deserved what they got, which then was the Aussie Choice of Weapon. A full or half can at high velocity. In a barage of them, you will not win. You can see the Aussie spirit in the defenders here - getting the prisoners free, protecting those who are down and getting beaten and sticking it up the authorities no matter what the cause. Authority SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Australia in the 70s and 80s was a much better place. Now it's all mostly a middlesville docile normals wasteland where everyone wants another kid and a bigger house and bigger TV. The dull and boring have taken over and won. It's way more conservative than the 70s/80s. Blahhhhhhhhhh.
Now, they close a pub with a century or so of history, gut it or knock it down and tack up some corporate hell-hole serving really chewy serve-yourself $40 steaks with salad (lettuce and tomatoe) catering totally to families where you can't fart in the farthest corner anymore. And everyone stands around and applauds. Actually not even that. Total apathy. No-one cares anymore apart from 3 or 4 locals. Fucking disgusting. Wake up Australia!!!!
nzoz - i have found sooooo much good music you have put on here that i've lost count. Cold Chisel is my favorite band of all time, and Star Hotel is a classic among them. One line strikes a chord "it's a taste of things to come at the Star Hotel", too true! the world's gettin that way. Damn I missed tickets to the reunion, but i saw the last stand in Sydney so I'm happy.
@cloudbreaker01 excellent! I never saw them live, so I miss out.. I only saw Ian Moss and (i think) Jimmy Barnes live and I met Don Walker a few years ago. Thank you for the compliments, much appreciated!
@joradesura They did. Elektra Records backed them up and ignored their new signing Motley Crue to break Chisel in the US. It failed. Vince Neil wrote less than a flattering thing about them in his book.
I am 19 years of age, my dad used to play cold chisel all the time ( and still does ), now i know all the words to all the song and i am proud of that. when the time comes and i have kids i shall do the same. I LOVE COLD CHISEL <3 <3 <3
i was there that night... i was very young and we had to pick Nan up from the Workies as she was a Chef. I could see the fires and people were trying to turn our car over until Pop wound the window down and told them "there's kids in the car".
i was there that night... i was very young and we had to pick Nan up from the Workies as she was a Chef. I could see the fires and people were trying to turn our car over until Pop wound the window down and told them "there's kids in the car".
@code7600 That's what life should be like now too. Where people even in a crowd like that have some respect for you if they see what they are doing is wrong.Onya brother, If only the people could do the same now the world would be a better place.
i was there that night... i was very young and we had to pick Nan up from the Workies as she was a Chef. I could see the fires and people were trying to turn our car over until Pop wound the window down and told them "there's kids in the car".
amazing music- no knives no aggro , just a sadness , the star hotel got bulldozed.newie- what a fu.kn waste!!!!!! of a vene!!! check the ori and the del ,
Sadly The Star is nothing, and yes abandoned those people really rioted for nothing, but we would all do it again and again cause we are Proud Newcastle people who love our city and love our nightlife. But unfortunatly there really isn't anything worth fighting for now other then maybe the cambridge..
Star Hotel...currently surrounded by woosey wine bars, bistros, cafes and faggy architects. Newcastle has changed, and i dont think for the better. It has lost alot of its character be that good or bad.
Star Hotel... the last time any Aus citizen said enough is enough and stood up to indiscriminate power
We are now a nation pussies, told what to do whilst we sip our lattes
Star hotel wasnt about yobos, it was about integrity and not taking sh1t and standing up for something.
The band that played the last night at the Star were The Heroes, They didnt go overtime, The police prescence inside the pub was uncalled for. The police sergeant shaking the mike stand hitting the singer in the mouth didnt help things either, that was still 10 minutes before closing time. After that things got way out of hand as the cops had no idea how to control a grog charged crowd who really would have just dissipated and gone their way if not for the heavy handed crap the cops tried on.
The band playing that night were meant to stop at 12.00, they played to 12.02, the fucking cops stormed the place because of 2 minutes extended play, the band (i cant remember who they were) said later that everything up until the cops came was fine.
@Hector3251 What a great place and great times that was. When I was 6-7 I remember spending my Friday and Saturday nights kicking the soccer ball against the huge wall in Devonshire Lane between the Star and Kurt's Coffee Lounge. Never did we ever think it was a dangerous thing to do, how things have changed.
I live in Newcastle and play rock 'n' roll with my band Ezra Lee & The Hip Shakers and we play at The Great Northern Hotel on the corner of Scott and Watt Street. Newy's got a great scene of Blues and Rock and is slowly building again but I guess it has changed alot but it is still a dirty old steel town and I like it that way.
Ahhh don't listen to the dipshits...it just makes 'em louder. Music is awesome and Aussie music is more than awesome...it's Aussie. Thanks for a great vid from a great band. Fair fucken dinkum.
@nzoz1981 Exactly. I think it's great that people are passionate about music, I just wish they'd stop acting like they're 'barracking' for a football team. Thanks for all the uploads too. Your collection of Youtube channels are a fantastic (and well organised) archive of great Australian and Kiwi artists.
@brett197819 I'm talking about musicians, for fuck sake. You've missed the point of my answer to the American who stated that Cold Chisel were a make-up of Australia's best musicians, which is a stupid thing to say and one that needed answering to. Re-reading is advisable.
I was also privileged to see CC at Frenchs Wine Bar in Oxford St, Darlinghurst in Sydney in the 70s when as unknowns they played sets all night with free admission and only about 200 ppl packed into a space big enough for 75. Frenchs had a bad name, but allowed new bands to play in their downstairs bar with free admission. They sold overpriced drinks instead... Anyone remember John Williams?
I was there the night of the 'riot'. It was just a street brawl that got out of hand. Rolling over the cop wagon and burning it was just playful high spirits. No one got seriously hurt, but the Star Hotel was THE hottest music venue in Newcastle back then. The conservative Novocastrians imagined if the pub was gone all the mad crazy young hippies and punks wdn't come to Newcastle. It didn't work...
