MULGA BILL'S BICYCLE BAND

Mulga Bill’s Bicycle Band was perhaps the earliest, large full time, Australian ‘folk revival’ band. It began in 1970 as an offshoot of The University of Melbourne Folk Club and played first as a nine-person group in Swan Hill, Victoria in August 1970. Most members of the initial band were at that time students at the university. The band’s most active touring within Australia occurred in the three years between mid-1972 and mid 1975. Before 1973 most of the work involved one off gigs at a wide range of events including weddings, balls, festivals and hotels. The former Polaris Inn Hotel in Nicholson Street was a regular Friday night gig, and the band did a lot of work for events at Emu Bottom in Sunbury. The band also appeared on HSV Channel 7 Penthouse Club as well at GTV 9’s Graham Kennedy Show. The only overseas trip the band undertook was to play and represent Australia at the World Cup Soccer Final opening concert in Frankfurt, (West) Germany in June 1974.

In 1974 the band completed two repeat Arts Council tours of NSW and Queensland, the latter lasting eight weeks and covering much of the huge state. By the time the band members collectively decided to cease in July 1975 the band had played in hundreds of towns and venues in the four eastern Australian states and was very well known. The only state where touring was limited was Western Australia. The band also appeared at the Sunbury Pop Festival in 1972 and 1973.

Over the full course of the band’s operation between 1970 and 1978, over a dozen members were at some stage part of the band. Only three original members: Tony Britz, Liz Eager and Barry Golding were there at the start and also at the end. The band produced two records. The first was an LP 'Mulga Bill’s Bicycle Band: In Concert' (Basket, BBBS 002, 1974) recorded mostly live on tour in Queensland in 1973. The second record, released in 1974 was an EP 'Rum and Raspberry: Mulga Bill’s Bicycle Band' with four tracks (Klarion Studio, Melbourne recording, Stereo SF297B). Both records were paid for by the band and were sold mainly at concerts across Australia between 1973 and 1975.

Members

Elizabeth Vincent (violin); Tony Britz (vocals/banjo); Liz Eager (mandolin/flute); Ian Sullivan (double bass); Wendy de Veer (recorder); Barry Golding (lagerphone/percussion); Peter McDonald (guitar), John Langmead (guitar); Geoff O’Connell (bass); Chris Bettle (violin) Marsh Robinson (guitar/bass), Jo Beams (vocals) Peter Howell (double bass) Lionel O'Keefe (guitar vocals)

EPs

'Rum & Raspberry' 1973 Klarion

ALBUMS

'Live In Queensland' 1974 Basket
'Old And New (Mulga Bill's Bicycle Band Live Across Australia 1973-1975)' 2008

References

https://barrygoanna.com/mulga-bills-bicycle-band/