Countdown Spectacular
Encyclopedia
The Countdown Spectacular is a series of concerts reviving the nostalgia of the Australian music television series Countdown.
The Melbourne concert was edited into a television special and DVD.
. This featured international artists as well as "a host of Australian Countdown favourites". Artists on the tour were:
The concerts were hosted by Ian "Molly" Meldrum
, John Paul Young
and Gavin Wood.
Countdown Spectacular
The first tour was staged from June to August 2006. It featured mainly Australian artists and groups, some re-forming specially for the tour, plus several international artists now living in Australia. Artists and groups performing on the tour included:- Joe CamilleriJoe CamilleriJoseph Vincent "Joe" Camilleri, aka Jo Jo Zep or Joey Vincent, is an Australian vocalist, songwriter and saxophonist. Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows...
- Brian Canham from Pseudo EchoPseudo EchoPseudo Echo are an Australian New Wave band formed in 1982 in Melbourne. The original line-up consisted of Brian Canham , Pierre Gigliotti , Tony Lugton and Anthony Argiro . A later line-up included James Leigh and his brother, Vince Leigh...
- Scott Carne from Kids in the KitchenKids in the KitchenKids in the Kitchen was a band from Melbourne, Australia that enjoyed considerable local success during the 1980s. The band stood squarely within the New Romantic movement that dominated mid-1980s pop, showing influences of "New-Rom" groups such as Ultravox in its use of synthesisers, its...
- ChantooziesChantooziesChantoozies were an Australian pop group active from 1986 to 1991. The band featured four female singers: Eve von Bibra, Angie La Bozzetta, Ally Fowler and Tottie Goldsmith; and four male musicians: Brett Goldsmith , Scott Griffiths , Frank McKoy and David Reyne...
- CheetahCheetah (band)Cheetah were an Australian rock band active between 1977 and 1982. The main members and vocalists were sisters Chrissie Hammond and Lyndsay Hammond . They had been session vocalists for many Australian artists including Jo Jo Zep, Jon English, Marc Hunter, Flash and the Pan and as a vocal duo...
- The ChoirboysThe Choirboys (band)The Choirboys are an Australian hard rock band from Sydney formed in 1979 with mainstays Mark Gable on lead vocals and Ian Hulme on bass guitar and were later joined by drummer Paul Wheeler. Their hit "Run to Paradise" reached No. 3 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart in late 1987. The...
- Stephen CummingsStephen CummingsStephen Donald Cummings is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and writer. He was lead singer of Melbourne-based rock band, The Sports, during 1976–1981, followed by a solo career which has met with critical acclaim but has had limited commercial success...
of The SportsThe SportsThe Sports were a popular Australian rock group that performed and recorded between 1976 and 1981.Based in Melbourne, Victoria, the group released a number of successful singles and albums. Their sound fitted well with both 1970s British pub rock bands and British New Wave... - Joe DolceJoe DolceJoseph "Joe" Dolce is an American-born, Australian singer/songwriter who achieved fame with his multi-million-selling song, "Shaddap You Face", released under the name of his one-man show, Joe Dolce Music Theatre, in 1980...
- Jon EnglishJon EnglishJonathan James "Jon" English is an Australian rock singer, musician, actor and writer. English emigrated to Australia with his parents in 1961...
- EuroglidersEuroglidersEurogliders were an Indie pop band formed in 1981 in Perth, Western Australia, which included mainstays Grace Knight on vocals and Bernie Lynch on guitar and vocals. The band was originally formed by Bernie Lynch and Amanda Vincent under the name Living Single. After almost a year, Grace Knight...
- Renée GeyerRenée GeyerRenée Rebecca Geyer is an Australian singer who has long been regarded as one of the finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B idioms. She had commercial success as a solo artist in Australia, with "It's a Man's Man's World", "Heading in the Right Direction" and "Stares and Whispers" in the 1970s and...
- Frankie J. Holden
- HushHush (band)Hush was a 1970s Australian glam rock pop group and became famous during frequent appearances on the ABC show Countdown for live concerts and teenagers, and they would not have come into existence without the superb John Koutts on drums....
- James FreudJames FreudJames Randall Freud was an Australian rock musician-songwriter. He was a member of Models during the 1980s and wrote their two most popular singles, "Barbados" and "Out of Mind, Out of Sight"....
and Sean Kelly from ModelsModels (band)Models were an alternative rock group formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1978 and went into hiatus in 1988. They are often incorrectly referred to as The Models. They re-formed in 2000, 2006 and 2008 to perform reunion concerts. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", their only No. 1 hit,... - Brian MannixBrian MannixBrian Mannix is an Australian rock music singer and actor.He guest-starred in several episodes of Australian soap Neighbours in 1993 as Conor Cleary, a love interest for Lauren Carpenter....
- Paul NortonPaul NortonPaul N. Norton was an American artist. The son of a railway clerk, Norton painted more than 500 watercolors in his career, and also created many memorable logos for companies such as Dairy Queen, Pella Windows, and others. His paintings can be found hanging in the White House, U.S...
