Twenty-four amazing bands competed in 4 heats over October/November 2023 and 12 bands battled it out in the semi-finals. Only four bands could be selected to compete in the final – and here they are – Adventure St., The DUDs, IT Grrrls and The Substrates! Come cheer on these incredible bands as they battle it out for the title of Winner Dept of Rock Battle of the Bands 2023.

Dept of Rock 2023 - Finalists

Adventure St is Canberra born and bred. When the guitarist and lead singer bought houses on the same street, the creation of the band was inevitable. When that street name was ‘Adventure’, the band name was a gift. The four piece plays a variety of music and instruments that will take you down every musical street. They wowed the judges in their heat and semi-final, come watch them take it up another notch in the grand final! These public sector rockstars are from Home Affairs, Harrison School, the National Gallery of Australia and Worksafe ACT.

IT Grrrls came together from across the public sector, to show that women who work in IT can also rock - and they have rocked all the way into the grand final! Freshly minted for Dept of Rock, IT Grrrls’ songs present a slice of life in the IT department. Prepare to be surprised, enlightened, and very entertained. These super cool rock chics hark from Treasury, Dept of Industry, Science and Resources, Geoscience Australia, Australian Taxation Office, ACT Health and Dept of Defence.

The DUDs – Acoustic Punk never regrets, never says sorry and never gets the attention it deserves – until now! The DUDs came together for Dept of Rock and have blown everyone away with their searing musical satire about working in the APS. The DUDs’ high energy, take no prisoners punky commentary on the modern APS is not to be missed. When they aren’t bringing in down the house at Smiths, these creatives can be found at Dept of Defence and Services Australia.

The Substrates - are a makeshift band bonded together by the very substrates of magnetic media. Harking from the National Film and Sound Archive this high energy, indie punk outfit have raised the roof at Smiths throughout the Dept of Rock competition. We can’t wait to see what magnetic musical mayhem they will lay down in the final!