@slessorpr If you were there you would remember that the the wagon was loaded with two guys who were arrested earlier and looked like attending the ulimate BBQ until a cop ran in to the flames to let them out.I.m no fan of the NSW Police ,but you have to admit that there were some total fuckwits doing some stupid things that night.I was underage (17) and keeping well out of the way but I look at it now with older eyes and realise how bad it really was.
Star Hotel Riot of 1979 has gone down as one of the most significant events in Newcastle's History. Along with the 1989 Earthquake and the June 2007 Flood (When the Pasha Bulka ran aground on the beach)
@hodaka1000 Yeah I know that. Though I don't think the other 2 will be forgotten for a very long time either. I know they're different cuz they were natural disasters
saw chisel at the playroom on gold coast 1982,barnesy drank 2 bottles of gin on stage,best live concert ever.played 7 encores,went to after party at hotel,it finished at 11am only because they had to play again that night..listen to album `SOUL DEEP`,
Famed gigs, the police banned Chisel playing there I believe. Can see why! Never went there myself, I was 8 yrs in '81 old but this song is a tribute to the madness of it all. CC are part of me. Quality. Love them.
awsum,i got,this on full blast while drivin too work in stoke- on- trent! cold chisel rule! please come over 2 england again guys! forever now, star hotel, bow river, my top three chisel tunes.
I remember Cold Chisel playing this at The Pier Hotel in Frankston just after their manager got beaten up by the bouncers. Barnesy sang "The Pier Hotel" ... just before the massive riot. Those were the days :)
Back in the 80's..(OK. I am an old bloke).. we had a pub called the Eureka. Great pub and great aussie bands. An entry price of $5.00 and a meal ticket. The chook curry was always nice. They looked after the punters back then. The pub now is owned by "clean boys".
I reckon aye, where are the venues of my dads day? where are the good times? Now days the fuckin pub feels like a health clinic with thugs for guards. You can't see a decent band without 100 bucks damage to your pocket and a 10dollar beer.
Mate,my band still plays at some great pubs in Qld but they are run by PUBLICANS ,not some Wooolies or Coles trolley boy made good.These guys know how to run a pub where the pokies are a sideline ,not the bottom line.The Impy at Dalby,Crows Nest Pub near Toowoomba,the Kogan Pub and the Russell Island Diggers are packed to the rafters when we play cause these dudes know what the people want. Cold Beer,good service,good meals and Pub Rock on a Friday night.And no wankers on the door
@muddyboots007 Since I posted that,the Impy at Dalby burnt down,Russell Island Diggers had their entertainment shut down because some stiff moved into the area and complained,The Crows Nest is only hiring solos and the Kogan has stopped entertainment..But Little Ships on Straddie goes off,the Kedron Park,The Jimboomba,The Kensington at Crestmead all rock and new owner at the Jacobs Well is cool too.Watch for Who Killed Kenny and The Bagman.
yup drank till u dropped..then showed up to work still pissed and cope the worst job the boss could find just to try to teach u a lesson...hehe yup i remember those days lmao
Mate... I don't know how much Australian music you have ventured into... not even my nzoz channels cover the entirety of Australian music, so to state (in an humble opinion) that Cold Chisel were the best musicians Australia ever produced at any level, is a very large statement... you better know what you are talking about, because you are putting this band next to other areas of Australian musicianship including Jazz and Classical, who I think would technically be superior!
I agree that you can find other music which is no doubt superior from a technical point of view but in my opinion if it doesn't touch you somehow then it is just white noise. I am not saying that everything else is rubbish, but nothing seems to effect me more than a Chisel song. Different things for different people of course.
@nzoz1981 You know, people ARE allowed to state their opinions... just because they disagree with you does not make him/her wrong or ignorant.
I for one AGREE with mcquillan2, and I'm Aussie so I know my Aussie music very well! (They absolutely rocked the Sydney 500 last year, I went because I wanted to see The Living End, and left that concert a die-hard Chisel fan!!)
the back bar was the rock bar ..rock bands... they played on a very small area BEHIND the bar serving area... and "ladies"//////or any girls ONLY were allowed to dance on the bar ....long before """"Cyote Ugly "" ........
Star hotel -newcastle . A typical aussie pub. ..walk in from hunter st --sailors bar ..because of the shipping heritage of newcastle...decorated with flags/life preservers etc from ship that came into the harbour...
walk thru to the middle bar ---the tv bar..because it had transvestives long before most people even knew what they were miming to songs on a verey small stage ..then to the back bar ( close to scott st --across the road from the workers club) for live bands. see next post
Pub in newcastle, australia, about a 100 miles north of Sydney. Used to have live bands and still did up until a few years ago. I played there in a band when it was called the Acoustic Cafe in the late nineties. We used to start at 3am when the club across the road shut! It was a dodgy strip bar for a bit after that IIRC. Not sure if it's still open anymore. newcastle has a night curfew nowadays imposed by the council fuckwits, it's killed the nightlife
To see the good old Star Hotel today lying abandoned waiting for another appartment block to be built on it,just like the mighty Jolly Roger on the next block in King st.
The only venues left in the Newcastle CBD that have live bands are the Cambridge and the Brewery.The Workers Club sometimes has bands but thats it the rest of the clubs just have DJs.
Newcastle has lost its soul to the greedy developer,who come for the easy cash and leave our town filled with these concrete monstrosities.
us aussies are the only ones that actually know what CBD is,,,,,city centre...the city.....what the f*ck u mean ....yeh ours is ...oh no way u can't go there u will be killed.....when someone walks into somewhere with a huge overcoat in summer.....and pulls out a gun........what the f*ck u think i did ...i ran.....yeh ..that was winnipeg in canada and right opposit the council and meseum lol
@FordFalconXE351 coiuldnt agree more mate. the southern money moved in and saw newcastle as uncooth and decided to 'upmarket' it. i remember the cambridge, Bellevue, the family, the Newcastle....but also all the other smaller places that had live music. They didnt even leave town...theyve all stayed to infect the place with their latte lifestyles.
