Thank God It's Over 2006

Fri 1st Sep, 2006 in Features

Alex Prelac, promoter of the re-invented schoolies’ music festival, Thank God It’s Over, answers the hard questions.

Has music always been an important part of your life? What’s your earliest musical memory?
Music is a strong motivator for me. When I was playing AFL football I used to listen to AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Billy Idol to gear me up before going on the field to play.
My earliest musical memory was when I went to the Thank God It’s Over Festival at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in 1985! I was 16 years old and had a ball!

What’s the first record you bought, why? First concert you attended? Tell us about it…
The first record I bought was AC/DC and I went to their Back in Black concert in 1981. The record was hot and still is. The concert was amazing! Seeing them live on stage after listening religiously to their album blew me away and the crowd was electric.

How did you become involved in promoting? What was the idea behind Thank God It’s Over? Do we really need another music festival – why?
I began my promoting career when I hosted parties as a teenager and it moved up from there! That’s when I thought – ‘hey, I could really get into this full time!’ The idea behind TGIO is that we are bringing back an event that was huge in the 80s and we want to give the schoolies a chance to celebrate together. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel we are simply improving it!
Do we really need another music festival?Fuck yeah, we need another music festival that gives the schoolies a big muck up day on a national scale!

Gig goers are far more savvy these days, what is the point of difference for TGIO? What can punters expect from the festival?
TGIO not only has a killer line up, but it also gives the schoolies a chance to perform at the Festival through the My Space competition (check out the website for more details- www.tgio.com.au). The punters can expect a chance to hook up with other schoolies who are all there for the same reason- to celebrate the end of their schooling lives.

Who’s playing?
In Melbourne we have Grinspoon, Shihad, Dallas Crane, Gyroscope, Kisschasy, The Casanovas, Behind Crimson Eyes, Karnivool, British India, The Gingers, True Live, TZU, and Kate Alexa on the Main Stage.On the My First Kiss Stage we have DJs TV Rock, John Course, Andy Van, Sean Quinn, A-Style, Pappa Smurf and Timmy Byrne.
And we have the My Space Stage, which will have the winners of the competition – new bands playing in front of thousands of their peers.

In Brisbane on the Main Stage we have Hilltop Hoods, Dallas Crane, Gyroscope, Kisschasy, The Casanovas, TZU, Shifter, Melodyssey, Behind Crimson Eyes, British India, and Kate Alexa.

On the Dance Stage are DJs John Course, Andy Van and the Stafford Brothers, with more to be announced soon!

What do you anticipate will be your highlight experience from TGIO? Why?
My highlight will definitely be when the festivals are over and I am finally able to say out loud “Thank God It’s Over”! Don’t think I need to explain why!!

Where: Melbourne @ The Sidney Myer Music Bowl; Brisbane @ The River Stage

When: Melbourne- Saturday 14th October; Brisbane- Sunday 15th October

How much: Early Bird Tickets are on sale now @ $50 each + booking fee

To purchase tickets for the Melbourne gig, click here 
To purchase tickets for the Brissie gig, click here

The remaining tix will go on sale Sunday October 9.

For full coverage on TGIO go here