Experience the inventive, interactive Steel City Sound

The bar forms part of a ‘‘live’’ venue inside the extensive Steel City Sound exhibition, which opens on Friday night.

The venue is done up like a live music venue, with gig footage of various bands of the past playing on the wall.

Curator Warren Wheeler said there were 11 hours of footage, and a set-list had been posted so fans could see when their favourite band was ‘‘playing’’.

Mr Wheeler said there was also a plan to remain true to a live music venue and have sticky carpet – but the gallery decided that was a step too far.

The entire ground floor has been given over to the exhibition, which chronicles 50 years of the Wollongong music scene and includes posters, music, artwork by band members and an impressive display of memorabilia.

One display is a tribute to Tumbleweed and features a huge range of memorabilia from the band’s own collection – including the never-used cover the label commissioned for their first album.

‘‘They asked a guy called Ed Fotheringham, who was from Seattle and had done work for Mudhoney and Soundgarden,’’ Mr Wheeler said.

‘‘They commissioned him to do that work but they never used it. I wonder why they commissioned someone else to do it given they’ve got terrific artists in the band itself?’’

Mr Wheeler said the idea behind Steel City Sound was to celebrate the city’s musical heritage.

‘‘We want to explore what’s come before us and celebrate the success of bands from way back,’’ he said.

‘‘We want to acknowledge their work because popular culture can be disposable. People forget about those successes, or information might not be passed on to younger generations.

‘‘It’s also celebrating and exploring what’s happening now, which is why you’ll also see stuff in here from bands that are new, that are performing at the moment.’’