PureVolume

The Australian and Japanese Chapters: Part 1

PART 1
Ok, 30000 feet above the ground or something like that on a Japan airways flight to New Zealand. Actually hold up let's be accurate about this, We got 12 hours to kill... We're over Russia, and it's damn cold outside (-63) so the wing walk that Steve (the Subways tour manager) and I had planned will have to wait. Our red wine supply is running low. We could plug into another Romantic comedy starring that Diaz girl or perhaps a game on the inter seat quiz, wait up, it's a Japanese flight, don't really fancy our chances of victory unless it's Dr Fox's chart quiz, We need more wine. It's only 8pm and they've turned the lights out. Think we're missing something cause everybody's trying to sleep. We don't wanna sleep. Wine Pleaseeeeeee !!!!
The Subways flew out a week ago and have been dune buggying or something like that, they tend not to tell me if it involves something dangerous. Dune buggying?? Sounds sensible seeing that we're starting a 16 day tour Down-under tomorrow. Still got no contract for the shows, the schedules a mess, I didn't pack my trucks! Ahhhh but the Australians are promising sunshine !! Oh yes it's hotter than hot chili soup served in a Sauna. Can't wait really, nor can the band. Been weeks since they played and they crazy for it. Big Day out sounds amazing on paper, loads of bands, 6 gigs over 16 days in 6 cities, we shall see... First stop is...
New Zealand. Heard it's beautiful, A place to spend wonderful hours walking around the stunning lakes and mountains, weird thing is that's the same reason a friend gave me for ditching the place and heading for London.

We arrive in Auckland at 8.15am, meet the band at 5.20pm and crash out !!

Show day, Auckland, Jan 20th 1pm
Memoirs of a Drummer.. Josh recalls his afternoon...
"I truly knew this would be a strange day and it was, my drum kit collapsed after 2.5 seconds cause I hit it too hard, Bill and Char did well to cover my mistakes, a skill I'm very envious of. Bill's voice completely shocked the monitor engineer as the poor fellow, like every other dude who regrettably takes the job, underestimated the power of my crazy brothers vocals and blow my monitors. From song one the gig was over for me, so I smashed my kit up. After the gig I planned to drink until Iggy and The Stooges started. It was hours away. So after a few I stumbled to Iggy's stage and saw a fantastic show, I was happy. In tune with the state I was in I tried to do a 'Matrix' manoeuvre along a curved wall. A crowd of people I don't know saw me cut my leg and smack my head off the wall. With little consciousness remaining I joined my tour manager and bet him I could roll on the floor back to the dressing room. Failed and went back to the hotel, got more drunk and passed out!" by JOSH

We left New Zealand buzzed. The Auckland show hadn't been note perfect but it was f*&king punk! The hire equipment had fallen to pieces in the band's second song and their two techs (Ken and John) spent most of the gig gaffering parts of josh's kit together. The crowd knew "Rock & roll queen" but apart from that there was little singing, just a riotous moshpit of sweat and limbs.

We touched down in the Gold Coast around 6pm and a wall of heat smacked us in our puny English bellies and then laid us out with a sweltering upper cut. We ran screaming to the airconed people carrier and were rushed to the safety of the Gold Coast International hotel where we were staying. After much application of sunscreen, aviator shades, sun hats, visors etc we ventured to the festival site. Welcome to Gold Coast Big day out Flesh fest. Half naked Aussis for as far as the eye could see. Fields of Antipodeans slowly cooking themselves under the suns UV rays. The band hit stage around 2pm, it must have been 35 + in the tent and I have no idea how Billy, Char and Josh made it through the set. They kicked serious antipodean butt.

Post show the band fell down the backstage stairs and we rolled them into the waiting car to take them to an interview with Channel V. The interview, through the Camera lens, gave the impression of being next to a blue lagoon. The reality was that the set consisted of four chairs next to a swamp with well positioned palm trees in pots.

And so to the part we'd all been waiting for... the legendary Big Day Out aftershow parties. We put on our glad rags and positioned ourselves close enough to the bar to fully appreciate the free beers and shorts. Billy has just discovered Zambuca and the combination is frightening. The party is the norm for this kind of gig. A DJ playing music people appear too cool to dance to but in reality its just stuff no one knows. Put on some classics for God sake! A bit of cheese never hurt anyone. Charlotte looks happy, she's discovered the outside patio and is sat jabbering away to Michelle and Angela from the Magic Numbers, Sam from the Go Team and Alex from Franz. We all sit and watch some drunken ladies trying to impress The King's Of Leon (who are impossibly good looking) by playing Tennis in tiny outfits. The King's of Leon seem impressed and venture to join the girls and take a few swings at the tennis balls themselves forgetting that the tightness of their trousers restrict any kind of sideways movement (and too be honest girls, good luck in getting them off). I think they must have to be shoehorned into them at the beginning of a tour and surgically cut out at the end.

I venture to bed at 4am leaving Billy and Charlotte to party on. .
The following day we nurse hangovers by the hotel pool and take a walk down the beach. It f**king beautiful here. We all make plans to emigrate. Josh takes us to an India restaurant in the evening to eat Curry. Lazy day. So this is why the festival gained it's Nick name "Big Day Off". We set off for Sydney the next day. Starting to get very twitchy. It's weird this 1 show every 4 days, we're used to 42 days straight.

We spend a day doing the tourist trail thing including a stunning walk up the Sydney Harbour bridge which we'll never forget. And so to some Sydney Promo. The record company met us at the hotel and we take a trip out to JJJ (Triple J) radio station, one of Sydney's top radio stations. Billy jabbers at a DJ for 20mins and we are shipped to NOVA 969 (another top station) where the funny DJs have prepared the Subways sandwich joke (again). Actual I think it's the first time I did find it funny. Back to the hotel for Marie Claire, Fasterlouder, Dolly, Hotpress and Girlfriend mag, Josh gets the hump and goes walk about. Think he gets a bit pissed about not being directed questions. Billy and Charlotte breeze through the interviews, they're getting pretty sharp.

And so to Sydney... What a show...
I haven't seen them play like that since the Forum and Reading shows on the last UK tour, two shows where I did actually start crying at points. The place just erupted when Rock and Roll queen finished. Billy had gone crowd surfing at one point and on returning to the pit was mistaken for a member of the crowd and marched off. We luckily managed to rescue him and return him to stage to finish the track (I've never seen a security guard look so embarrassed, poor man). The band replaced "No Goodbyes" with "A plain above" in the set and it really worked, keeping the place rockin until the grand finale. Josh was outstanding, considering that bits of his body are falling to pieces. Chunks of foot hanging off, a battered and bruised boy. He still isn't wearing shoes to play and goes at the drums like a man possessed. We've had quite a few trips to the first aid centre on the this tour:- for Josh, battered feet through combination of drumming and drunken skinny dipping, for Billy his belly beach accident cut reopened by crowd surfing and for Charlotte, inability to lift her head for four hours due to excessive head banging on stage. Unbelievable!

Part 2 to follow....