Yes, im filthy at whats happened to Newy. I feel like an outsider in the town that my family moved to in 1864. Maybe im the dinosaur......
@FordFalconXE351 to true, what kind of wanker wants to go to the castle or somewhere and watch some dickhead play cd's. places like the star, the palais and even the pathenon milkbar should have been heritage listed, and i remember when the motordrome where alot of my friends used to race, and then it got the burnout pad, we had a good thing going there for a while but then it was sold to developers.
Around 1982 I picked up an American radio station promo copy of "East" at a record store bargain bin in Bellingham, Washington for 10¢. I'd never heard of them and Chisel was almost unknown in Canada and the USA. Took it back home and it's been one of my top 10 albums since! Khe Sanh was on it and that song still gives me goose bumps to this day.
My parents were there during the riots and they tell my brother and I all the stories from the riots, my mum even participated in them, funny cause she is a lawyer now lol.
Wow....this song makes me want to grab a cold VB and a pack of smokes! When did this scene happen? Must've been in NSW as the Victorians are too stuffy to pull off something like this!!
The riot was on September 19th, 1979, Outside The Star Hotel. A band called The Heroes was playing inside the building during the riot, And the footage is on youtube. Search for "The Heroes the star and the slaughter"
101Volts, I watched the clip half way through then got distracted by the 'Related Videos' section which featured a video titled 'Teacher having sex with a student'.....
@nzoz1981 that's disappointing. I was really enjoying your collection of music, without the usual shit you see on the net.... It's almost as bad as some stupid American Bible basher describing Cold Chisels music as 'biblical' or 'Christ inspired'. Don't mix the brilliance of this music (a higher level human of humanity) with perverted filth (gutter level humanity) There's a time and place for that elsewhere
Wow - forgot about the Heroes. Think they played at another pub in Wickham, West Newcastle a lot. I was 19. I wasn't there. I was at the Jolly Roger earlier that night but I remember the feeling - they'd taken our jobs, our freedoms and now they were taking our pub. We all knew this was trouble coming.
Every time some fool starts talking about redeveloping The Espy (Esplanade Hotel) in Melbourne, they would do well to read up on the history of the Star. They were/are very similar places. Places where everyone, from rockers and bikies, drag queens, the old blokes propping up the bar all day, hookers and deviants were welcome, and everyone was just treated with respect, just because you were there. No prejudices, just a melting pot of society escaping the reality of the times.
(I'm not replying to myself, continuation of above)
If you take away something that means so much to people who don't feel they have much else, you take away the soul of a whole society. The cops found this out the hard way at the Star.
This is the Australian way. We may be laid back but you can only push a wrong down our throats for so long.
So true wilks6, the pendulum has swung way into the favour of authority again & it's starting to build in our society right now, but people are so dummed down these days they will just keep coping it in the ring.
We the ordinary men folk need to harden the fck up! unstrap our mangina's & tell the authorities/politicians/dogooders etc & anyone else that's never had a blew, got pissed & spewed, been arrested or chucked a burnout (sorry, broke traction) in the main drag to fck off !!
id love to say australia has done better but we really havent, either way the chisel is epic, cant compare the "aussie rock" we hear today.....to the chisel or any other great, 99.9% of aussie rock 2day is geyer than pricilla suckin off the queen of the desert, i.e. shannon knoll(if se pulled up in my leg of the country, h'ed get what he deserves, a firm crack in that boof hed of his./.
The Tatts gone, the Bays gone, Warrnambool is buggered!!!
scpjg 2 days ago
The Star's final night featured live music and free beer. Many attendees that night remember that at exactly 10pm the police interrupted the live band in the middle of a song and demanded that everyone leave immediately, creating a hostile mood among the patrons. As the patrons began leaving the hotel confrontations began with a small contingent of police, which escalated into throwing of missiles, arrests, injuries and the burning of cars, which continued for more than two hours.
fardaypu 2 weeks ago
Although this might look like a riot, t's not.
This kind of stuff goes down every night, at every pub, all across Australia.
It's called "closing time"
bretto444 2 weeks ago
Cold Chisel never cease to amaze me for their ability to take a song I've listened to forever, play it live and its like I've never really heard it before. Incredibly talented band. And who needs those american wankas anyway-they dont know no bullshit rock even if it hits them in the face.
80mphisntfastenuff 2 weeks ago
I live near the reincarnated Star in Broadmeadow :D
iluvprawns 3 weeks ago
I was there the night this happened. Born and raised in Newcastle, the Star Hotel was known by everyone. It was a family orientated pub and this was the last night it was open, they closed it down. Music was about music and good times back then, I miss the days and I will never forget the night Newcastle burned.
VividTearDrop 1 month ago
great song, great video. thx.
ex1le444 1 month ago
I like his falsetto. By the time he did Working class man, it all turned to shite.
napalm5 1 month ago
@napalm5 totally agree... mainstream Aussie music went to shit after 1984
nzoz1981 1 month ago
Classic...
alfies1girl 2 months ago
legend has it that Tooth and Co that owned the hotel were giving the beer away for next to nothing because they had to get rid of it.
rminister1971 2 months ago
I was never around for this (born 1990) but grew up hearing Cold Chisel songs everywhere. I've listened to this song so many times, and it wasn't until Saturday night at Bimbadgen where I saw Cold Chisel, I learnt that this song is about a riot in Newcastle over the closure of a pub. Sure was interesting to learn about.
Newcastle's nightlife is pretty much dead these days..
aLostDerangedDolpin 2 months ago
My husband and I met in 1972 at the old Star Hotel - hard to believe its been such a long time since it closed down
flenithganthry 4 months ago
the only time i wont piss on a ford is if its on fire!! but love the song
sdomaskis 5 months ago
nzoz=legend(facilitator)
im from newcastle and this song means alot to me and many others'
thankyou
landscapecadmonkey 5 months ago
Kids now would be too busy texting everyone and iphoning it to twitter ubook and fuckyourface to actually bother or be able to overturn a cop car and fuck it up. What a dull bunch we are now.