- James ReyneJames ReyneJames Reyne is an Australian rock musician and singer/songwriter both as a member of the iconic 1980s band Australian Crawl and solo work.. He is a successful singer/ songwriter and prolific artist...
- Leo SayerLeo SayerLeo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
- SherbetSherbet (band)Sherbet was one of the most prominent and successful Australian rock bands of the 1970s. Their biggest singles were "Summer Love" and "Howzat" , both reaching number one in Australia. "Howzat" was also a top 5 hit in the UK. Though the band's success in the U.S...
- Alex Smith of Moving PicturesMoving Pictures (band)Moving Pictures was a rock music band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1980. They are best known for their hit single, "What About Me" and multi-platinum album Days of Innocence, both of which topped the charts in Australia.-Biography:...
- Wendy StapletonWendy StapletonWendy Anne-Marie Stapleton is an Australian pop/rock singer-songwriter, and musical theatre and television actress. Stapleton has performed as a backing singer, session musician and a solo artist; she fronted various Melbourne-based groups including Wendy Stapleton Band and Wendy & the Rocketts ...
(Wendy & the Rocketts) - Dave Sterry from Real LifeReal Life (band)Real Life are a Melbourne-based Australian New Wave/Synthpop band that had hits with their debut single, "Send Me an Angel" and with "Catch Me I'm Falling" , both of which were featured on the band's debut album Heartland .-Biography:...
- SwaneeSwanee (singer)John Swan, better known as Swanee, is a Australian rock singer. He was born John Archibold Dixon Swan in Glasgow, Scotland in 1952. He is the older brother of rock singer Jimmy Barnes and the uncle of singer and stage performer David Campbell. He emigrated to Australia with his family in 1961...
- Wilbur WildeWilbur WildeWilbur Wilde is an Australian saxophonist. He rose to prominence with the bands Ol' 55, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons...
- John Paul YoungJohn Paul YoungJohn Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
The Melbourne concert was edited into a television special and DVD.
Countdown Spectacular 2
A second tour was held from Saturday 18 August to Wednesday 5 September 2007 in all major capital cities of AustraliaAustralia
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...
. This featured international artists as well as "a host of Australian Countdown favourites". Artists on the tour were:
- Birtles Shorrock GobleBirtles Shorrock GobleBirtles Shorrock Goble are an Australian pop/rock group composed of the three original singers and songwriters of Little River Band, namely Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock, and Graeham Goble. The members are known for their extensive writing and performance of hit songs and distinctive vocal harmonies...
, the original members of Little River BandLittle River BandLittle River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only... - Graham BonnetGraham BonnetGraham Bonnet is an English rock vocalist, and songwriter. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist, and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.-Early days:Bonnet was born in Skegness in 1947...
- Kate CeberanoKate CeberanoKate Ceberano is an Australian singer. She achieved success in the soul, jazz and pop genres as well as in her brief forays into musicals with Jesus Christ Superstar and film...
- ChantooziesChantooziesChantoozies were an Australian pop group active from 1986 to 1991. The band featured four female singers: Eve von Bibra, Angie La Bozzetta, Ally Fowler and Tottie Goldsmith; and four male musicians: Brett Goldsmith , Scott Griffiths , Frank McKoy and David Reyne...
- ChoirboysThe ChoirboysThe Choirboys may refer to:*Choirboy, a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble*The Choirboys , a 1975 novel by Joseph Wambaugh*The Choirboys , a 1977 film adaptation of the novel starring Perry King...
- Richard ClaptonRichard ClaptonRichard Clapton is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Sydney, New South Wales. His solo top 20 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart are "Girls on the Avenue" and "I Am an Island"...
- Martha Davis from The MotelsThe MotelsThe Motels are a New Wave music band from the Los Angeles area best known for "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Their song "Total Control" reached #4 on the Australian charts in 1980...
- Jon EnglishJon EnglishJonathan James "Jon" English is an Australian rock singer, musician, actor and writer. English emigrated to Australia with his parents in 1961...
- Doug FiegerDoug FiegerDouglas Lars "Doug" Fieger was an American singer-songwriter-musician. He was the lead singer of the power pop band The Knack, and co-wrote "My Sharona", the biggest hit song of 1979 in the USA, with lead guitarist, Berton Averre.-Life and career:Fieger's father was Jewish, and his mother of...
from The KnackThe KnackThe Knack was an American New Wave rock quartet based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international number one hit in 1979.-Founding :... - Samantha FoxSamantha FoxSamantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
- Richard Gower from RaceyRaceyRacey was a British pop group, formed in 1976 in Weston-super-Mare, by singer Phil Fursdon and Clive Wilson. The group was formerly known as Alive 'n' Rockin.-Career:...
