There are some birthdays that call for a nice dinner, a bottle of wine and an early night. Dean “Bozzie” Boswell’s 60th was never going to be one of them. For more than two decades, Bozzie and Back In The Day have been part of Melbourne’s hard rock community. It began in 2003 with one very simple philosophy – give people who loved their music loud, their guitars big and their nights out even bigger somewhere to call home.
For 13 years, Back In The Day brought together the bands, DJs, punters and assorted rock ‘n’ roll lifers who weren’t particularly interested in being told that the music they grew up with had gone out of fashion. The regular events may have finished in 2016, but the people never really went anywhere. They’re a little older, maybe a little wiser, although that’s debatable, and the music certainly hasn’t got any quieter. So when the man responsible for so many of those nights turns 60, there really is only one appropriate way to celebrate. Get everyone Back In The Day together again.
On Saturday, August 29, BOZZFEST takes over Melbourne’s Leadbeater Hotel for one massive reunion and birthday bash featuring a collection of Australian hard rock names that don’t exactly spend every other weekend playing around town anymore. Heading south for their only Melbourne show are hard rock veterans THE POOR, bringing the kind of loud, sweaty, no bullshit rock ‘n’ roll that has made them a favourite with Australian hard rock audiences for decades. They’ve earned those stripes the hard way too, touring extensively with AC/DC on the Ballbreaker tour both here and in the USA, along with runs alongside Scorpions, Van Halen and KISS.
They’re joined by genuine Aussie pioneers HEAVEN, also making their only Melbourne appearance and bring a special Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath set alongside Heaven classics. Saturday, August 29 5.00PM–1.00AM Leadbeater Hotel, 1 Church Street, Richmond. Tickets are on sale now via Oztix.