PeterHBne1 5 months ago
That is fantastic footage. The cops really were pigs then and largely deserved what they got, which then was the Aussie Choice of Weapon. A full or half can at high velocity. In a barage of them, you will not win. You can see the Aussie spirit in the defenders here - getting the prisoners free, protecting those who are down and getting beaten and sticking it up the authorities no matter what the cause. Authority SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PeterHBne1 5 months ago
Australia in the 70s and 80s was a much better place. Now it's all mostly a middlesville docile normals wasteland where everyone wants another kid and a bigger house and bigger TV. The dull and boring have taken over and won. It's way more conservative than the 70s/80s. Blahhhhhhhhhh.
PeterHBne1 5 months ago
Now, they close a pub with a century or so of history, gut it or knock it down and tack up some corporate hell-hole serving really chewy serve-yourself $40 steaks with salad (lettuce and tomatoe) catering totally to families where you can't fart in the farthest corner anymore. And everyone stands around and applauds. Actually not even that. Total apathy. No-one cares anymore apart from 3 or 4 locals. Fucking disgusting. Wake up Australia!!!!
PeterHBne1 5 months ago
nzoz - i have found sooooo much good music you have put on here that i've lost count. Cold Chisel is my favorite band of all time, and Star Hotel is a classic among them. One line strikes a chord "it's a taste of things to come at the Star Hotel", too true! the world's gettin that way. Damn I missed tickets to the reunion, but i saw the last stand in Sydney so I'm happy.
cloudbreaker01 5 months ago
@cloudbreaker01 excellent! I never saw them live, so I miss out.. I only saw Ian Moss and (i think) Jimmy Barnes live and I met Don Walker a few years ago. Thank you for the compliments, much appreciated!
nzoz1981 5 months ago
@AustralianPatriot18 Destroyed by multiculturalism? Tell me, where was Jimmy Barnes born? What about his wife and kids?
oddysius 6 months ago
Dream of great days that once were only to come back to this shitty reality . Australia WAS so great back then. Look at what we have today!
slurpos 7 months ago
This is Chisel, this is a pub, this is what made 80s rock in Oz so strong!!!!!
kieran9093 7 months ago
i lived in newcastle when the riot took place, wow what a time..i love chisel and all their songs, thanks for posting the clips
shyausgal 7 months ago
@joradesura If you like this, see if you can get a hold of "Barking Spiders Live". This is an '83 album. Well worth the listen.
davwar73 7 months ago 2
I don't care if Don Walker wrote this or not but is he one of the greatest song writers in the world or what!!!
kandeece1 8 months ago
yea saw them in 1981 (from memory) in Dunedin town hall. This track is a good one, but thats about it
COMMUNISTPHILOSOPHY 9 months ago
@joradesura thanx and nicely said! :-)
nzoz1981 9 months ago
@joradesura They did. Elektra Records backed them up and ignored their new signing Motley Crue to break Chisel in the US. It failed. Vince Neil wrote less than a flattering thing about them in his book.
nzoz1981 9 months ago
30 years ago this was Australia
NO BULLSHIT JUST PARTY LIKE IT WAS YOUR LAST DAY ON EARTH
you poor bastards today to day dont and have not experinced freedom
we had nod BS no barriers no fucking BULLSHIT
we lived FOR NOW
i pitty u for AUSTRALIA WAS THE PLACE
PARTY TO DEATH
NO BS JUST ENJOY
SO FUCKING HELP ME GOD
STRIKE ME DOWN IF U DONT BELEVEIVE !!!!
munggirl 9 months ago 4
The other day I went to the pub that Cold Chisel started at. Its in Glenelg I think. :)
Dominatorgtr 10 months ago
Funny how times change. Now the crowd would stand around and applaude the destruction of an old pub to have it made more family friendly.
PeterHBne1 10 months ago
I am 19 years of age, my dad used to play cold chisel all the time ( and still does ), now i know all the words to all the song and i am proud of that. when the time comes and i have kids i shall do the same. I LOVE COLD CHISEL <3 <3 <3
TheFullmetalspartan 10 months ago
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i was there that night... i was very young and we had to pick Nan up from the Workies as she was a Chef. I could see the fires and people were trying to turn our car over until Pop wound the window down and told them "there's kids in the car".
code7600 10 months ago
i was there that night... i was very young and we had to pick Nan up from the Workies as she was a Chef. I could see the fires and people were trying to turn our car over until Pop wound the window down and told them "there's kids in the car".
code7600 10 months ago
@code7600 That's what life should be like now too. Where people even in a crowd like that have some respect for you if they see what they are doing is wrong.Onya brother, If only the people could do the same now the world would be a better place.
nroles87 10 months ago
i was there that night... i was very young and we had to pick Nan up from the Workies as she was a Chef. I could see the fires and people were trying to turn our car over until Pop wound the window down and told them "there's kids in the car".
code7600 10 months ago
amazing music- no knives no aggro , just a sadness , the star hotel got bulldozed.newie- what a fu.kn waste!!!!!! of a vene!!! check the ori and the del ,
cathycastleton 10 months ago
amazing music- no knives no aggro , just a sadness , the star hotel got bulldozed.newie- what a fu.kn waste!!!!!! of a vene!!!
cathycastleton 10 months ago
ditto
itchybrother61 11 months ago
One of my regrets in life is that I never got to see these guys live.
NealeinMI 1 year ago
Sadly The Star is nothing, and yes abandoned those people really rioted for nothing, but we would all do it again and again cause we are Proud Newcastle people who love our city and love our nightlife. But unfortunatly there really isn't anything worth fighting for now other then maybe the cambridge..
anniebabeblues 1 year ago
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so sad they lost the drummer this week...RIP
cathycastleton 1 year ago
so sad they lost the drummer this week...
cathycastleton 1 year ago
Thank you Steve, for the beautiful memories and music. XX
aussieangie 1 year ago 2
Lol Least thet drank the beer outta of the cans before they threw them at the whollopers
badsocks07 1 year ago
Star Hotel...currently surrounded by woosey wine bars, bistros, cafes and faggy architects. Newcastle has changed, and i dont think for the better. It has lost alot of its character be that good or bad.
