DJ Robot Citizen: Alternative Music Clubs Events & Radio Canberra Australia

03/03/2026

the long gone Canberra Civic clock [photo from 'ACT bus'] where countless friends met, to then commence adventures ... In the age before mobile phones, agreements were made, often days or weeks in advance, to meet at the clock. :) ... I have a photo somewhere of some goths'n'punks of the early 90s sitting by the adjacent storefront windows, a few meters to the right of this photo point ... If I finds the pic I will post it in a comment! I recall another meeting point for friends were the raised garden beds that were 20-30 meters to the diagonal right of this pic ... I'll add a photo I made of some friends there in a comment ... I can't recall exactly when the clock went bye-bye. Maybe the late 90s to early 00s? Feel welcome to post about it in the comments :)

02/03/2026

Next DJ Adventure: Saturday March 28 The Baso Canberra, 2 sequential events: Part 1] 7-10pm SLEEP TOKEN ON REPEAT CANBERRA
and Part 2] 10-1am EMO VS GAMERS CANBERRA info at
https://www.facebook.com/events/847184108248654/

17/02/2026

Hiya, for this Friday Feb20 at The Baso Canberra I've adjusted [explanation further below] the music theme to "SCREAM" = a range of metal emo punk industrial and other heavy alt rock [eg, grunge, garage, can include relevant heavy gothic rock too!] ... Event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1459619555886065/

SCREAM #1 was a fun night held in September and I have meant to do more. It's FREE ENTRY as it's a last minute fill-in event for the prior booking [some bands] who cancelled. I'll be DJing all or most of the night and I am open to song requests; provided I have them and think they'll work for the overall gathering :) From 8pmish to about midnightish; whenever the bar sales go quiet! So if you want to go out on Friday evening to shake your bones to heavy tunes, to play pool and so on, it's free entry at The Baso :)

Event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1459619555886065/

I had posted a prior theme for a post-punk-goth night. But for it to work, to gather enough introverts from out of their crypts [giggle], it relies I think on having a band or two and other DJs involved, so as to get word out to the broader social networks.
But we haven't had enough notice time for them to be able to organise and commit. So my goal for another night like that - goth+darkwave based - is to try again in a couple months, with more notice, at least a month; preferably two!

08/02/2026

Edit: I've changed the theme to "SCREAM" see post and notes at https://www.facebook.com/VAMPcanberra/posts/pfbid02MXLtGN9cWUv1yn87UepcY8JN2zyLY7dxtJLvTcHVvuhEyMEbC4zdFEbpcz3GPTqNl ...

Prior note: Hello, The Baso Canberra have contacted me to be part of this: Friday Feb 20 Free Entry event, likely 7 to midnight. Details are TBC+TBA. Anticipate DJs + Bands in the realms of dark alternative p***y emo post-punk gothic etc ... Will announce more when I know more :)

06/02/2026

Flashback to July 2025, towards the end of my 6-hour set of DJing "Divorced Dad Rock Night" with Nirvana's "Teen Spirit". It still rocks the bodies ~33 years later! :) Chapter 2 of this event is on this Saturnight Feb 7. This time at Fun Time Pony in Civic from 8pm. I highly recommend to get their early as it's uncertain as to how long I'm DJing - was originally booked to go to 3am but am advised now the theme might finish 11pm and switch to something else; based on how the night is going and what the venue mgmt wants; likely based on what crowd rolls in around 11-12. I'll do as they wish; either wind up around 11 or keep on going. Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1091257299842766/

Send a message to learn more

28/01/2026

There's an Inquiry into Canberra’s [Dying] Night-Time Economy, submissions due by Feb 27.
- https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/parliamentary-business/in-committees/committees-11th-assembly/economics,-industry-and-recreation/inquiry-into-canberras-night-time-economy

Off the toppa my head, CIVIC's problems include:
1] The Lack of Parking near the Sydney & Melbourne buildings [being the primary nightlife district];
2] Too much construction work at one time eg. the tram roadworks blocking off numerous roads;
3] The Evil Nasty Speed Traps [that are either unmarked or very poorly so] - once people are stung once or twice they just stay away from Civic;
4] The long-term Graffiti [eg Sydney building and along London Cct] makes the place look and feel like a third world rubbish dump;
5] the rising high price of drinks: which I gather is related to taxation, increased rents, increased insurance costs.

20/01/2026

☹️ RIP Rob Hirst of Midnight Oil: he was one of my favourite musicians since I first fully clicked with rock music as a young teen. He stood out as an energetic and brilliant drummer [ought be in top drummer lists imho, but Australians are always overlooked OS] also a great vocalist [hits like "Kosciusko", "When the Generals Talk"] and song-writer of many gems.
I briefly met him in 2014 at The Midnight Oil exhibit in Canberra. He was friendly and charming. On my mention of being a radio 2XX DJ he credited Community Radio DJs as the people who gave Midnight Oil their early breaks in the late 70s and early 80s [of course before my time on radio], when the mainstream music media ignored them; and that early community support propelled them on to soon top charts and international success.
Not so long ago he liked some of my comments and posts here on FB. I had read he had had cancer and now can picture that he was likely very ill and comments from fans such as I brought to him a good feeling. I forever regret missing them live in the 80s though am glad I finally saw them around 5 times through the mid-late 90s to late 00s. They were the most uplifting energetic band I've witnessed, inspiring the jumping crowds to ecstatically sing'n'chant along like it was our last day on earth, rather like "a religious experience", with Rob Hirst as the driving force at the centre of it all.

Related articles:

"Rob Hirst, Midnight Oil drummer and founding member, dies aged 70. Musician who drove much of the band’s ferocious sound and co-wrote many of its biggest hits was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023"
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jan/20/rob-hirst-midnight-oil-drummer-and-founding-member-dies-aged-70

"Rob Hirst was a force of nature, a born showman who led Midnight Oil from the back"
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jan/20/rob-hirst-was-a-force-of-nature-a-born-showman-who-led-midnight-oil-from-the-back

"Midnight Oil founder and drummer Rob Hirst dies aged 70"
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-20/midnight-oil-drummer-rob-hirst-dies/106249816