Entertainment
5 June, 2026
Johno’s Gong Show returns
ONE of Cairns’ most-loved live music traditions is making a comeback on Sunday when Johno revives his famous Gong Show for a special anniversary event at The Pier Bar.
The Almost 20th Anniversary of the Last Johno’s Gong Show will be held on Sunday 7 June, from 2pm to 6pm.
The original Gong Show (an amateur talent event) began at the Pirates Bar on the Barbary Coast and quickly became a Sunday afternoon institution, drawing locals, tourists and the occasional music celebrity.
Musician and long-time friend Ric Montgomery said the event’s broad appeal was what made it special.
“It became a thing that everybody went to,” he said.
“Didn’t matter whether you were doctors from the hospital or bikies from the Renegades, it sort of became attractive to everybody.”
Mr Montgomery said part of the show’s success was the unpredictability of who might take the stage.
“You never knew who was going to be in it,” he said.
“If Cold Chisel were in town, they’d turn up to be in it.”
One of his favourite memories came when Jimmy Barnes unexpectedly joined the fun.
“Jimmy Barnes walked in,” he said.
“Phil Emmanuel was on stage with us and he says, ‘Hey Jimmy, you’re next in the Gong Show.’ He got him to jump up and if I remember rightly Jimmy sang ‘Mustang Sally’.
“The audience were all knocked out because there’s suddenly Jimmy Barnes in the middle of Johno’s.”
The Gong Show later moved to Johno’s Blues Bar, where it continued for years before the final event was held almost two decades ago.
Mr Montgomery said the idea for the reunion came about when Johno realised how much time had passed since the last show.
“He said we should have an anniversary and I said, ‘Well, yeah,’ and he said we can call it the almost 20th anniversary,” Mr Montgomery said.
The 7 June event will reunite regular performers including Tommy T-bone, Dave Alcon and Chakra BC, along with many former patrons.
“I think people will get a shock to see people they haven’t seen for 20 years or so,” Mr Montgomery said.
“It’ll be like a big family reunion in some ways.”
Looking back on the show’s legacy, Mr Montgomery said it became much more than a music event.
“It was an equaliser,” he said.
“Didn’t matter whether you were a surgeon at the hospital or a garbage collector for the council, they’d all go and get into it to have fun.
“It became a real touristy icon. If you went to Cairns, you had to go and see Johno at his Gong Show.”
The Almost 20th Anniversary of the Last Johno’s Gong Show will be held at The Pier Bar on Sunday, 7 June, bringing together performers, patrons and memories from one of Cairns’ most enduring entertainment traditions.