Star Hotel... the last time any Aus citizen said enough is enough and stood up to indiscriminate power
We are now a nation pussies, told what to do whilst we sip our lattes
Star hotel wasnt about yobos, it was about integrity and not taking sh1t and standing up for something.
landscapecadmonkey 1 year ago
The band that played the last night at the Star were The Heroes, They didnt go overtime, The police prescence inside the pub was uncalled for. The police sergeant shaking the mike stand hitting the singer in the mouth didnt help things either, that was still 10 minutes before closing time. After that things got way out of hand as the cops had no idea how to control a grog charged crowd who really would have just dissipated and gone their way if not for the heavy handed crap the cops tried on.
lpmusonut 1 year ago
The band playing that night were meant to stop at 12.00, they played to 12.02, the fucking cops stormed the place because of 2 minutes extended play, the band (i cant remember who they were) said later that everything up until the cops came was fine.
maynjustadamdann 1 year ago
Forgive me of my sins.
For I have seen the light.
Chisel ARE fantastic.
Trully great.
khongbiet1000 1 year ago
One of the greatest live bands I have seen!
217jmw 1 year ago
still gives me goose bumps after all these years. thats some good songwriting right there bitches
leamog 1 year ago
What an amazing tune!!! Tomorrow is another stomper!
Discovios 1 year ago
@Hector3251 What a great place and great times that was. When I was 6-7 I remember spending my Friday and Saturday nights kicking the soccer ball against the huge wall in Devonshire Lane between the Star and Kurt's Coffee Lounge. Never did we ever think it was a dangerous thing to do, how things have changed.
zneb67 1 year ago
@Hector3251 thank you and i completely agree.
nzoz1981 1 year ago 2
FUCKING A!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah :)
WhereisMuller 1 year ago
this wqzzs saustralia in thr 80 s
i was a pqrted fff the shit it was godd
munggirl 1 year ago
I live in Newcastle and play rock 'n' roll with my band Ezra Lee & The Hip Shakers and we play at The Great Northern Hotel on the corner of Scott and Watt Street. Newy's got a great scene of Blues and Rock and is slowly building again but I guess it has changed alot but it is still a dirty old steel town and I like it that way.
1234ezra1 1 year ago
this song had to be played live, on the albulm it was ok but live brilliant,
its a pity I had the album from the band that last played at the star, not great, but still a bit of history, long gone
yellowbelly1966 1 year ago
Ahhh don't listen to the dipshits...it just makes 'em louder. Music is awesome and Aussie music is more than awesome...it's Aussie. Thanks for a great vid from a great band. Fair fucken dinkum.
Peace.
Geekman333 1 year ago
nothing wrong with a good old aussie riot
cobar1954 1 year ago
rage
Basetornado 1 year ago
unless u r australian and u have u have lost your local wareing hole this means nothing
to me it MEANS FUCKING EVERYTHING
this is australia u fight for for what u beleive
something that is lost with todays genration
FIGHT FOR WHAT U BELEIVE
otherwise it is lost forever
munggirl 1 year ago 2
i always like the beat!
ACERAMGAD 1 year ago
Great band, granted, but if you think this is the only Australian act worth listening to then you really need to get out more.
atomicspatula 1 year ago
@atomicspatula I second that! Here! Here! It's stupid and narrow minded to dismiss other Aussie artists over one band.
nzoz1981 1 year ago
@nzoz1981 Exactly. I think it's great that people are passionate about music, I just wish they'd stop acting like they're 'barracking' for a football team. Thanks for all the uploads too. Your collection of Youtube channels are a fantastic (and well organised) archive of great Australian and Kiwi artists.
atomicspatula 1 year ago 2
@atomicspatula thank you... that was my plan all along... I'm glad it's easy to follow!
nzoz1981 1 year ago
LOL At least they were throwing empties.
NealeinMI 1 year ago
nzoz...are you kidding.what a precious statment.this is rock.who gives a shit about jazz and classical.were looking at at chisel song!!
brett197819 1 year ago
@brett197819 I'm talking about musicians, for fuck sake. You've missed the point of my answer to the American who stated that Cold Chisel were a make-up of Australia's best musicians, which is a stupid thing to say and one that needed answering to. Re-reading is advisable.
nzoz1981 1 year ago 3
I was also privileged to see CC at Frenchs Wine Bar in Oxford St, Darlinghurst in Sydney in the 70s when as unknowns they played sets all night with free admission and only about 200 ppl packed into a space big enough for 75. Frenchs had a bad name, but allowed new bands to play in their downstairs bar with free admission. They sold overpriced drinks instead... Anyone remember John Williams?
slessorpr 1 year ago
I was there the night of the 'riot'. It was just a street brawl that got out of hand. Rolling over the cop wagon and burning it was just playful high spirits. No one got seriously hurt, but the Star Hotel was THE hottest music venue in Newcastle back then. The conservative Novocastrians imagined if the pub was gone all the mad crazy young hippies and punks wdn't come to Newcastle. It didn't work...
slessorpr 1 year ago
@slessorpr If you were there you would remember that the the wagon was loaded with two guys who were arrested earlier and looked like attending the ulimate BBQ until a cop ran in to the flames to let them out.I.m no fan of the NSW Police ,but you have to admit that there were some total fuckwits doing some stupid things that night.I was underage (17) and keeping well out of the way but I look at it now with older eyes and realise how bad it really was.
muddyboots111 1 year ago
Australia's pub scene in the 80's... (nothing compares).
