After more than 40 years apart, Cobram-Barooga band City Lites will reunite this weekend for a one-night-only performance at Barooga Sporties as the club celebrates its 45th birthday.

The country rock and soft rock band used to regularly perform at Sporties, playing covers of the top 40 hits of the 1970s and 1980s.

Band members Trisha Hicks, Peter Carpinelli, Rick Harris, Jack Vogel and Carmine Mantovani haven’t played together since 1983, making it a special performance.

The reunion came about after Trisha contacted Sporties to congratulate the club on its 45th anniversary after seeing the event advertised.

The club then asked whether City Lites would be interested in reuniting for the celebrations.

“I said, ‘Oh gosh, I’ll have to track all the numbers down and find them all, but I said, look, I'll ask,’’’ Trisha said.

“So I got on the phone, and phoned around and I eventually got on to each one and they all said yes.

“Some of us have kept in touch distantly, but at least two of the boys we haven’t physically seen for over 35 years.”

Trisha said the band’s original breakup was simply a result of life taking them in different directions, and it was “beautiful” to have the chance to play together again.

“For me, the most important thing is being able to get together again and share music with these people who had such a big impact on my life,” she said.

“I was 17 years old when I joined the band, and these boys took care of me like big brothers because they were all eight to 10 years older than me.

“I didn't drive at the time either, and I lived in little Nathalia, so my dad would drive me to band practices each week.”

Trisha first joined a band called Ambush when she was about 15 years old after meeting them at a school social.

Ambush disbanded a couple of years later, and one of the City Lites members asked Trisha if she would be interested in joining the band.

City Lites had been established for several years before Trisha joined, and the group went on to perform regularly at Sporties for several more years before Trisha eventually married and had children.

“We performed at the Sporties Club in the corner of what would have been a tin and concrete shed,” Trisha said.

“I ended up being renowned around the place for my leather pants because each time we played, I would quite often wear a leopard skin top and those leather pants.

“You couldn’t buy leather pants in those days either so I went to Mars Leather in Melbourne, who made leather outfits for bikies and got them to make me those leather pants.”

Trisha said, although the band was making a comeback, the leather pants wouldn’t be ― with the infamous pants passed on to a neighbour many years ago and Trisha having no plans to get new ones.

She said that although it has been many years since the band played together, they had all kept a hand in music in some capacity.

“It’s just fantastic to be able to play together again,” Trisha said.

“Five years ago, I got breast cancer, and it resulted in a double mastectomy and treatment and I had to face the fact that I might not live through it.

“I had to confront my mortality and so coming back and being able to reunite with these guys, the community and just the whole fun of it, it means a huge amount.

“Another member in the band has also had cancer, so we’re glad to be here, and we’re glad to be able to get back together and just enjoy the time.”

City Lites will perform at Barooga Sporties on Saturday, August 15, from 8pm as part of the club’s 45th birthday celebrations. Entry is free.

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Thursday, 5th January 2034

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