In the 1960s, the Easybeats were Australia’s answer to the Beatles. But it was their success in the UK that solidified their pop culture presence. In the first of a new series, Archival Obsessions, NFSA curator Simon Smith talks to Amal Awad about the significance of their hit song ‘Friday on My Mind’ and the story behind an extraordinary discovery.
Simon Smith, Curator in the Collection Acquisition Programs, Curatorial and Accessioning (Melbourne office)
16mm black-and-white film of the Easybeats’ first performance of ‘Friday on My Mind’ on the BBC’s flagship music television show Top of the Pops in November 1966
It’s a timeless classic – saying goodbye to the grind of the work week and eagerly welcoming a weekend of freedom, fun and romance. ‘Friday on My Mind’, by Australian rock quintet the Easybeats, is widely considered the first Australian rock song to break through to an international audience. In a 1986 Rolling Stone retrospective, David Fricke even called it ‘the first international victory for Oz rock'.
In 2021, a 16mm black-and-white film of the band performing the hit track on Top of the Pops resurfaced during a clean-up of former ATN7 Sydney television director Tony Culliton’s belongings. It was a remarkable find, especially considering the rarity of such footage.
The Easybeats perform 'Friday On My Mind' on Top of the Pops, 24 November 1966. Courtesy: BBC and Albert Music. NFSA title: 1653641
‘Lyrically, the song remains ageless,’ says Simon Smith. ‘It’s incredibly catchy, with a universal theme of weekend longing that proves Aussie musicians could resonate globally with the right material.’
The Easybeats recorded ‘Friday on My Mind’ in England, where they were living at the time. Surprisingly, there is no footage of the band performing the song on Australian TV in 1966-67, and Top of the Pops wasn’t aired in Australia in the 1960s. So the clip resurfacing here, all these years later, is ‘a near miracle’, says Smith. ‘I love finding notable "lost" TV moments, and this was a big one.’
The 1966 performance has now been preserved, and Smith is particularly enthusiastic about its rarity. Of the handful of UK TV appearances the Easybeats made to perform the song, none are known to have survived. Adding to the significance is the fact that most Top of the Pops episodes from the 1960s were not conserved.
In 1966, Top of the Pops had a larger viewing audience in Britain than the entire population of Australia at the time. ‘Being seen on this show was a big deal,’ Smith notes. ‘This appearance would have been the first time most teenagers in the UK ever laid eyes on the band.’
The discovery of this footage feels like fate. After a call-out for ‘lost’ music television footage on ABC Melbourne radio, a listener with ties to the Culliton family reached out. ‘This was found in an unremarkable box at the back of a shelf at his Blue Mountains home by Culliton’s daughter,’ says Smith.
When the NFSA republished the clip with the blessing of the BBC in late 2021, it was the first time the footage had been seen publicly in over half a century. ‘My favourite moment is when bass player Dick Diamonde casually winks at the camera,’ Smith says. ‘RIP Dick, who sadly passed away in September 2024 at 76.’
‘Friday on My Mind’ remains an influential hit. Its success in the UK undoubtedly opened doors for other Australian musicians, and more than 100 acts from around the world have covered the song, including David Bowie, Peter Frampton, and Blue Öyster Cult.
In 2001, APRA voted it the ‘Best Australian Song’, and in 2007, the NFSA inducted it into Sounds of Australia in its inaugural year.
For Smith, excitement over the rare find is matched by his admiration for the performance itself. ‘The song’s spirit and energy remain undimmed. And the clip certainly shines a light on a moment when Australian pop and rock music began to be noticed,’ he says.
Indeed, achieving a Top 10 hit on the British charts in 1966 – when all eyes were on London as the world’s pop culture mecca – speaks volumes.
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Main image: The Easybeats, 1966. From the Rolling Stone Australia Photographic Archive. Courtesy: Paper Riot. NFSA title: 1581897
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