Chisel were... one of the best live acts... and 'Australia' (in my opinion)
... have the very best !!
aussieangie 1 year ago
Star Hotel Riot of 1979 has gone down as one of the most significant events in Newcastle's History. Along with the 1989 Earthquake and the June 2007 Flood (When the Pasha Bulka ran aground on the beach)
IanGorton 1 year ago 2
@IanGorton. Star Hotel predates the Eathquake and the Pasha Bulka and will be remembered when they are long forgotten.
hodaka1000 1 year ago
@hodaka1000 Yeah I know that. Though I don't think the other 2 will be forgotten for a very long time either. I know they're different cuz they were natural disasters
IanGorton 1 year ago
Without wanting to wade into the discussion extremely time late, you have to admit they certainly capture the feeling of Oz at the time ..
Kim521970 1 year ago
barnsey
TheUnDeRGRouNDHoBo 1 year ago
September 19, 1979....The Pigs started it & the Boys finished it...a great night to be a Novacastrian...
grogandroppa 1 year ago 4
saw chisel at the playroom on gold coast 1982,barnesy drank 2 bottles of gin on stage,best live concert ever.played 7 encores,went to after party at hotel,it finished at 11am only because they had to play again that night..listen to album `SOUL DEEP`,
thylacine1961 2 years ago 2
Famed gigs, the police banned Chisel playing there I believe. Can see why! Never went there myself, I was 8 yrs in '81 old but this song is a tribute to the madness of it all. CC are part of me. Quality. Love them.
Paulocity8 2 years ago
WOW
ijohnno 2 years ago
awsum,i got,this on full blast while drivin too work in stoke- on- trent! cold chisel rule! please come over 2 england again guys! forever now, star hotel, bow river, my top three chisel tunes.
STOKEOZ1967 2 years ago
going to see Cold Chisel this sat nite for the sydney v8 car race!!!
Philip2096 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
how awesome were they
adamw98 2 years ago
Get higher audio! If i had the time i would truly make this song elite! Higher than Zen! Hurry! ~DO SO!!!! Now!!!!!!! Do iT!!!!
Do it with pride!!!!!!!! Great tune!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Chace digs it!!Alaways!
ACERAMGAD 2 years ago
Today is the 30th Anniversary of the Star Hotel Riot. The inspiration of this song. 19-09-1979
IanGorton 2 years ago 3
nzoz...could u try posting the cold chisel song " no good for you"i cant find it anywear
stuiec7 2 years ago
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vbvbvb088 2 years ago
@stuiec7 just buy Circus Animals by cold chisel, its a great song, with a great solo.
Phattey123 2 years ago
ian moss... what a `slinger
deadjailorrocknroll 2 years ago
I remember Cold Chisel playing this at The Pier Hotel in Frankston just after their manager got beaten up by the bouncers. Barnesy sang "The Pier Hotel" ... just before the massive riot. Those were the days :)
scepticVseptic 2 years ago
Back in the 80's..(OK. I am an old bloke).. we had a pub called the Eureka. Great pub and great aussie bands. An entry price of $5.00 and a meal ticket. The chook curry was always nice. They looked after the punters back then. The pub now is owned by "clean boys".
Long live Aussie rock.
theute01 2 years ago
Mate the Star, what a great pub. I am as old as you no doubt. They have no idea what they have lost, what we had, back then. Oh well - shit happens.
tjv21c 2 years ago
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cathycastleton 2 years ago
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cathycastleton 2 years ago
I reckon aye, where are the venues of my dads day? where are the good times? Now days the fuckin pub feels like a health clinic with thugs for guards. You can't see a decent band without 100 bucks damage to your pocket and a 10dollar beer.
LtProfty 2 years ago 3
Mate,my band still plays at some great pubs in Qld but they are run by PUBLICANS ,not some Wooolies or Coles trolley boy made good.These guys know how to run a pub where the pokies are a sideline ,not the bottom line.The Impy at Dalby,Crows Nest Pub near Toowoomba,the Kogan Pub and the Russell Island Diggers are packed to the rafters when we play cause these dudes know what the people want. Cold Beer,good service,good meals and Pub Rock on a Friday night.And no wankers on the door
muddyboots007 2 years ago 16
Comment removed
cathycastleton 2 years ago
@muddyboots007 Oh please tell me you know where such Pubs exist in Sydney!?!?
rayjaymor 1 year ago
@muddyboots007 Since I posted that,the Impy at Dalby burnt down,Russell Island Diggers had their entertainment shut down because some stiff moved into the area and complained,The Crows Nest is only hiring solos and the Kogan has stopped entertainment..But Little Ships on Straddie goes off,the Kedron Park,The Jimboomba,The Kensington at Crestmead all rock and new owner at the Jacobs Well is cool too.Watch for Who Killed Kenny and The Bagman.
muddyboots111 1 year ago 3
it is 2009
job ques grow through the land
how relevant is this song today to fellow Australians TODAY! I miss the 80s no bs
u drank till u dropped u did not care about tommorow
munggirl 2 years ago
so tru mate, im reliving the 80's again
usernamemikisok 2 years ago
yup drank till u dropped..then showed up to work still pissed and cope the worst job the boss could find just to try to teach u a lesson...hehe yup i remember those days lmao
andy19678 2 years ago
Excellent.
thank you.
rosesredvioletsblue 2 years ago
Great video Nzoz. Loved it.
Getagoeyupya 2 years ago
This band in my humble opinion were the best Musicians Australia ever produced at any level .James voice wasn't bad either ...........
mcquillan2 2 years ago
Mate... I don't know how much Australian music you have ventured into... not even my nzoz channels cover the entirety of Australian music, so to state (in an humble opinion) that Cold Chisel were the best musicians Australia ever produced at any level, is a very large statement... you better know what you are talking about, because you are putting this band next to other areas of Australian musicianship including Jazz and Classical, who I think would technically be superior!
