golden plains, can't complains.

SATURDAY
I woke up at four and walked half an hour to Thornbury IN THE DARK only to drive straight past my house when we left my friend’s brother’s house. Lucky I was excited for Golden Plains…
One of the lovely girls at PBS gave me their Staff Pass, so we could overtake everyone in the entrance line to Golden Plains. Everyone in our convoy (me, my friends, my friend’s bother, my friend’s brother’s friends, my friend’s brother’s friend’s girlfriends) all miraculously ended up with a Staff Pass and got to drive up the right lane like the Queen, or something. There was an insane amount of people there, especially since we arrived at 8.20 and the gates only opened at 8.
We set up camp in Hidden Valley, before heading into a nanna nap to the sounds of the Dirty Three (presented by a boom box).The first band to play were Royal Headache. I think I enjoyed them better last time I saw them, possibly because I was drunker, closer and with more Royal Headache appreciative friends. They were still great though, I liked it when the singer said, “I think I’m gonna vom, ay” because it was completely reminiscent of Shepparton speak.

The next band we saw was Monotonix. I was looking forward to this ‘cos they were just meant to be gross. They played on top of the crowd which was pretty amazing, but all the showman ship really made them sound like shit. I liked them for a little while, and it was pretty funny.

My friend really wanted to see the Big Pink. I really think this could have been the shittest (not even in a good-shit way) band on the whole bill, just looking at them made me feel a bit sick. I stayed and listened because I am a good friend, and provided an off beat comment after to hide my bewilderment of how excruciatingly lame they were, “I liked the drummer hair!” (which was true- she did have a pretty cute hairdo). We came back to find that our friend had fallen asleep on our grapes, so we put rubbish in his shoes and had a bit of a giggle about it.

We stayed at the tent until just before Pavement. I think I’m a few years too young to have fallen into the oh-my-god-it’s-fucking-Pavement age group, but I knew a fair few of their songs from a child hood event where this family friend I thought was super cool stayed at our house and I asked what was playing on her walkman and she said, “Pavement- you wouldn’t know them!”, so of course I went and looked them up and learnt the words to Cut Your Hair.

We stayed for half of Dinosaur Jr. and then snuck off to bed. If anyone asks- we stayed for the whole set!

SUNDAY
The guys camping by us with coined the name ‘Super Wild Shit House Horses’ for the first band that was playing on Sunday. I’d never heard them previously, but I don’t really like girl bands, so we decided to wait in the coffee line for forty minutes instead of listening to them.

We moved on down to the Amphitheatre to see Jeffery Lewis and the Junkyard. I wasn’t going to come down for this because the band’s name sounded like they would have been playing folky shit. They didn’t, and they were pretty enjoyable! Jeffery Lewis did a rap about Mosquito’s which was really clever, and they also did a mash-up of Louie Louie and Cut Your Hair. This would have been among my favourite acts for the whole of Golden Plains.

Wooden Shjips were alright, I’d never listened to any of their music before, so got a little distracted when my friend and I spent the whole time making up a love story about this purple-dressed girl dancing in front of us. She kept kissing a boy that was shorter and chubbier than her, so we assumed that she was only doing so because he had a backstage pass. She loved dancing.

On the way back to the tent I saw Dan Sultan with his shirt off and I stared at him- so very good looking. I was planning on seeing Nashville Pussy, but we were too busy bonding with our camp site, listening to the Drones and catching Fruity Bites in our mouths.

Tame Impala attracted heaps of children. Like, actual children. It was really weird being at a festival that children were at. They were pretty cute hanging out on their parents shoulders, but they’d all push to the front because people would feel sorry for them for being too short. We talked to a boy call Zedd who was four, and he got his cute little face on the big screen, and couldn’t stop grinning with all of his four teeth.

I don’t know where I was for Calexico. The next thing I remember is listening to Tex Perkins and my mum texting me telling me to blow him kisses for her. The Cruel Sea weren’t too bad. I thought they’d be shit ‘cos I hate their CD’s, but I think I was just a bit out of it, and mesmerized by SEXY TEXY. I’m pretty sure it started pouring during Tex, and afterwards we were all singing ‘Fuck Forever’ in the rain. I didn’t think the rain was that heavy, but I saw some pictures later and it was. Whoops.

