24th August 2005

We took the luxury of using an extra day to travel to the Sunshine Coast. We stopped for dinner in a small town somewhere along the New England Highway, at a pub that had only completed the destructive part of a major renovation. Still open for business though. The chef is on forced leave from Northern Sydney, we can only guess why. Owns one of the most descriptive sailor’s mouths I’ve ever heard. Can cook. We share the bar with 2 locals, as scared of us as we are of them, I think. Bar noticeboard advertises topless waitresses, 7 to 9 o’clock. Confirms my suspicions of being in a classy place. Then I realise that’s 7-9AM…Bob Log sang about Boob Scotch, but I bet he hasn’t had a Boob Coffee for breakfast…

25th August 2005, Coolum Sol Bar

Drive, drive, drive. That’s all that’s done today. We talk about embarrassing album-ownings and come to the conclusion that I still own and listen to most of my embarrassments..

Eventually we get to Coolum. Small venue, very small stage. Very nice managers and staff. Whilst helping set up the door more than one potential punter curses that they won’t pay that admission price. More than one of these punters proceeds to climb over fence onto 2nd storey balcony in order to avoid paying.

The manager shouts us a shot of Jagermeister each before we go onstage. Apparently very rock to down said shot then go onstage to rock. I didn’t know this, needed to answer nature’s call before an uninterrupted hour onstage. Rock moment lost.

26th August 2005, Brisbane Troubadour

We spent the morning at Music@Noosa practising our licks and paradiddles, sound testing all the latest digital modeling technology. Jared exhibits a drummer’s flair for making loud noise repeatedly. I change my mind 73 times on what my next guitar amp will be. Leave my little old baby never to be seen again, has served me well.

Do radio interview with most wired interviewer ever. Can’t squeeze a word from any of us into endless stream of words, questions, and apologies from interviewer. Been up for 2 days straight. 3 days straight. Time to stop.

The Troubadour is very nice inside; load up endless, rickety, narrow aluminium firestairs less nice. I begin to get used to borrowing Matt’s Vox AC30. Show is good. Jamie plays Beautifully Tragic as first encore, a woman unknown to me starts up chat with me backstage on undoing my shirt buttons anymore would be cheesy, with shoulders like mine. Later, after we finish, same girl tells Jamie we remind her of that band (and then screams) “Utah saints, U-U-U-Utah Saints”…oh dear.

27th August 2005, Coolangatta Hotel

More gear – on the way south we stop off and say hello to Tim from Tym Guitars, who handmakes guitars and pedals. More gear talk, at least Matt’s influence means we can pretend to know what we’re talking about. I just keep thinking “I don’t know art, but I know what I like”…Tim makes some pretty cool guitars and I add a custom guitar from him onto my wish list.

Coolangatta Hotel at first assumes we’re playing the small front bar – oblivious to our huge Gold Coast profile. Eventually we find the large (massive) upstairs room and then have trouble finding our way downstairs to eat.

The sound system probably wasn’t used to it’s full potential tonight, but we had fun, it was our last show, and I stood on the bass drum for a rock pose. Halfway up I realized Ross’ kit (which Jared was using) is a big kit, very hard to climb with hands occupied, and I nearly either split my pants or tear a hammy.

We bid our touring companions a teary farewell (despite then driving back to the same hotel) and bunk down to prepare for a long drive home the next day (on which nothing interesting happened).