I'm a Chisel fan..
nzoz1981 2 years ago
I agree that you can find other music which is no doubt superior from a technical point of view but in my opinion if it doesn't touch you somehow then it is just white noise. I am not saying that everything else is rubbish, but nothing seems to effect me more than a Chisel song. Different things for different people of course.
rbresca 2 years ago
@nzoz1981 You know, people ARE allowed to state their opinions... just because they disagree with you does not make him/her wrong or ignorant.
I for one AGREE with mcquillan2, and I'm Aussie so I know my Aussie music very well! (They absolutely rocked the Sydney 500 last year, I went because I wanted to see The Living End, and left that concert a die-hard Chisel fan!!)
rayjaymor 1 year ago
The fucking star way to go stick it up them asshole pigs
brookechooke 2 years ago
This is a great song...Jimmy really belts it out! Just awesome!
lvmscinco 2 years ago
the back bar was the rock bar ..rock bands... they played on a very small area BEHIND the bar serving area... and "ladies"//////or any girls ONLY were allowed to dance on the bar ....long before """"Cyote Ugly "" ........
they were the days ?????
novo58 2 years ago
Star hotel -newcastle . A typical aussie pub. ..walk in from hunter st --sailors bar ..because of the shipping heritage of newcastle...decorated with flags/life preservers etc from ship that came into the harbour...
walk thru to the middle bar ---the tv bar..because it had transvestives long before most people even knew what they were miming to songs on a verey small stage ..then to the back bar ( close to scott st --across the road from the workers club) for live bands. see next post
novo58 2 years ago
f''in awesome
wolffund 3 years ago
sorry but i'm not aussie and wasn't alive in 1981 - what was the star hotel? a rock pub or something?
ccccrsraasfsdf 3 years ago
Pub in newcastle, australia, about a 100 miles north of Sydney. Used to have live bands and still did up until a few years ago. I played there in a band when it was called the Acoustic Cafe in the late nineties. We used to start at 3am when the club across the road shut! It was a dodgy strip bar for a bit after that IIRC. Not sure if it's still open anymore. newcastle has a night curfew nowadays imposed by the council fuckwits, it's killed the nightlife
greegomileego 3 years ago
This song was written because they tried to close down the Pub and a riot occured.
Brendanvio 3 years ago
To see the good old Star Hotel today lying abandoned waiting for another appartment block to be built on it,just like the mighty Jolly Roger on the next block in King st.
The only venues left in the Newcastle CBD that have live bands are the Cambridge and the Brewery.The Workers Club sometimes has bands but thats it the rest of the clubs just have DJs.
Newcastle has lost its soul to the greedy developer,who come for the easy cash and leave our town filled with these concrete monstrosities.
FordFalconXE351 3 years ago 16
two right mate
bobondown 3 years ago 2
us aussies are the only ones that actually know what CBD is,,,,,city centre...the city.....what the f*ck u mean ....yeh ours is ...oh no way u can't go there u will be killed.....when someone walks into somewhere with a huge overcoat in summer.....and pulls out a gun........what the f*ck u think i did ...i ran.....yeh ..that was winnipeg in canada and right opposit the council and meseum lol
Mishtadim 3 years ago
I have no idea what you are talking about lol......
boedonaldson 3 years ago 3
that makes 2 of us
gav240z 2 years ago 2
yeh was he high?
imametalhead666 2 years ago
@FordFalconXE351 coiuldnt agree more mate. the southern money moved in and saw newcastle as uncooth and decided to 'upmarket' it. i remember the cambridge, Bellevue, the family, the Newcastle....but also all the other smaller places that had live music. They didnt even leave town...theyve all stayed to infect the place with their latte lifestyles.
Yes, im filthy at whats happened to Newy. I feel like an outsider in the town that my family moved to in 1864. Maybe im the dinosaur......
landscapecadmonkey 1 year ago
@FordFalconXE351 to true, what kind of wanker wants to go to the castle or somewhere and watch some dickhead play cd's. places like the star, the palais and even the pathenon milkbar should have been heritage listed, and i remember when the motordrome where alot of my friends used to race, and then it got the burnout pad, we had a good thing going there for a while but then it was sold to developers.
FCCOOL 10 months ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
they stolified this from Spartakus and the sUn benEAth the Sea.
flamingcookbook 3 years ago
This is an awesome song by an great Aussie band! I love Cold Chisel!
lvmscinco 3 years ago
They shut "the lucky country Hotel" a week early, last week cause the cops were worried it would happen again :(
kroag 3 years ago
When the Falcon cop car goes up in flames.. that building has only just became vacant..After beign owned by the water board.
AmbushGamer 3 years ago
There is only one good pub I can think of for rock music in Sydney and that is the Annandale. Most are now pokies, yuppie bars or sports bars.
I don't mind sports bars but I also love to see good live bands in pubs.
JoTheSnoop 3 years ago
Legendary song. Jimmy Barnes has one hell of a voice.
gunners8487 3 years ago 2
i saw the last stand concerts in sydney
3 hours of Chisel
b4 that,Narara,
Brigton Millers
Barnsey threw a chunk of ice at the window
didnt work he wanted to let the air in
munggirl 3 years ago 3
Around 1982 I picked up an American radio station promo copy of "East" at a record store bargain bin in Bellingham, Washington for 10¢. I'd never heard of them and Chisel was almost unknown in Canada and the USA. Took it back home and it's been one of my top 10 albums since! Khe Sanh was on it and that song still gives me goose bumps to this day.
ethicomm 3 years ago 3
i rate this song right up there when it come to capturing a moment. sort of like "the hurricane" by bob dylan. timeless and magical...
deadjailorrocknroll 3 years ago
Cold Chisel were all about rebellion- in their music and their lyrics. Like sticking it up Those in Charge- which at the time was Fraser.
Now its Rudd and Garrett and their lousy crew.
Don Walker was an absolute master of the lyric. Everyone listening felt it then- they were instinctively in tune with the song.
Come on, we need some more of the Chisel spirit, right now.
