Diary of a 60's Cover Band (Blog)

We have now added an incredible new song to our repertoire from one of the most influential US psychedelic bands of the 60's, Vanilla Fudge. It's their 1967 upside down version of the hit by the Supremes "You Keep Me Hanging On". Check it out!

Last year we added the astonishing song "Something in the Air", recorded in 1969 by the one hit wonder band Thunderclap Newman. They were put together by Pete Townsend around a drug addled drummer (Speedy Keene) and an eccentric jazz pianist (Thunderclap Newman). The song has a killer middle instrumental section.

Our most requested song is "Everlovin' Man" by The Loved Ones. We added this song in 2006 in honour of the late great Gerry Humphries. Dennis does the most astonishing version you've heard bar the original. See him in action here. 

Remember the 60's?

The 60's were an exciting, revolutionary, turbulent time of great social and technological change: assassination, unforgettable fashion, new musical styles, Camelot, civil rights, women's liberation, a controversial and divisive war in Vietnam, the first manned landing on the moon, peace marches, World's Fairs, flower power, great TV and film and sexual freedom.

Please note:
The Substitutes are based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The Substitutes Recreating the best sounds of the 1960's with bass, drums, guitar, blues harp, piano and organ instrumentation.

Why do you want us?

Are you tired of attending functions and events with music provided by a laptop computer and a couple of singers who trill to Abba songs?

Are you tired of seeing yet another pub cover band play the same old regurgitated and diluted 60's/70's/80's/90's hits like 'Nut Bush City Limits', 'Khe Sanh'  and 'Radar Love'?

Well, you might like the opportunity to hear a band with a kick-arse rhythm section led by bass player Pete Robinson from founding Sixties band "The Strangers"  with drummer Peter Reed (who has played with everyone from Gary Young to Phil Manning), playing the best music of the Sixties with a special emphasis on the British Invasion.

If you add the soaring vocals and fluid guitar work of Dennis Millar (who played in legendary 70's band "Buster Brown") and the punk energy provided by Peter Summers, a great night of rock entertainment and dancing is guaranteed.

The Substitutes have been around for about three years recreating that 60's excitement and rawness that often gets lost with cover bands. Listen to a Dave Davies guitar solo or a Keith Moon drum fill and know that the 60's were about experimentation and shock, not just good pop melodies.

We play the songs that 'bar bands' avoid - the really complex songs, the lost gems, the ones in difficult keys, the ones with odd arrangements and instrumentation - in fact we make it bloody hard for ourselves really... 

But, we really are the best 60's band playing in Melbourne.

Click HERE  to see the wide array of 60's songs we play.

Click HERE to see what people say about us. 

Or click HERE to see and hear numerous video and audio samples.

Do you like this website? Let us know by clicking here!

Logo & Band

Our Manifesto

"To boldly go where no (cover) band has gone before"

  We only play rock and pop music recorded between January 1964 and December 1970 ie. the years commonly referred to as The Sixties.
  We predominately play music recorded by British artists with a smaller selection of comparable US and Australian artists.
  We specialise in the ‘lost gems’ ie. the genuine one-hit wonders, the obscure should-have-been-hits, and the great songs that are too complex for most ‘bar’ bands to play.
  We avoid songs that are 'cheesy', twee or 'naff' and the Sixties suffered from songs of this type like all decades.
  We always attempt to faithfully replicate the original arrangements, instrumentation, harmonies, keys and production values of the songs we choose to play.
  We love what we do and we love the music that we play – it is a humbling experience to be able to play such great songs and show respect to the original artists and producers.

MELBOURNE, Australia [The Substitutes Manifesto]  Copyright   2008.