1966 and All That...

1966, what a year! Two landmark Beatles’ albums, Rubber Soul and Revolver, were at the heart of a new direction in music. Instead of ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’, experimentation was leading the way. The Beach Boys responded with Pet Sounds, and new artists like Cream, Hendrix and The Doors were also pushing boundaries.

Now Canberra’s leading musical satirists, John Shortis and Moya Simpson, join forces with Keith Potger of The Seekers to present 1966 and All That*, an intriguing look at this seminal year from three viewpoints. Moya was a mod in the midst of Swinging London, hearing the music live, following the fashions. John was in not-so-cool Wollongong belting out Beatles’ songs on the piano. Keith’s group was topping the charts around the world, even keeping The Beatles from the number one spot, and performing on the same bill at Wembley.

Here in Australia, our currency went decimal, Bob Menzies passed the prime ministerial baton to Harold Holt, who went ‘all the way with LBJ’, and Opera House designer, Jørn Utzon, was given his marching orders.

With a wealth of songs and stories, Moya, Keith and John present unique perspectives of this fascinating time.

As usual, 1966 and All That is full of humour, poignancy, surprising information, and a dash of satire. Don’t miss it.

NB: 1966 and All That marks the premiere appearance of Elizabeth Hawkes as a performer

*With apologies to W C Sellar and R J Yeatman, writers of 1066 and All That, a popular spoof of English history published in 1930.