Stick up for yourselves.
hoppa1979 3 years ago
best song best band best time of my life
Angrypanzer 3 years ago
And to think I've just discovered Youtube. I'm seeing tracks I havent seen since the 80's.
Thankyou Youtube and thankyou nzoz.
couta64 3 years ago 3
man it kicks arse...it's like countdown and rage on steroids...
Melbdude58 3 years ago 5
There's so much more couta64.
ethicomm 3 years ago
My parents were there during the riots and they tell my brother and I all the stories from the riots, my mum even participated in them, funny cause she is a lawyer now lol.
DuoDragons 3 years ago 3
Wow....this song makes me want to grab a cold VB and a pack of smokes! When did this scene happen? Must've been in NSW as the Victorians are too stuffy to pull off something like this!!
philby971 3 years ago 3
It happened in Newcastle 2 hrs north of sydney
DuoDragons 3 years ago
The riot was on September 19th, 1979, Outside The Star Hotel. A band called The Heroes was playing inside the building during the riot, And the footage is on youtube. Search for "The Heroes the star and the slaughter"
101Volts 3 years ago
101Volts, I watched the clip half way through then got distracted by the 'Related Videos' section which featured a video titled 'Teacher having sex with a student'.....
I turned my attention to that video instead
;-)
nzoz1981 3 years ago
@nzoz1981 that's disappointing. I was really enjoying your collection of music, without the usual shit you see on the net.... It's almost as bad as some stupid American Bible basher describing Cold Chisels music as 'biblical' or 'Christ inspired'. Don't mix the brilliance of this music (a higher level human of humanity) with perverted filth (gutter level humanity) There's a time and place for that elsewhere
69zebedee 1 year ago
Wow - forgot about the Heroes. Think they played at another pub in Wickham, West Newcastle a lot. I was 19. I wasn't there. I was at the Jolly Roger earlier that night but I remember the feeling - they'd taken our jobs, our freedoms and now they were taking our pub. We all knew this was trouble coming.
Chisel encapsulated that rage and made a classic.
GurgMaster 3 years ago
80s rock on we would never get away with the stuff we did back then today OH how i miss the 80s
fadsas 3 years ago
chisel took me through everything love you all
billyboiling 3 years ago
The cops at the time were bullies.. Not all.
Dolphin Torch to the head. Phone Book to the legs.
AmbushGamer 3 years ago
Did you set the cop truck alight !
wolffund 3 years ago
i was there that night mates !
marso221 3 years ago
As was I an my Mates.
AmbushGamer 3 years ago
You don't shut down a drinking hole without expecting trouble in return. Rock on!
ethicomm 3 years ago
Greatest Cold Chisel song ever!!!!
Alexislittlee 3 years ago
loved the pubs in sydney in the 80s feel a little sorry my kids live in the 08s
Angrypanzer 3 years ago
What is our pub culture now? Pokies and multiple screens broadcasting Foxsports and the racing channel?
blairomatic 3 years ago
Yep, it sucks! It's shit! It's just the all-too-pathetic rut!
nzoz1981 3 years ago
Every time some fool starts talking about redeveloping The Espy (Esplanade Hotel) in Melbourne, they would do well to read up on the history of the Star. They were/are very similar places. Places where everyone, from rockers and bikies, drag queens, the old blokes propping up the bar all day, hookers and deviants were welcome, and everyone was just treated with respect, just because you were there. No prejudices, just a melting pot of society escaping the reality of the times.
wilks6 4 years ago 2
(I'm not replying to myself, continuation of above)
If you take away something that means so much to people who don't feel they have much else, you take away the soul of a whole society. The cops found this out the hard way at the Star.
This is the Australian way. We may be laid back but you can only push a wrong down our throats for so long.
Then we'll shove it back.
wilks6 4 years ago
Thats bloody awesome, I love your comments
Debikitten 3 years ago
So true wilks6, the pendulum has swung way into the favour of authority again & it's starting to build in our society right now, but people are so dummed down these days they will just keep coping it in the ring.
We the ordinary men folk need to harden the fck up! unstrap our mangina's & tell the authorities/politicians/dogooders etc & anyone else that's never had a blew, got pissed & spewed, been arrested or chucked a burnout (sorry, broke traction) in the main drag to fck off !!
glen1304 3 years ago
Here here
the86er 3 years ago
Is this at the Vicar of Wakefied at Dural? Cause I was there with the Rivo crew!
Munjularublangata 4 years ago
Sorry... first half of lyrics are last.
glen1304 4 years ago
They better listen cause were ringin' a bell
Aint no deals, we got nothing to sell
just a taste of things to come.. At the star hotel
Those in charge are getting crazier
Job queues grow through the land
An uncontolled youth in a Asia,
Whos Gonna make those fools understand
Whos gonna make those fools understand
At the star hotel
glen1304 4 years ago
All last night we were learning
drank our cheques by the bar
somewhere bridges were burning
as the walls came down at the star
Squad cars fanned the insanity
news men fought through the crowd
spent last night under custody
and the sun found me on the road
At the star hotel
glen1304 4 years ago
Has memories this tune.
XC Falcon police car made a nice bon-fire.
It was outside the water board building :)
AmbushGamer 4 years ago
id love to say australia has done better but we really havent, either way the chisel is epic, cant compare the "aussie rock" we hear today.....to the chisel or any other great, 99.9% of aussie rock 2day is geyer than pricilla suckin off the queen of the desert, i.e. shannon knoll(if se pulled up in my leg of the country, h'ed get what he deserves, a firm crack in that boof hed of his./.
dbags007 4 years ago 4
I agree with you on Shannon Noll
xxNenekoChanXX 4 years ago
Me too. lol
chewonthatblue 4 years ago
Barnsey puts so much effort into singing, like he's going to bust a blood vessel!
ethicomm 4 years ago
I saw Cold Chisel live in 79 in Sydney,they FUCKEN ROCKED back then.They were Australias BEST ROCK BAND.!!!!!!!
Kazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 4 years ago
cloud breaker how is this cold chisels best song haha