We went to bed two songs in of Midnight Juggernauts because we are weak. We found our new friend sitting on a chair, dead to the world, at the camp site so helped him to his car and I’m pretty sure I broke my back doing so. We fell into a pretty blissful sleep (seeming as though out tent was withstanding all that rain) until a someone jumped in the tent singing ‘the Ning Nang Nong’ really loudly.

MONDAY
We had packed up pretty early, but had to wait for our driver. I lost the tent bag, so Dad wasn't too impressed with the garbage bag replacement I had for him.

Seeming that I enjoyed the festival without even thinking about the rain shows how sweet Golden Plains was. I’m so amped for Meredith now. Seeing all four of the boys that I liked the most last year, at Golden Plains was pretty weird. A bit like two stabs in the face and a big, warm hug.

I’m not complaining though.

i've got a golden ticket

The lovely Sales manger at PBS gave me her Golden Plains ticket. Through a quick succession of e-mails we found out that we were both reppin' the Goulburn Valley in Melbourne, and our respective townships were all making the news for gross reasons (attempted abductions, gang murders, drug busts, et cetera, et cetera)- T.G I am fiiiinally back in Melbourne. Anyway, I AM GOING TO GOLDEN PLAINS!
I'm going with a few friends from home so it will be just like going to the SheppARTon Festival, except the bands won't suck and I won't be driven home by my parents at ten o' clock. I have my gumboots, waterproof jacket, and a ride there and back.

Now all I need is my hair to grow 30cm so I won't look like a homeless orphan once I get rained upon.

I should buy a rain hat.

bad kids.

Being devoid from everything musical that was not in the form of a record or CD lately, I was OTT excited about going to see Black Lips last night at the Corner.

It started out with cups of goon and ended in cups of sweat. I think my friend put it best when he said by the end of the night his shirt was like it had just come out of the washing machine (minus the nice washing powder smell).

The UV Race supported, but they weren't as good as they where last time which was dissapointing as I had talked them up alot to my friend and he bluntly told me that they were shit. But they weren't last time- I promise! I'd heard about The Twerps before but never took the time to listen- they were really good, but I think we forgot to see most of them because it was Sabrina's cigar time.

Black Lips were amazing. It was so hot and squashed up the front, but well worth it. It was so disgusting, but so, so good. I think I am a little bit in love with the guitarst, Ian St. Pe.

It would be weird if I didn't love one of them, right?

goodbye.

The Tote always scared me a little because I never dressed right or looked old enough to be there, but it was one of the coolest places I have ever been in. My last memory of the Tote was seeing Digger and the Pussycats, The Stabs, Gentle Ben and then getting bruises to Sixfthick. It was amazing.

I'll miss walking in the wrong direction from Victoria Park station everytime I went to go see you.

Goodbye Tote Hotel x

yahoo.

I once had a friend in my year twelve History class, and nearing the end of the financial year, of that year, he started a band. It may have been established well before then, but that was the first that I had heard of them.

I went to their second show where they played to like, 6 people, after my English exam and I eventually made the effort to go see them again on Friday at Yahoo Bar.

I kind of hate Yahoo Bar because there is a really wanky bartender and everytime I see him I just want to shoot the orange juice hose all over his stupid face. Although, it is all that Shepparton has in terms of live music and I used to be able to get in there before I was eighteen, so I do secretly like it a tiny bit.

His band isn't really my cup of tea in terms of their music style, but I don't think anything that I like would go down too well in Shepp. So they're not too bad, and I guess they gave Shepparton kids some style tips and can be thanked for that.

I can't wait to go back to Melbourne.

save me a place

j

radelaide.

I had to go to Adelaide to see family after new years. I've yet to have visited a more boring city. My brother and I spent the whole time trying to sneak onto peoples wireless networks. They had a record store but I didn't even like it that much. Dad spent eighty million hours in there, but it was okay because he came out with Brian Hooper's record and a Grong Grong CD.

