Dept of Rock returns to Smith’s Alternative for another fun and thrilling Battle of the Bands competition for Canberra’s public servants.
Who will take home the gold and get inducted into the Dept of Rock Hall of Fame? More importantly who will have the best time rocking out?
Come cheer on our awesome public servant rockstars and help us raise some money for small local charities.
Heat 3 Bands
Safety Pants
Safety Pants normally form one half of the Gin & Tonics, a multilingual Canberra band that play a few gigs each year, including the Canberra Moon Festival, and French community events. The two risk-takers in Safety Pants formed the band for Dept of Rock to play original music birthed from the sweet tension of a rock pig and a refined keyboardist.
Get your happy pants on for this dynamic duo’s debut performance at Smith’s Alternative on 20 October.
Ybarra
Ybarra is a vibrant, Canberra-based pop and alternative rock music band made up of hardworking immigrant Filipinos united by their passion for music. The members come from diverse professional backgrounds, including ACT public health, private sector roles, and the Australian public service. Their musical influences span Filipino and English pop, rock, and alternative genres, reflecting the rich and dynamic culture they represent. Ybarra had the honour of being the only band officially invited by the Philippine Embassy to perform at the 2024 ‘Pasko sa Canberra’—the Filipino community’s Christmas celebration held at the embassy in Yarralumla. Ybarra also performed at the 2026 National Multicultural Festival delivering a moving and energetic set of original Filipino music classics to a rousing reception. Ybarra aims to continue sharing their unique blend of original English pop and rock music by Filipino artists, showcasing the flair and diversity of Filipino culture to the Canberra community.
Dead Weight Dreaming
Dead Weight Dreaming is a 5-piece band you might have seen playing around the traps in Canberra. Inspired by contemporary music artists (like what you might hear festivals like Good Things) this amazing band has a wide range of musical tastes including pop punk, grunge, metal, and alternative. Experienced, high energy and keen to play the Dept of Rock stage at Smith’s – don’t miss them, Dead Weight Dreaming.
Side Effects May Vary
Side Effects May Vary didn’t exist until very recently. It came together over one conversation and a shared conviction that “does this fit together” is the wrong question, the right one is “does this rock.”
Expect genre warping curveballs, riffs and rhythm changes that shouldn’t sit together but somehow do, and a bluesy backbone holding the whole thing steady. Like Whiplash, but in a good way.
By day, most of Side Effects May Vary file into APS offices, the rest just show up for the music. By night (or at least the night’s Dept of Rock is at Smith’s) they’re finding out what happens when metal, punk and blues get thrown in a room together with zero rehearsal history and a fast-approaching deadline.
Phoenix Bureau
Born from the ashes of committee meetings and resurrected in the break room with a borrowed guitar and a whiteboard marker, Phoenix Bureau is the only band where every member has a security clearance and a strong opinion on procurement reform.
Made up of government officials who moonlight as genre-fluid musical renegades, Phoenix Bureau blends rock, punk, metal and memos to deliver biting satire on everything from budget estimates to interdepartmental committees. Their lyrics are as sharp as a Senate Estimates hearing and twice as catchy.
Whether it’s their hit single “Out of Office” or the crowd-favourite “Make a decision”, Phoenix Bureau proves the bureaucracy can groove. Their live shows feature mandatory attendance forms, optional policy briefings, and a regulated amount of cowbell. Phoenix Bureau is making governance sound good.
Special guest band – Machinery of Government
Back by popular demand are the winners of Dept of Rock 2025! Don’t miss seeing our favourite evil overlords return to the scene of the crime with a set of face-melting metal infused with public service musings.