- Paul GrayPaul Gray (songwriter)Paul Gray is an Australian songwriter, pianist, singer and record producer. He met with early success as the lead vocalist for the 1980s funk/pop band. Wa Wa Nee....
from Wa Wa NeeWa Wa NeeWa Wa Nee was an Australian funk/pop band, active from approximately 1985 to 1989.-Career: Led by singer/songwriter Paul Gray and guitarist Steve Williams, bassist Mark Gray and drummer 'The Sween', the band signed with CBS Records in 1985. Wa Wa Nee had four singles in the Australian top 40 from... - Shane Howard from GoannaGoanna (band)Goanna is an Australian folk rock group which formed in 1977 in Geelong as The Goanna Band with mainstay Shane Howard as singer-songwriter and guitarist...
- Ignatius JonesIgnatius JonesIgnatius Jones is an Australian actor and former lead singer of punk cabaret band Jimmy And The Boys.With David Atkins, he was the creative force behind the Opening Ceremony of Shanghai 2010 World Expo and the Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games...
from Jimmy And The BoysJimmy And The BoysJimmy and the Boys were an Australian New Wave band, active from 1976 to 1984, best known for their incredibly violent stage shows. The act revolved around vocalist Ignatius Jones and keyboard player Joylene Thornbird Hairmouth - a couple of friends from Cranbrook and Riverview, exclusive private... - Katrina LeskanichKatrina LeskanichKatrina Leskanich is an American singer and musician, long time resident of the United Kingdom. She is best known for being the lead singer and namesake of the pop band Katrina and the Waves.-Early life:...
from Katrina and the WavesKatrina and the WavesKatrina and the Waves was an English pop rock band, best known for their 1985 hit "Walking on Sunshine" and their 1997 Eurovision Song Contest victory with the song "Love Shine a Light".-Pre-history: The Waves and Mama's Cookin' :... - David Mason from The ReelsThe ReelsThe Reels is an Australian rock/indie pop group which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976 and initially disbanded in 1991, they eventually reformed in 2007. Their 1981 song, "Quasimodo's Dream", was voted one of the Top 10 Australian songs of all time by a 100-member panel from Australasian...
- Les McKeownLes McKeownLeslie Richard McKeown is a pop singer. He was the lead singer for the 1970s pop sensation the Bay City Rollers during their most successful period.-Biography:...
from The Bay City Rollers - Doc NeesonDoc NeesonBernard "Doc" Neeson is an Australian rock singer. Neeson is known as the lead singer and frontman for Australian hard rock band The Angels.-Early life:...
from The AngelsThe Angels (Australian band)The Angels are a hard rock band that formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1970. The band later relocated from Adelaide to Sydney and enjoyed huge local success until well into the 1990s. For the purposes of international release, their records were released under the names Angel City and later The... - Sharon O'NeillSharon O'Neill-Albums:*1979 - This Heart This Song*1980 - Sharon O'Neill*1980 - Words*1981 - Maybe*1983 - Foreign Affairs*1983 - Smash Palace *1984 - So Far - The Best 14...
- David PatonDavid PatonDavid Paton is a Scottish bass and guitar player, most notably with three different bands: Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and Camel. He has also worked as a solo artist, session musician, and sometime vocalist...
from PilotPilot (band)Pilot was a pop rock musical group, formed during 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland by the former Bay City Rollers members, David Paton and Billy Lyall.-Career:... - Plastic BertrandPlastic BertrandPlastic Bertrand is a Belgian musician, songwriter, producer, editor and television presenter, best known for the 1977 international hit single "Ça plane pour moi".-Early life and bands:...
- The Radiators
- John SchumannJohn SchumannJohn Lewis Schumann is an Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist from Adelaide. He is best known as the lead singer for the folk group Redgum, with their chart-topping hit "I Was Only 19 ", a song exploring the psychological and medical side-effects of serving in the Australian forces during...
from RedgumRedgumRedgum were an Australian folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriter John Schumann, Michael Atkinson on guitars/vocals and Verity Truman on flute/vocals; they were soon joined by Chris Timms on violin. All four had been students at Flinders University and... - Robin ScottRobin ScottRobin Scott , lead singer and founder of a music project he called M, is a singer originally from the United Kingdom. His career encompasses four decades.-Early life:...
from MM (band)M was English musician Robin Scott's brief but very successful new wave/synthpop project in the late 1970s and early 1980s. M is most known for the 1979 hit "Pop Muzik", which reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1979, and #1 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on 3 November 1979... - SherbertSherbertSherbert may refer to:* "Sherbert," a phonetic alternative spelling for sherbet, an iced dessert containing both fruit juice and between 1% and 2% milkfat...
- Rick SpringfieldRick SpringfieldRick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
- SupernautSupernaut (band)Supernaut were an Australian glam/punk rock band from Perth, Australia formed in 1974 and disbanded in 1980.-History:Formed in 1974 in Perth, Western Australia, Supernaut had a short but successful career which yielded two straight top twenty singles and gold album status for their self titled...
- Swannee
- John Paul YoungJohn Paul YoungJohn Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
The concerts were hosted by Ian "Molly" Meldrum
Ian Meldrum
Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum AM is an Australian popular music critic, journalist, record producer , and musical entrepreneur...
, John Paul Young
John Paul Young
John Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
and Gavin Wood.