Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Kim Salmon & The Surrealists & John Reed Club @ Selina's

What I remember (in 2024)

Went on my own.

Weird vibe going in.  We had just finished watching the coverage of the funeral of Princess Diana, so there was a certain lull in the crowd.

In contrast, the Blues Explosion just blasted out energy and got pepole into it.

The Crap Facts
This is my 128th concert.
This is my 16th concert at Selina's.
This is my 16th concert in Coogee.
This is my 129th concert in New South Wales.
This is my 128th concert in Australia.
This is my 2nd John Reed Club concert
This is my 2nd Kim Salmon & The Surrealists concert.
This is my 2nd Jon Spencer Blues Explosion concert.

Stevie Starr @ Harold Park Hotel

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with Roberta.  I think she bought the tickets as a birthday present.

It was like a car wreck, you didn't want to see any of it, but you couldn't turn away from it.

Pentecost @ Pilgrim Theatre

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with Roberta and a bunch of UNSW people, as Chritian, one of their group, was performing.

Was an intense show, that I didn't really understand.

Melvins & Cosmic Psychos @ The Metro

What I remember (in 2024)

Went on my own.

Never thought I'd get to see the Melvins.

Cosmic Psychos billed as headliners, but they switched out at different venues and Melvins headlined this show.

The Crap Facts

This is my 127th concert.
This is my 25th concert at The Metro.
This is my 28th concert in Sydney.
This is my 126th concert in New South Wales.
This is my 127th concert in Australia.
This is my 2nd Cosmic Psychos concert.
Melvins are 164th band I've seen.

Tea Party & Deadstar @ Mingara

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with Jason.

An over 18s show, some kid crawled through the air conditioning ducts and came through the roof to get in the venue, landing 15 feet in front of us.

I remember Jeff Martin asking "Tumbi Umbi?....Where the fuck are we?"

The Crap Facts

This is my 126th concert.
Mingara is the 34th venue I've seen a concert in.
Tumbi Umbi is the 28th venue I've seen a concert in.
This is my 125th concert in New South Wales.
This is my 126th concert in Australia.
Deadstar are the 163rd band I've seen.
This is my 3rd Tea Party concert.

You Am I & Fauves @ Selina's

The Crap Facts

This is my 125th concert.
This is my 15th concert at Selina's.
This is my 15th concert in Coogee.
This is my 124th concert in New South Wales.
This is my 125th concert in Australia.
This is my 6th Fauves concert.
This is my 10th You Am I concert.

Tea Party @ Hordern Pavilion

The Crap Facts
This is my 124th concert.
This is my 17th concert at Hordern Pavilion.
This is my 24th concert in Moore Park.
This is my 123rd concert in New South Wales.
This is my 124th concert in Australia.
This is my 2nd Tea Party concert.

Rollins Band & Grinspoon @ Selina's

The Crap Facts
This is my 123rd concert.
This is my 14th concert at Selina's.
This is my 14th concert in Coogee.
This is my 122nd concert in New South Wales.
This is my 123rd concert in Australia.
This is my 2nd Grinspoon concert.
This is my 3rd Rollins Band concert.
Rollins Band are the 50th different band I've seen in 1997.

Pavement @ The Metro

What I remember (in 2024)

Went on my own.

Good show, but didn't have that crazy, amped up vibe from the Max's show in 1993.

The Crap Facts
This is my 122nd concert.
This is my 24th concert at The Metro.
This is my 27th concert in Sydney.
This is my 121st concert in New South Wales.
This is my 122nd concert in Australia.
This is my 2nd Pavement concert.

Hayman Island, QLD to Fortitude Valley, QLD

Docked in Hamilton Island, after a leisurely cruise on the Sun Princess, I have to wait half an hour before I board my flight back to Brisbane. The dessert of the trip was seeing the coral reefs for one last time. Even from the plane, the water is so clear you can see all the features of the Whitsundays. Am very stoked that we had this week. Not only for the sights and new friends, but for also catching up with Woody. I’ll have to do this again sometime soon.

