Rockers are in for a treat: Wanstock’s 2024 festival boasts a lineup among their strongest to date, featuring not one but three all-time heavy hitters.
Come March 2, hard blues icons The Animals, New Zealand hitmakers Dragon and Aussie legends Ted Mulry Gang will make an appearance at Doncaster’s Shoppingtown Hotel for an afternoon turned evening of timeless guitar anthems.
It will be The Animals and Ted Mulry Gang’s only Melbourne shows, the first time Ted Mulry Gang have played in Melbourne for four years, and the last time The Animals will play in Australia.
The classics will be supported by Melbourne cover band Strait Shooters, as well as more recent outfits Standing Room Only and Day Dreamers, bringing extra energy to the event’s latest offering of good old-fashioned rock and roll.
Wanstock Details
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024
Venue: Shoppingtown Hotel, Doncaster, VIC
Wanstock 2024 set times
- Day Dreamers – 4:30
- Standing Room Only – 5:30
- Strait Shooters – 6:30
- Ted Mulry Gang – 7:30
- Dragon – 8:40
- The Animals – 10:00
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
The Animals
Headlining Wanstock are none other than blues grandfathers and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Animals. Nearing 60 years strong, the group are rock royalty, having found their rise alongside The Beatles and The Stones in the British Invasion of the 60s.
Molding American blues into duskier and moodier directions, the fivepiece only needed three years and as many albums to change the DNA of the music landscape for decades to come, with their furthest-reaching tracks well and truly embedded into the worldwide rock canon. Alongside their lead billing at Wanstock, the band have announced an Australian farewell tour, where they’ll soon touch down at smaller venues all across the country.
It’s a dynamic lineup: The Animals’ original drummer John Steel has once again reunited with Animals & Friends tour powerhouses Danny Handley, Roberto Ruiz and Barney Williams to bring the band’s revolutionary catalogue down under one last time.
Dragon
They’ll be joined by pop rockers Dragon, a band all too familiar with the Aussie rock scene. With a heavy arsenal of hits and 50 years on the live circuit, the New Zealand group are seasoned and sharp in their ability to carry a crowd.
The group’s history here involved a relocation to Sydney, during a state of constant lineup rotation. The mid-70s were a tumultuous time for the band, but it paid off: their footing in Australia helped bloom an enviable run of singles over the next decade or so, even succeeding the band’s success in their home country.
They’re a tried-and-true bunch: initial bassist Todd Hunter has been hard at it with vocalist Mark Williams, guitarist Bruce Reid and drummer Pete Drummond since the band’s reformation in 2006.
Ted Mulry Gang
Aussie rock staples Ted Mulry Gang are set to bring the hits out, too. The local legends were label-mates with AC/DC back in the day, helping brandish the rock of the Brits into something properly Australian, bringing a brash, upfront sound to the forefront of the airwaves of the 70s. A band’s band, the group received huge support and respect from the music industry and fans alike after Ted Mulry’s cancer diagnosis in 2001. Still in the hearts of many, original members Les Hall and Herm Kovac are once again to team with Ted’s brother Steve and long-standing friend and bass player Tony Mitchell for a couple of shows in 2024.
Standing Room Only
Boasting huge sonics and a promise to harken back to good old Aussie rock grit, Standing Room Only have been tearing through regional Victoria with their three-tie, all-standing performance and straight-forward uncut bangers. Lead singer Azz-man packs drummer/vocal double trouble, supported by rough and ready riffs from guitarist Fozzy and bassist Jimbo.
Strait Shooters
Strait Shooters always show up to the party with a hankering for the hits. Promising to bring classic Aussie tunes ranging from Cold Chisel to Midnight Oil to the Easybeats, the group know how to please a crowd. With over 35 years of experience in rock riffs, the fourpiece are guaranteed to bring a fun-packed performance.
Day Dreamers
The youngest band on the lineup, Day Dreamers hold a love for Aussie grunge and punk. With frenetic punk energy and a relatable and unique sense of humour, the band channel a truly electric energy when they step on the stage. Fresh off their 2023 release Blue Room, the group’s remarkable live presence tight as ever.
Hosted at The Shoppingtown Hotel in Doncaster, Wanstock 2024 runs from afternoon until late, so make sure you’re in early to catch the full breadth of classic rock goodness on offer.
Grab tickets for Wanstock 2024 here.
