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Our second or third show in melbourne for the year was a delight. Northcote Social Club is on high street and you could always pull right up to the door of the venue and take your stuff in. Some town planning has been going on however and the footpath has been widened and the road narrowed and the parking forbidden. Dont know who its goona benefit as the traffic is treacley slow at teh best of times. The hipsters are around but its still a great area for ethnic food and there are tons of petrol heads about. Could be the end of the strip as we knew it already!
The Ocean Party are very young and open faced and personable. Instrumentation is two clean sounding guitars into a Fender valve and a Mesa Boogie combo with bass, drums and keys. Looking so much like early Orange Juice. they use sweet major seventh chords and the lyrics are timeless in style and content. Delivered faultlessly. If I said they are a pop band I am not being at all dismissive or negative. Songs with hooks and charm.
The Sand Pebbles were playing without Tor C who is a great singer and guitar player. They do have two other guitar players though and the sound was full of clarity and excitement. Must be a great feeling for them to be able to step up like that. They played some songs from earlier albums as well as from their latest. Not saying they don't need Tor as he usually stands front and centre and the mix of his voice with Andrews is spectacular. Just saying that they were able to play using other feels and dynamics, without him.

We came on and played a set we had been honing in Adelaide for those two nights a few weeks ago. New songs like "cop this-sweetly", "flash in the pantz", "playin' chicken", "lifes a dream", " field record me", "don't wanna know myself" were mixed in with songs from our current album. we could do a whole set of new songs at the moment but that would be cruel. Very keen to get into the studio. Perhaps before the end of the year. Have to work out some way to release recorded music in the current clime, which is sometimes very worrying. The next album will be our first of new material since 2007. In some ways we have been very cautious in introducing new material. People have to be ready to accept it. Ready to hear it. Otherwise, it just doesn't leave the room. As all musicians know, that can be a very hollow and maddening feeling. To do your best and things just don't happen. Be good if there were people or powers to blame but sometimes its all just luck and timing.
The times are funny though, people are beguiled and distracted by technology itself. I could go on....but I won't.

Playing a solo show upstairs at La Casa in Drummyone on Thursday 10th Nov.
Playing with the Lurid Yellow Mist at the Camelot Lounge in Marrickville on Friday 11th November.
Playing with the Lurid Yellow Mist at the Great Northern on Saturday 12th November.

Playing a solo show at the Alleycat , Elizabeth st Hobart on Friday 18th November.
Playing with the Lurid Yellow Mist at the Greyhound in St Kilda at 6pm on Sunday Dec 4th. A very rare show south of the river!