Bob Bongo Starkie Skyhooks Show

Bob ’Bongo’ Starkie—guitarist with the legendary Skyhooks—performs the classic songs and a few more that need to be heard, in a personal celebration of one of Australia’s most beloved bands this August at Yarraville Club. In between songs Bob shares humorous anecdotes and insights into the inner workings of ‘The ‘Hooks’.

Skyhooks helped change the face of rock n roll in the 1970s with #1 and Top 10 singles to their credit, as well as two of the country’s biggest selling albums, Living In The 70s and Ego (Is Not A Dirty Word). Both produced by Ross Wilson and received incredible reviews.

The band was praised for ‘giving the Australian music industry the enema it needed’ when they smashed onto the scene in their colourful costumes, wearing make-up well before other bands tried it. Living In The 70s was their debut album, Ego is Not A Dirty Word released a year later and it wasn’t long before the five members of the bands were celebrities—Shirley, the enigmatic curly-haired lead-singer, guitarist Red Symons, guitarist Bob Starkie, bassist and songwriter Greg Macainsh and drummer Freddie Strauks.

They released killer singles such as Horror Movie, Ego (Is Not A Dirty Word), Women In Uniform and Jukebox in Siberia—to name a few—and are one of the rare bands who have been a permanently on rotation on radio stations around the country for decades. Skyhooks were inducted in the ARIA Hall of Fame and ceased touring together after the death of lead singer Shirley in 2001.

Skyhooks had six tracks from their first album Living In The Seventies banned from radio, one of which was ‘You Just Like Me Cos I’m Good In Bed’—the first track to be played on seminal radio station Double J when it started in Sydney (January,1975). The exceptional Laura Davidson returns to the show, lending her powerhouse vocals in the lead role.