Star Hotel riot
Encyclopedia
The Star Hotel riot, occasioned by the closing down of a popular pub, was one of the largest riots in Australian history. An estimated 4,000 people fought with police on the streets of Newcastle, New South Wales
on the night of 19 September 1979.
, Australia
, was a pub and live music venue. It was popular with young people, the university crowd and featured live music in all genres. The Star was run down, and had attracted negative attention from the authorities.
It was closed down by the owners, Tooth and Co.
with only one week's notice, inspiring a protest campaign, and the Star's final night of trading was Wednesday, 19 September 1979.
.
The band playing on the night was the Heroes, who later recorded a song called Star and the Slaughter. Band members include Phil Screen and Mark Tinson, who previously played in Rabbit with Dave Evans
, the original vocalist of AC/DC
.
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
on the night of 19 September 1979.
Background
The Star Hotel, in the West End district of NewcastleNewcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, Australia
Australia
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...
, was a pub and live music venue. It was popular with young people, the university crowd and featured live music in all genres. The Star was run down, and had attracted negative attention from the authorities.
It was closed down by the owners, Tooth and Co.
Tooth and Co.
Tooth and Co. was the major brewer of beer in New South Wales, Australia. The company owned a large brewery on Broadway in Sydney from 1835 until 1985, known as the Kent Brewery...
with only one week's notice, inspiring a protest campaign, and the Star's final night of trading was Wednesday, 19 September 1979.
Riot
The Star's final night featured live music and free beer. Many attendees of 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. The event was covered by local TV stations and made international news.Popular culture
The Star Hotel closure was the subject of a song by Australian band Cold ChiselCold Chisel
Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
.
The band playing on the night was the Heroes, who later recorded a song called Star and the Slaughter. Band members include Phil Screen and Mark Tinson, who previously played in Rabbit with Dave Evans
Dave Evans (singer)
Dave Evans is an Australian singer best known as the original lead singer of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1973-1974.-AC/DC:...
, the original vocalist of AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
.
External links
- Star Hotel Riots: 1979 -- links to audio and video
- The night the Star exploded
- Song Lyrics, "Star Hotel" by Don Walker as performed by Cold Chisel