Twenty-four amazing bands competed in 4 heats over October/November with 12 bands now moving into two semis-finals. Come and cheer them on as they battle it out for a place in the Dept of Rock grand final on 10 Dec at Smith’s Alternative.

Semi Final 1 - Bands

Adventure Street - 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 the heats, come watch them take it up another notch in the semis!

petre out & the tyreslashers - are an office rock band inspired by the DIY pop music of Daniel Johnston & the Lucksmiths, as well as classic alt-country, indie, punk and post-punk. Their songs are about working in offices, growing up in Canberra and mental health issues - sometimes all three in the one song. They’re irreverent, talented and we can’t wait to see them tear up the stage again at Smiths!

DUDs – Acoustic Punk never regrets, never says sorry and never gets the attention it deserves. The DUDs came together for Dept of Rock and blew everyone away with their searing satire about working in the APS. The DUDs high energy, take no prisoners punk commentary of the modern APS is not to be missed.

Prod Commies - Matt and Kath (of local Canberra bands Lucy Ridge and the Derby Widows and David Bath and the Hot Tubs) bring you the Prod Commies! Proudly representing the diversity of ideas from the Productivity Commission in the format of punk rock - the Prod Commies will be back in the semis with their irreverent public sector punk.

Doxin Perry - crept out of the shadows during the long hazy winter of the year 2023 with the goal of taking bad songs and making them worse. Combining the greatest Canberra talent to ever continue playing ska well past it’s use by date of the early 90s, Doxin Perry combine the sweet skanking sounds of the two-tone era with those songs you wish you could get out of your head but can’t. Do you think Taylor Swift should release a ska album? They’ve got you covered. Do you miss the days when Shrek was the biggest cultural icon in the world? Sorted.

Dark Horse - is a dynamic and versatile five-piece Canberra cover band chock full of ACT public servant rockers. Their repertoire includes a wide range of genres and eras, catering to a variety of audiences, venues and musical tastes. The band is locked, loaded and ready to slay the stage (again) at the Public Service Battle of the Bands. Dark Horse went off in heat 1, so saddle up for the semis!