Get ready for a major rock event that brings the ’50s back to life every year – the music, the fashion, and the cars are all on show at GreazeFest. Lori Lee Cash, director and ringmaster of the event, says the music was a major driver.
“In the mid-1950s, Elvis took the world by storm with a mix of Afro-American rhythm and blues and Caucasian country music – that was the birth of rockabilly, then rockabilly turned into rock’n’roll,” she says.
“Post-war optimism and economic growth set the stage, and teenagers became recognised as their own social force with their own voice. There was the increasing popularity of radio – you no longer had to sit in the lounge room to listen; transistor radios and carry-case record players made music portable.”
Fashion also played a major role.
“After the restrictions of the war, fashion became all about abundance and colour – huge flowing circle skirts, pleated skirts and all sorts of fashion opportunities,” Lori says.
“In a rebellious streak, girls started wearing denim jeans and loafers, the start of gender cross-over in fashion – and the emergence of teen movies presented popular role models for young people.”
The cars of the period were iconic, and manufacturers developed car designs that competed to have the biggest tail fins and lots of chrome, echoing the growing world preoccupation with space travel and rockets. But while the cars, clothes and music are the identifiers, Lori says that the people who come to GreazeFest are what makes it fly.
“I provide the structure, but the colour of the festival is created by the inner core, who live the rockabilly lifestyle, and the audiences who come to look at them and also dress up to the nines – it’s a very visual festival; we’re all looking at each other!” she says.
Get set for music, dance (22 bands), Australian and overseas performers, professional pin striping, and
Tiki carving – check out www.greazefest.com for more program information and mark August 1, 2, and 3 in your diary!
