Come and cheer on 6 amazing bands in each heat as they battle it out for a place in the semi-finals. A diverse panel of judges will be presiding over the heats and the three bands they choose to move onto the semi-finals will be announced at the end of the night.

Come cheer on our fabulous public servant rockstars as they abandon their laptops and lanyards and have fun ripping it up with guitars, mics and drumsticks (and other cool instruments).
24 bands are lining up in 4 heats on Tuesdays in October 2024 at Smith’s Alternative.

The bands cover a diverse range of musical experience and genres and many have formed for the competition. In each heat, 6 bands will take the stage to play 3 songs to impress the audience and our volunteer judging panel. The judges announce which 3 bands from each heat moves on to the semi-finals at the end of the night.

This is a feel-good and friendly band competition at Canberra’s favourite live music venue Smith’s Alternative. Our aim is to showcase and encourage amateur musos working in government, smash ‘boring public servant’ myths, raise some money for local charities and share the joy of local live music.

Yes it’s a competition but it’s not really about winning or losing – Dept of Rock is about having a go and having a good time.

For those who are about to rock, and do public administration, we salute you!

Heat 3 – Band Bios

Mon Rak Rat
Mon Rak Rat – or ‘Ode to the State’ - is an Art Rock trio of Inner Northern Canberra, inspired by Lao Country, New Wave, and Art Rock – that is forging a kind of ‘song for life’. At the heart is Jesse’s multi-instrumentalism: a mechanical rhythmic suitcase, Lao wooden pipes, vocal folds and eclectic strings. Alex keeps the pulse alive with the bass below, while Ross adds an unnerving edge through story and strings. Last year, Mon Rak Rat sung about handsome roosters, ghost servants, and satellites of love – this year they return with a three-part journey exploring tales of light, darkness and the world in motion.

Lounge Legislators
The Lounge Legislators are the newest focus group in the Department of Rock. They have a mission statement for smooth and a mandate for groove. Put up your feet and the let the Lounge Legislators take the wheel. You’re in for a sweet ride through some reimagined Aussie classics.

Moving Forward
This is a newly formed outfit for the competition, though the members all currently or formerly play in working bands. Our backgrounds and influences range from metal, hard rock, blues, through ska and reggae to jazz, folk, country and bluegrass with a few others in the mix just for fun. We have selected a few songs that are meaningful to us and reflect something of our myriad musical life journeys. Our goal is to have fun and to share that with our audience.

Dumpster Fires
Consisting of 4 teachers and one ex-student who has returned to the school to work in classroom support, the Dumpster Fires normally subject the students of their school to their unpolished covers. They have decided to be bold and take their lack of talents to the big stage to impress other members of the ACT public service with a haphazard approach to professionalism and music ability and have some fun along the way!

The Tracked Changes
The Tracked Changes are a new band formed especially for the Dept of Rock competition. Four friends from Australian Border Force and Home Affairs, a mixture of seasoned performers and brand new talents, come together united in their love of good music and fun times.

ECHO!
Post-punk with a melodic twist, ECHO! is here to get you on your feet and have a boogie. They’re a neurodiverse band with a bunch of original songs with messages of empowerment for women and neurodivergent people!