LOCAL LIFE
Historic Australian music contest given new life
Do you remember Hoadley’ s Battle of the Sounds? Perhaps you were even part of it? If so, Newcastle radio host Jack Hodgins wants to hear from you.
Mr Hodgins is currently writing a book that chronicles the iconic Hoadley’ s contest— Australia’ s biggest music competition from the 1960s through to the early 1970s, with Sydney playing a key role in its legacy.
Hoadley’ s Chocolates, founded in 1913 and best known for creating the Violet Crumble, ran the national Battle of the Sounds from 1966 to 1972.
At its height, the contest featured more than sixty heats across the country, giving young bands the chance to compete for a coveted spot in the national grand final.
“ The Sydney heat attracted over a hundred groups every year,” says Hodgins.“ It was so popular that elimination rounds had to be held.” Legendary acts such as Doug Parkinson in Focus and Flying Circus rose through the Sydney rounds. Flying Circus went on to win the national competition in 1970, securing a return trip to Los Angeles as part of their prize.
Hodgins first stumbled upon the contest while hosting his radio show Vinyl Vibes.
“ I was interviewing a lot of Newcastle musicians from the’ 60s and’ 70s, and they kept mentioning Hoadley’ s,” he recalls.
His early research led him to several Facebook groups dedicated to Newcastle’ s music scene, where a member eventually shared a PDF of a 1995 document attempting to catalogue the contest’ s history.
“ It’ s the only resource I’ ve found so far— but it’ s full of gaps,” Hodgins notes.
Determined to preserve this unique slice of Australian music history, he began piecing together any available details. His work has already uncovered some unexpected treasures.
“ I was sent surviving audio from the 1966 Lismore heat,” he explains.“ I’ d read that Jeff Fatt— who would later become a founding member of The Wiggles— played in a band called The Brass Nobbs at that heat. I was stunned to realise I had audio of their performance.”
The one-minute recording features a cover of the Peter Gunn theme— just one example of the rare finds emerging through Hodgins’ research.
Despite Sydney’ s prominent role in the contest, much remains unknown— particularly about the bands that performed and the songs they played.
“ So much of this was never formally recorded,” Hodgins says.“ In many cases, the only reliable sources are the people who were there.”
Mr Hodgins is aiming to release the book in June 2026 and is still appealing for contributions.
If you have any information about the Sydney heats or the contest in general, you can contact him via email at jackhodgins67 @ gmail. com.
THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine. com. au ISSUE 121 // JULY 2025 11