For those about to rock - and serve the public - we salute you! 

Dept of Rock returns to Smith's Alternative for another fun and thrilling Battle of the Bands competition for Canberra's public servants. 

Who will take home the gold and get inducted into the Dept of Rock Hall of Fame? More importantly who will have the best time rocking out? Come cheer on our awesome public servant rockstars and help us raise money for small local charities! 

Heat 1 Bands

Poetry in Motion - Paul and Kate are a contemporary folk duo that put poems to music including classic and modern poems. They come to Dept of Rock ready to slay with huge hearts and gorgeous harmonies - watch out rock dogs!

The DUDeS are Australia’s most famous country band you have never heard of. Keeping their certain fame on hold, they instead dedicate their time to rewarding roles in the offices of Canberra making a difference for the Australian people! Because every day, its reward enough to jump in the car and battle morning traffic on the GDE, rather than tread the boards in Nashville with the likes of Keith Urban and Co. The DUDeS play of style of country which used to be called contemporary rock music, but long since Slim Dusty’s Lights Topped that hill, Country Music has moved on and so we find a stage full of DUDeS bringing alt country to Dept of Rock at Smith's.

OOOH - Formed after a catastrophic Machinery-of-Government mandate accidentally amalgamated five wildly mismatched portfolios into an experimental "inter-agency morale unit," OOOH (Outside of Office Hours) quickly became Canberra’s premier bureaucratic noise-rock outfit. Don’t bother contacting them during the day, these rockstars are available afterhours at Dept of Rock by appointment only.

Flat Chat - was born in the Covid times and progressed through several variants before settling on their current cellular arrangement. You might have seen Flat Chat thrashing it out at live music venues across Canberra or letting loose on TikTok on Wednesday nights - either way you'll know these rockstars sing about love and loss and the odd bits in between. Which sums up the public service experience nicely. Let’s go! Flat Chat!

The Trace - With their upbeat, indie power pop alt rock, The Trace focus on catchy hooks and crunchy riffs with screaming guitars and rich vocal melodies. Featuring rockstars from Events ACT, Australian Bureau of Statistics and Dept of Home Affairs, Border Force – come to Smiths and see them rip it up at Dept of Rock before they disappear without a trace…or not.