Touring Oz

Sound check at El Rocco, Sydney

Four days, four shows, four cities in four states. Sound like a mad mad mad mad schedule to you? It was! Let’s dispel the myth now: touring is not like going on a holiday where you happen to rock up to a club some evenings and play a show. It’s hard, grinding work… great fun, but tough!

The main drain was the late nights and early mornings… we’d finish a show around 11pm, then spend some time selling CDs and chatting with the support band and the folks who had come down to the show, then pack up, get back to our accommodation, gradually wind down (it takes a while to settle down from the adrenaline of performing)… probably get to sleep around 1 or 2am and then up at 4 or 5am to get ready to catch our flight to the next city. I’m very lucky in that I find it very easy to shut off to sleep on a plane… other poor souls in the band weren’t so lucky!

Airport blues...

Okay, enough whining… because apart from being hysterically tired, getting lost on Sydney freeways, being stuck in Brisbane traffic and one bad start morning where we very nearly missed a flight (SUCH a close shave, there’s a story in itself)… it actually went really well!!

Despite the obstacles of cold weather and the flu season, we had a nice crowd at every venue, and a really great response from the audiences too. As it happens when you’re performing together every day, the band gets tighter and the music richer… we had really glowing feedback wherever we went. At each stop of the way, we picked up a different local support act (or two, in the case of Melbourne), and not only were they fantastic performers, but their music really added something great to the show and we made some good friends and contacts on the road. We highly recommend that you check them all out:

• Adelaide’s The Belle-Phonics – a super funky, super tight band… 8-piece outfit with 3 horns! Impossible not to tap your toes… more likely you’ll be compelled to dance.
• Sydney’s Sarsha Simone – gorgeous sultry voice, and very laid-back groovy vibe… a bit Erykah Badu-esque. We enjoyed her soulful spin on some well-known tunes alongside her originals.
• Melbourne’s Arowe – a solo artist who sings with her guitar, but wow! The things that she can do with her voice, and very interesting music and lyrics… refreshingly unique. And a fun, crazy girl too.
• Karen Morales, also hailing from Melbourne – ultra-cool, acid jazz chilled vibes… this lady plays her own keys and has a voice like honey – smooth and sweet!

Performing at Bar 303, Melbourne

So, now that I’m back, mostly caught up on the lost sleep and sorted out all the rubbish in my suitcase, I’ve begun posting some press clippings (including a fantastic review of our Brisbane show!) and photos up here… there’s still more to come, so stay tuned over the coming weeks for more tour yum yums… a BIG THANK YOU to all our friends and fans who came down to our shows and brought your friends along!! It was great to see you… Thank you for helping to make our first national tour a success!