Hayman Island, QLD

The most perfect of days. Lazing around the pool, taking it easy – just being on holidays. We tried to get into the resort to have a look around, but Woody could not get permission – this is the only downer of the trip. We were, however, allowed to go to the Beach Pavilion for cocktails. The Beach Pavilion is an open cabana, which is on the beach and serves cocktails during the afternoon and sunset. Talk about perfect. Luvvo, Woody, BJ, Pubby and I spent all afternoon there with Megan serving us. I think we had at least one of every cocktail on the menu. A great way to end our week in paradise. Later on we went back to the staff bar and went crazy, being our last night and all. Everyone had a blinder. Pubby believes that Ansett, who own Hayman Island, get forty percent of staff wages back through the staff bar. And from what I’ve seen, this is not hard to believe.

Hayman Island, QLD

Had a relatively slow start to the morning due to the previous nights debauchery, but spent the afternoon on the Reef Dancer. The Reef Dancer is a glass-bottom boat that chugs around Arkhurst Island (just to Hayman’s west). The boat goes into a couple of small coves in the island, which allows guests to dive in and snorkel around. I stayed in the boat and watched the others. I can’t for the life of me adjust my breathing to snorkel, which consequently puts me in a panic. Still, just sitting in the boat was amazing. With the water so clear I could see plenty just fine. The view of the coral and the brightly coloured fish everywhere is breathtaking. We were meant to go on a boat to the Great Barrier Reef today, but the weather didn’t allow for it. This is such a shame, because if it is this beautiful so far away from the Reef – that place must be beyond description. Went on a sunset walk with Luvvo, as he wanted to take some photos. Then we did our nightly ritual at the staff bar.

Airlie Beach, QLD to Hayman Island, QLD

Spent today on South Mole Island. The morning boat from Shute Harbour takes about 45 minutes. Once on the island you can treat it as though you are a guest of the resort and use all of its facilities. We spent the morning playing a round of golf. Lunch was a huge all you can eat buffet. And the arvo was spent lazing by the pool. I always pictured South Mole Island being an exclusive resort, but it definitely seems like a more affordable, family-style resort. Still a great place and somewhere to keep in mind for a future holiday. We get back to Hayman in the afternoon. It’s another barbeque night and once again the staff bar is open and more than happy to take my money.

Hayman Island, QLD to Airlie Beach, QLD

A day of recovery – sitting by the staff pool and waiting for the afternoon water taxi to Shute Harbour, for a night out in Airlie Beach. The weather on the way over was the roughest yet, causing some problems in the water. It is the closest to seasick I have ever been. Airlie Beach was chockers full of backpackers. We went to a pub/hostel, Beaches, not dissimilar to the Coogee Bay Hotel, i.e. it had a huge beer garden and was full of Poms. The place was packed for the Wallabies vs Lions rugby match being shown on the big screen. It seemed like we were the only ones cheering on the Aussies, but at least there was a great atmosphere. The place was relatively quite by the end of the night though as the Aussies won the rugby and all the Poms went home to sulk. We wanted to kick on after Beaches had closed but could not find anywhere else with a good vibe, so we ended up back in the hotel by 1am.

Hayman Island, QLD

Friday was our coolest day weather wise, so we took advantage and did a hike around the island. This hike is approximately 9 kilometers long, but quite relaxing. There are 4 main lookouts, and the chapel along the way. The outlook from the chapel is south, overlooking the marina and the Whitsunday Islands. It seems like a beautiful place for a wedding. The Marina Lookout was three kilometers off course from the track we were on, so we gave it a miss. Dolphin Point faces north, and you can see the mainland from here. It is about thirty metres above the ocean. The view is just awesome, and so relaxing. The main lookout, on top of the island, faces south, and Woody reckons that on a clear day you can see right down to Hamilton Island form here. Unfortunately, we were not so lucky today. 3 hours later we had finished our trek and were ready for a feed. Friday night is “cook your own BBQ” night, so there are steaks, rissoles, sausages and chicken aplenty. You pick what you want, buffet style, and then throw it on the barbie and cook to your liking. Another plus is that the barbie is in the staff bar so, needless to say, we spent the night and got absolutely wankered. Luvvo and I decide we are going to start a band, Vomiting From All Orifices, and have a name planned for our first album – 30 Cone Screamers. I told you we were pissed.