Dragon
Bulli Showgrounds, Grevillea Park Rd, 2516 Bulli Directions
Sat 05.12.2026 12:30
Wollongong is set to rock this summer, with the Sounds of Rock Festival arriving at Bulli Showground on Saturday, 5 December for a huge day of classic hits and live music.
Headlining the festival are internationally renowned soft rock legends Air Supply, joined by an iconic lineup featuring The Black Sorrows, Mental As Anything, Ross Wilson, Dragon, Toni Childs, and 1927.
Following successful shows across Queensland, NUI Events is bringing the festival to the Illawarra for the very first time, delivering a nostalgic celebration of some of Australia’s favourite live music acts.
Performers
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Dragon Festival
Dragon, Purveyors of Antipodean anthems since 1973.
We never stop moving.
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Air SupplyThe trademark sound of Russell Hitchcock’s soaring tenor voice and Graham Russell’s simple yet majestic songs create a unique sound that will forever be known as Air Supply. With their heavily orchestrated, sweet ballads, the Australian group became a staple of early-'80s radio.
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The Black Sorrows
“Jo Jo Zep brought soul to Oz rock and The Black Sorrows did it again” Rolling Stone Australia Jan 2017
Formed in Melbourne in 1984 by Joe Camilleri, The Black Sorrows continue to be one of Australia’s most enduring touring bands, earning the reputation as a dynamic live act and festival favourite. Their musicianship and energy appeals to music fans everywhere. On stage, frontman Joe Camilleri steers the band through an infectious interplay of solid grooves that mixes blues, soul, old school R&B and gospel, with flashes of jazz, country and Brill Building pop.
Awarded “Living Legend” status by Australian Rolling Stone, Joe Camilleri has kicked a staggering number of goals during his 50+ years in music as a singer, songwriter, multi-talented musician and producer. Joe first came to prominence as leader of seminal 70’s band, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons. Considered one of the most genuinely talented figures in Australian music, Joe was inducted into the ARIA Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
The Black Sorrows have a legion of loyal fans throughout Australia and Europe. There have been hit records and multi-platinum albums and relentless touring. Joe’s songwriting skills are much in demand with greats, Elvis Costello and John Denver having recorded versions of his songs.
Along with Joe Camilleri (vocals/guitar/sax/harp) the band boast a formidable lineup with Claude Carranza (guitar/vocals), Mark Gray (bass/vocals), James Black (keyboards/vocals) and Tony Floyd (drums).
“Catching The Black Sorrows brand of raw, rootsy, hip-shaking rock’n’roll feels like discovering the best bar band in the world” The Dubai National
“…you know you’re in the presence of a real thumping, jangling, Mississippi-by-way-of-Melbourne rock n’ roll band”
The Skinny Edinburgh
“Camilleri is an Aussie rock legend and one of this nation’s finest performers..the epitome of a hardworking entertainer who knows how to connect with his audience.” Sydney Morning Herald
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Mental As AnythingOfficial new page for the iconic band Mental As Anything. With more top 40 hits than any Aussie band and 50 years under their belt, Founding members Reg Mombassa and Peter O’Doherty are bringing together an incredible new band and tour in 2026. Stay tuned
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1927From the golden era for Australian rock bands, to reinvigorating fans today 1927 is a national treasure that has been entertaining audiences for more than 30 years. Having stood the test of time they’ve earned their place as icons of the Australian music scene.
Known for hits such as 'That's When I Think of You', 'Compulsory Hero', 'To Love Me', 'Scars', and of course, 'If I Could', 1927 became overnight household names with their debut album '…ish' in 1988.
'…ish' went five- times Platinum, stayed in the ARIA chart for 46 weeks (selling an excess of 400,000 copies) and won ARIA’s for best debut single and album.
1927 are currently touring Australia - these shows are not to be missed!
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Ross WilsonRoss "The Boss" Wilson inhabits a venerable place in Australia's rock pantheon alongside the likes of John Farnham, Jimmy Barnes, and Billy Thorpe during a career that has spanned four decades. Starting with the R&B outfit the Pink Fink in 1965, he then fronted the Party Machine until 1969 before travelling to the U.K. to join the ailing band Procession. He returned to Australia in 1970 and joined Sons of the Vegetal Mother which soon transformed into the highly successful Daddy Cool. The band's debut, Daddy Who? Daddy Cool!, and the Wilson-penned single "Eagle Rock" both reached number one on the national Australian charts. Wilson broke up Daddy Cool in August 1972 to form a new band, Mighty Kong. He then performed as Cousin Kevin in the Australian production of the Who's Tommy along with other Australian performers including Billy Thorpe, Daryl Braithwaite, and Colleen Hewett. Mighty Kong broke up in December 1973 and Wilson reformed Daddy Cool in January 1974; this time the band lasted until September 1975. Wilson began producing other acts, including albums for groundbreaking fellow Australian rockers the Skyhooks. His work on Living in the 70s, Ego is Not a Dirty Word, and Straight in a Gay Gay World sealed his reputation and he served as producer for albums by Company Caine, Ray Burgess, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, Gary Young, the Dynamic Hypnotics, the Johnnys, as well as the Street Hero soundtrack. Teaming up with Little River Band manager Glenn Wheatley, Wilson set up his own record label, Oz Records, which successfully released music by his band Mondo Rock, as well as the Sports, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, Stiletto, and Mark Gillespie. His solo career was launched with the single "Living in the Land of Oz" in August 1976. The track was featured in the film Oz and later appeared on the Various Artists album Building Bridges in 1989. Wilson's band Mondo Rock went on to become one of the most popular Australian acts of the '80s, and during this time, he also performed with a side project called Rockhouse. In 1983 he wrote and produced the hit single "Bop Girl" for his wife Pat Wilson which peaked at number two on the national charts. In 1988, Wilson was inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association's (ARIA) Hall of Fame. After more than 20 years in the business, Wilson released his debut solo album, Dark Side of the Man, in July 1989. The album peaked at number 24 nationally and the most successful single was "Bed of Nails" which peaked at number 24. Working again with Mondo Rock, their 1990 album Why Fight It? wasn't as successful as their previous work and Wilson broke up the band to work with new project RAW in 1991. The band toured until it dissolved in 1993. Wilson then released a cover of Spencer P. Jones "The World's Got Everything in It" for the Various Artists album Earth Music in June 1994. He continued to produce and appeared with the Angels during their 1997 Lounge Lizards Tour. ~ Brendan Swift, Rovi -
Toni ChildsEmmy Winner and three time Grammy nominated recording artist,