upon reflection- tour scoreboard

WA was not really such a bust. Had a shocking bug that coloured my mood for the flight over and the dates. Coughed for 4 hours during the flight and couldn't do much more than the shows. Met some lovely people. Including a fellow I went to catholic primary school with a thousand years ago on the south eastern side of Mt Gambier. Just across the road from the Badlands. We talked so easily of street names and characters from that pre teen world. Amazing how much of your persona is formed before you become conscious of it. You're already finished and published pretty early on in the game!
Both of us had so few options and faced the same confusing,barren, desolate streets. He went into the army . I travelled into Bohemia I guess.A footloose area of the mind.
Unusual to engage with someone who knows exactly where you are coming from. At least.

So we started this run of dates in early May and it kind of ends at the Sth Melbourne Town hall next week.

We will have done 27 shows in that time. Mostly doing TWO ONE HOUR SETS. Each set having about 13 songs. the first set concentrating on the "rock n roll is where I hide" album and also having a reading from "1001 Australian nights". We were also doing a half dozen new songs which we are intending to record some time this year.

rock'n'roll is where I hide
night of the wolverine 4
feelin' kinda sporty
I'm not afraid to be heavy
man on the make
-----------------------------------------------
mt gambier night
apollo 69
birds 'n' goats
I'm gonna release your soul
the sheriff of hell
three dead passengers in a stolen secondhand ford
let kill god again

my schtick weighs a tonne
we dont belong to anybody
I don’t wanna know myself
the stars
field records me
I will have always been here before
youre just too hip baby
sometimes you can see yourself
what if she comes?
sellout
bodysnatcher

midnight to dawn
all our friends were stars
sign o' the times
parchman farm
a lot to drink about
alphonsus will get you
field record me
midnight cats

I also did about 10 readings at Libraries and Bookshops during the tour.


Clare Moore and myself drove about 5,000 ks and we all flew about 13,100 around the rest of the country.
I broke one string and changed the whole set on my 6 string Ibanez Talman ONCE. I busted 3 guitar pedals. No acoustic guitars were used on the tour.
We were caught up by a cloud of Volcanic ash . A flood came through northern NSW a week after we left. Tiger airlines fell to pieces as soon as we booked three flights to perth. We had two bouts of Flu/cold go through the ranks at various times.

Clare Moore also completed several gigs with the Hired Guns and the Ukeladies during that time as did Stu Perera with his other regular band.

I thought the best run gig was at the Sol Bar in Maroochydore.
The worst was the Clarendon Guesthouse.
The rest were all kinds of shapes and sizes and I enjoyed all of them.
I love it when young people find their way to our shows, I also love playing to people who have come in and out of our sphere going back three decades. Thats rich.


South Melbourne Town Hall .
Old Council Chambers.
Friday 22nd to Sun 24th July 7:45 to 8:45 pm.