As a Christmas surprise for fans across Australia, the Skyhooks Archives has released a new mini documentary titled In The Heat Of The Night. 50. The film revisits the band’s December 1975 In The Heat Of The Night tour, a pivotal run of shows staged just before Skyhooks departed for the United States. The tour was rarely documented at the time, making this release a significant addition to the band’s visual history.
The documentary arrives exactly fifty years after Skyhooks first performed at Wollongong Showgrounds. According to Skyhooks archivist Peter Green, the anniversary carries personal and cultural weight. Skyhooks were already a national phenomenon in late 1975, yet their presence in Wollongong was controversial. Local authorities attempted to prevent the band from performing, citing concerns about youth morality and public behaviour.
The Wollongong show almost never happened. Earlier that year, the council successfully cancelled a Skyhooks appearance on the Ego tour. When In The Heat Of The Night was announced, history appeared ready to repeat itself. Public pressure changed the outcome. Music fans, families and the broader community challenged the decision, forcing a reversal.
The concert went ahead and became the second largest crowd of the entire tour. Only the Melbourne Myer Music Bowl hometown show attracted more people. For many fans, Wollongong represented defiance through music, with Skyhooks symbolising youth culture pushing back against conservative authority during a transformative decade.
The film features recent interviews with bassist and songwriter Greg Macainsh, drummer Fred Imants Strauks and archivist Peter Green. Archival footage includes rare backstage scenes of Shirley Strachan at the WACA in Perth, captured during the tour’s final leg. Guitarist Bob Starkie passed away before filming could take place, a loss that is addressed with honesty and restraint.
Green recounts the difficult moment of learning about Starkie’s death while already filming. His emotional response remains in the documentary, underscoring the personal stakes involved in preserving the band’s history. Keyboardist Red Symons was overseas in Hong Kong during filming, yet his presence is felt through live recordings from the era that highlight his sharp humour and musical edge.
The documentary includes a detailed narrative drawn from contemporaneous memories of the Wollongong concert. Fans recall discovering the tour advertisement, then facing disappointment when the show was cancelled. Community backlash followed, prompting headlines announcing Skyhooks were coming after all. Anticipation built through autograph sessions and media attention, including Shirley Strachan drawing thousands of fans at a shopping centre appearance.
On show day, teenagers witnessed their first major concert. The soundcheck alone felt overwhelming. Security attempted to remove young fans from the stands before band intervention allowed them to stay. As night fell, crowd noise intensified beyond anything first time concertgoers had experienced. Streamers flew, clothing was thrown and fans surged toward the stage.
Skyhooks delivered a set that mixed familiar songs with new material. Two encores followed, an unusual outcome at the time. The following morning, Wollongong newspapers devoted multiple pages to the event, declaring Skyhooks had taken over the city. For many attendees, the show defined their relationship with Australian rock music.
The film explores creative risks taken during the tour. A revised version of Whatever Happened To The Revolution emerged live, later recorded as a unique American release. Stage costumes pushed visual boundaries, with only Greg Macainsh’s Australian flag jumpsuit surviving today. The outfit later travelled to America, marking the band’s national identity overseas.
Fred Strauks details an ambitious solo performance built from pre recorded drums, bass and guitar. The sequence culminated in the song Lacadasical, performed by one musician assembling an entire arrangement live. The tour also introduced future album material, including early versions of songs later appearing on Straight In A Gay Gay World.
Produced by Mark Goulding and Peter Green, In The Heat Of The Night. 50 presents unseen photographs taken by Macainsh and unheard live recordings from Dubbo, Brisbane and Melbourne. It stands as a considered reflection on Skyhooks at their cultural peak, capturing the collision of music, youth identity and social change in 1970s Australia. The documentary is now available on YouTube.
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