Concert detail

Queen live at the private farm, Sunbury, Australia [27.01.1974]

Basic information

Artist Queen
Date 27.01.1974
Venue private farm
City Sunbury
Country Australia
Comment I have come across many wrong dates of the Queen performance at this festival. The truth is that the Queen gigs were originally scheduled for Friday 25.01. and Saturday 26.01. but for some reason their concert was rescheduled to Sunday January 27.01. (after Madder Lake) at the last moment. The second performance was cancelled due to Freddie's health issues.
Support band none or unknown
Video - information Professional recording is rumoured to exist in archives of a local TV station.
Line-up Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano, tambourine),
Brian May (electric guitar, backing vocals),
Roger Taylor (drums, backing vocals),
John Deacon (bass guitar)

Memorabilia

Ticket stub - Queen live at the private farm, Sunbury, Australia [27.01.1974] ticket stub
(WANTED)
Early Queen show souvenir - orange without photo (UK) concert program
(from my own collection)
Early Queen show souvenir - orange (UK) concert program
(from my own collection)
Early Queen show souvenir - yellow without photo (UK) concert program
(from my own collection)
Early Queen show souvenir - yellow (UK) concert program
(from my own collection)
Queen in Sunbury on 27.01.1974 concert poster

Photos

Photos supplied by: Jason

Concert photo: Queen live at the private farm, Sunbury, Australia [27.01.1974]
Concert photo: Queen live at the private farm, Sunbury, Australia [27.01.1974]
Concert photo: Queen live at the private farm, Sunbury, Australia [27.01.1974]
Concert photo: Queen live at the private farm, Sunbury, Australia [27.01.1974]

Articles

Newspaper review: Queen live at the private farm, Sunbury, Australia [27.01.1974]
Newspaper review: Queen live at the private farm, Sunbury, Australia [27.01.1974]
Newspaper review: Queen live at the private farm, Sunbury, Australia [27.01.1974]
Newspaper review: Queen live at the private farm, Sunbury, Australia [27.01.1974]

Fan stories

Written by blind freddie

Sunbury was a three day outdoor rock festival of the Woodstock kind, held near Melbourne at the height of a stinking hot Australian summer. Alcohol was being served for the first time at such an event and the mood was variously happy, ugly, violent or ecstatic.

I was 17 and loving it.

Late in the afternoon of the second day, Daddy Cool (local favourites) played what was supposedly their last ever gig before splitting. The well-lubricated crowd received them rapturously, squeezing out several encores.

Then, the "headline" act of the festival was due to play. No-one had ever heard of this English band called "Queen" (sounds poofy, though, doesn't it?) and their arrival at the festival site in limousines alienated some people.

Then there was a long delay on stage. We were told there were technical problems but after a while the slow handclapping and jeers started. After what seemed like forever, four casually dressed men came out on to the stage and exposed their arses to the audience, then walked off. I have always assumed that this was the band, although I have never been sure. In any case, it made a bad situation even worse.

Eventually Queen came on and played to a response that varied from uninterested to positively hostile (but always alcohol impaired). I was trying to be openminded, but wasn't very impressed. The set was short and there was no encore.

It took a lot of persuading from my friends to go and see Queen in concert a year or so later, after that negative experience. Fortunately, I did go and

was converted, but it was touch-and-go for a while.

Anybody else remember Sunbury?