14th Nov 2006
Will be doing a proper tour diary at some point when I get back but in the meantime just checking in, saying hi…
Flight over was an initial panic as my coach was delayed which made me late for check in and then I had problems with my Visa, but all was OK in the end…
Film selection was a little rubbish but I watched Mission Impossible and then some weird film with Adam Sandler called Click…
Then I hung around for ages in Transit in Tokyo, making use of the wireless internet… Got giggled at by Japanese schoolgirls… ;-)
Then because of aforementioned massive school group and because the staff thought I wouldn’t enjoy being sat right in the middle of them, they upgraded me to Business class… Wow! You get treated well… had some amazing food, still the same rubbish films though…
Spent first few days in Brisbane feeling quite jet lagged and feeling a bit depressed, for two reasons, firstly the jet lag, secondly loads of things reminded me of New Zealand and thus Sara, but got over it by Sunday and by having a big long walk down the South Bank, since then have felt a lot more chipper and have been at my usual, waffling, gabbling best…
On Sunday I had a peek round the Queensland Museum, it was quite small, but the exhibitions on Environmental damage and also on the oppression of Aboriginal oppression made me sad, guilty (for being British) and also inspired (to do something about it) all at the same time… Made me come out full of lyric ideas and full of desires to get involved with environmental campaigning when I return to the UK…
The gigs so far were odd, one on Saturday afternoon that was far too early and no one was really there, then one in the evening with me sandwiched between 4 hardcore Punk bands, I felt a little awkward, a little out of place and like I had something to prove, so took to the stage aggressively, beat the living daylights out of my guitar and got away with it…
OK, a few other general comments about Oz so far…
- Sorry to all my New Zealand friends… You’re not that different (to the outside eye), there’s a lot of similarities, and I’m all for cultural pride and identity, but there’s lots of similar phrases, customs, foods… For example I found the wondrous Whittakers Peanut slabs over here, bought a load of them to discover they are over 1000 calories per 50gram bar… That’s ridiculous! I will have to limit myself…
- Brisbane has a very enthusiastic DIY scene, and people are always in attendance at gigs, giving people a chance. They seem to like Punk, mellow music and not a lot in-between…
- it’s so bloody cheap here!
That’s all for now, a lot more soon…