UPDATE: JULY 29, 2020 — Because of the recent onslaught of rain — not because of COVID–19 — Hockey Dad has had to postpone the drive-in shows it had scheduled for Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1. They are now set to go ahead on October 9 and 10. The band posted a video on Instagram apologising for the date change and showing just how muddy the Bulli Showground currently is. Refunds are available via Moshtix.
With live music venues closed and mass gatherings off the cards, gigs have been few and far between during COVID-19. But, they're slowly starting to make a comeback, with a few drive-in concerts and festivals creeping on to calendars over winter. Something else is creeping onto stage for NSW's next drive-in gig, too: zombies.
Windang surf-rockers Hockey Dad are taking over Bulli Showground (a 20-minute drive from Wollongong and 90 minutes from Sydney) for a zombie apocalypse-themed album launch. Held across two nights, Friday, July 31 (this is already sold out) and Saturday, August 1, Alive at the Drive-In will see the band performing their brand new album Brain Candy, which features already-released hits 'I Missed Out', 'Itch' and 'In This State'. They'll be supported on stage by Wollongong locals The Pinheads, too, and surf doco Rage 3 will also screen on the night.
It's your excuse to head out of town and head to a gig — and to have a unique experience while you're at it. Pre COVID-19, no one would've imagined that drive-in concerts and music festivals would be a thing. Now, they're part of our new reality.
It'll work a little like a drive-in cinema, with guests charged by the car ($209 a car, in fact) and audio blasted by FM radio. To comply with COVID-19 regulations, you'll only be allowed to leave your car to use the loo.
Tickets to the first night of the drive-in were snapped up faster than *insert zombie pun here*, so don't sit on the second release if you're keen to head along. Tickets include a ghoulish poster and a bag of merch, too.
Tickets for Hockey Dad – Alive at the Drive-In go on sale at 9am on Thursday, June 11.
Top image: Ian Laidlaw