Third wave of Australian rock "n" roll

Third wave of Australia rock began about 1970, the period in which most of the major local pop groups of the 1960’s that had dissolved and pervious solo stars like Normie Rowe who had faded from view came to light. Few act from this period attained main international success, and it was even difficult to achieve success over Australia due to low radio airplay and the increasing dominance of overseas performers on the charts. A crucial event was the 1970 radio ban that lasted from May to October that year.

The ban was the peak of a boiling pay for play dispute between major record companies and commercial radio stations that refused of pay a proposed new copyright fee for playing pop records on air.

In spite the commercial radio resistance to the more progressive music being produced by bands like spectrum and Tully, acts as varied as AC/DC, Sherbet and John Paul Young were able to achieve main success and evoke a special sound for Australian rock. From 1975, key agents for the enlarging exposure of local music were the nationally broadcast ABC-TV television pop show. The countdown which premiered in late 1974 and Australia’s first non-commercial all round rock radio station Double Jay which opened in January 1975. Hard rock band AC/DC and the harmony rock group Little River Band also found main overseas success in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s going all around the world.

This time also saw bands like Skyhooks moving towards New Wave music with the late 1970’s bringing the dominate of original punk rock bands like Saints and radio birdman as well as electronic musical groups like Cybotron, Severed Heads and Essendon Airport. Perhaps most influential of the underground scenes, however, was the growing Australia pub rock circuit, which developed in the early 1970’s and played a key role in the dominance of major bands in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s which include Cold Chisel and the Angels, and in Sydney Midnight Oil and Matt Finish.