TO paraphrase rock legend Jim Morrison, the music is over and they've turned out the lights.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Cambridge Hotel shut its doors at midnight on Monday for the final time, bringing an end to its 65-year history as one of Newcastle's most iconic venues.
In true Cambridge fashion, it didn't close with a whimper, but with an electrifying blast of rock'n'roll that won't be forgotten by the 3500 people who turned out to celebrate the venue's legacy.
Not since the infamous old Star Hotel's demise in 1979 has a Newcastle pub's closure attracted so much emotion.
But while the Star Hotel revellers rioted and fought with police, the Cambridge crowd left in a jovial mood, knowing they'd witnessed a piece of Novocastrian history.
Friday kicked off the Cambridge Farewell Festival with a hip-hop heavy line-up, before indie and electronic acts took over on Saturday.
While you couldn't deny the energy of those days, the Cambridge is a rock'n'roll pub. You can literally smell rock's DNA in its sticky carpet.
To send off the Cambridge properly, the sweet buzz of distorted guitar and pounding drums was required.
Lismore alt-rockers Grinspoon had the honours of closing the main stage in front of a sea of revellers in Wood Street on Sunday night.
Frontman Phil Jamieson, who once as a 16-year-old travelled from the Mid North Coast to watch Tumbleweed through a fence in the Cambridge car park, was clearly emotional as he addressed the crowd.
"We managed to play here a bunch of times, we almost broke up here, but we didn't," Jamieson said.
"I'm just so grateful to live in the time that the Cambridge was around in this great f--king rock'n'roll city of Newcastle.
"It's testament to the fact that over the last three days there's been so many great bands here and we're so honoured to play tonight."
Grinspoon gave the Cambridge the full greatest hits treatment, kick-starting the one-hour set with DCx3.
Jamieson was ever the showman. He strutted and danced on the edge of the stage as Grinspoon powered through Lost Control, Just Ace, Ready 1, Hard Act To Follow and Champion.
The band is 25 years old, but its never sounded better.
For many punters the dream Cambridge farewell headliner was Newcastle's favourite sons, Silverchair.
Silverchair drummer and bassist Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou were both in the audience and they would have approved of Grinspoon's blistering rendition of the Frogstomp classic Israel's Son.
"The greatest rock'n'roll band to come out of this city, we'd like to do one of their songs," Jamieson said.
"So thank you Dan [Johns], Chris[ Joannou] and Ben [Gillies]. Thank you for making bands like us out of Lismore have a go."
Fans turned out much earlier on Sunday than Saturday and the early birds were rewarded with a energetic set from Melbourne punk band Press Club.
Vocalist Natalie Foster certainly left Newcastle with a swathe of new admirers due to her powerful vocals.
Sydney's Polish Club attracted a strong crowd for their upbeat brand of indie-rock in Wood Street and inside the Cambridge's main room young Newcastle indie band Cooks & Bakers sounded comfortable in front of a near capacity room.
Another band feeling right at home inside the Cambridge was The Gooch Palms.
The Newcastle pop-punk duo of Leroy MacQueen and Kat Friend broke up in early 2020 and reformed to farewell the Cambridge, the site of the married couple's meeting place 19 years earlier.
The Gooch Palms walked out to the Newcastle Knights' "Our Town" theme song and MacQueen had a Knights flag hanging from his guitar.
"The Cambridge might be going but Newcastle will always be here," MacQueen said.
"It's like when the [BHP] steelworks closed, we didn't go down without a fight. We won the '97 grand final."
The Gooch Palms' scuzzy brand of low-fi punk is custom made for the Cambridge and the audience lapped it up amid "New-cast-le" chants.
Back outside on the Wood Street stage night had taken over and Melbourne's Smith Street Band were primed.
They were the perfect choice for the well-lubricated crowd, who just wanted to shout and sing along to frontman Wil Wagner's down-trodden working-class tales.
The Smithies belted out I Still Dream About You, Young Drunk and I Don't Wanna Do Nothing Forever as Wood Street sung in unison.
For the first time in two days, elements within the crowd turned rowdy as several beer cans were tossed on stage and circle pits formed.
Not that Wagner minded.
"There's a sea of you, and I can't see the end of you," he said. "This is awesome."
The Smith Street Band's most popular song, Death To The Lads, ended the set on a roaring note.
Inside the Cambridge, the main room was packed to capacity for Adelaide punk two-piece The Hard Aches.
Punk rascals Dune Rats are a quintessential festival band so they were perfectly placed to build on the Smith Street Band's momentum to send Wood Street into a frenzy with their most popular cuts Scott Green, Up and Too Tough Terry.
They were even joined by Jamieson who sung their rendition of The Angels' Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?
While the end of the Cambridge Hotel is a sad moment for Newcastle and the city's music and arts culture, it's really only bricks and mortar.
What made the venue special was the musicians that played there and the punters who came out to embrace them.
If the weekend's three-day farewell festival proves anything, it's that Novocastrians love their live music. It'll always find a way to be heard.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Join the discussion in the comment section below.
Find out how to register or become a subscriber here.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