Radelaide is such a misleading nickname.

rowland s. howard

I'd been on a massive Rowland bender for the most part of 2009, starting from the swindling of my Dad's records from back when he used to be cool. Hee Haw has become one of my favourite albums, and Death By Drowning one of my favourite songs.

My Dad keeps an insane amount of junk from when he was younger, including a bunch of old band shirts- that like his records, have taken up shop in my room. I think it's silly to wear band shirts if you don't know more than an albums worth of songs, so before I could wear the Birthday Party shirt out in public, I decided to read some books about them and fill my little brain full of facts so that I could offer an intelligent answer if anyone where to quiz me.

After all that, I realised I'd never, ever wear the shirt. I think it used to be black or dark blue, but it now rests at a nearly white grey. It would probably fall apart as soon as its nanna-like threads met with the wind (and that could be embarrassing for me because I never wear nice bras).

I had heard a few songs off Rowland's first album, never the whole album in it's entirety, but I really liked it. I've always had trouble getting people to come see bands with me because I'm not very nice, but I really, really wanted to go see him. After giving up of finding someone to take I decided to go alone, and I'm glad I did because he was amazing.

I'm sorry for wedging your beautiful music between You Drive Like A Cunt and Last Night I Got Drunk on my mix CD.

Rest In Peace Rowland x

can i have my wine? i forgot i had it.

The water in Geelong must be somethin’ magical, like from a Harry Potter book, infected with time-rewind face cream, ‘cos everyone who was out the Nash looked like they were fifteen- or they were all on fake I.D’s.

It was the weirdest gig I had ever been too. I’m barely legal, but I felt like I was among the oldest in the band room. Everyone was jumping like they would on a trampoline, the band member were smiling and playing wholesome songs about kisses, girls and summer and I was just standing at the back with my arms crossed.

I can’t remember the bands that played, except for the first- Kung-fu In Technicolour. They were my friend’s friend’s band (excuse my apostrophes- I have no idea) and our reason for traveling east. They were first and were cute. Then another local band played that had a cool lookin’ girl lead singer- they weren’t too bad. It finished off with another band, who must be pretty popular in Geelong because it was getting more crowded.

It was a strange experience and reminded me of going out in my home town. Which mustn’t have been such a good thing because Shepparton’s most ‘famous’ band is playing tonight and I’m not even going (mainly because I’m grumpy at missing out on my true loves Eddy Current Suppression Ring tonight).

I also saw Thee Oh Sees at PBS on Wednesday .They were pretty sweet and the guy had some cool tattoos and I touched his hand.

faux junkies are dreamy.

Legends of Motorsport have been escaping me all year. I didn’t discover them until I saw the fabulously bearded Richard Fyshwick play at some Fringe Fest thing whenever the Fringe Fest was on, and fall deeply in love with the song Brunswick Ladies. Ever since I brought the CD and played it incessantly in my room, my friends who had overheard their sweet, sweet sounds would never go see them (by slyly being out of town, or ‘tired’).

Once again I am unable to attend Legends of Motorsport when they play along side Dynamo at the Cherry Bar tonight. My Cherry Bar cherry will remain unpopped most likely forever, as nothing there ever really tickles my fancy (although Digger and the Pussycats are playing there this New Years Eve, except I’m busy), but then again, I never really think about going there.

I like Dynamo. They were one of the first local Melbourne bands I ever listened to. Back in my country high school my friend gave me approx. five of their badly recorded song he swiped off his brother, and I used to listen to them all. the. time.

Because I can’t go see Dynamo and Legends of Motorsport tonight, I’ll just imagine what would have happened:

I’d probably wear one of my two outfits on high rotation- the tablecloth 80s party dress or the white, lace-trimmed, short-sleeved blouse with a skirt- and go buy myself (hopefully not by myself) a beer and stand by a piece of furniture or wall with my arms crossed.

LoM would sing new album songs that I don’t know, and I would get bored until they sing the ones that I know. I’d be happy (maybe tearful- depending on my alcohol level) when they play Brunswick Ladies and then I would stroke Fyshwick’s beard and find a family of birds.

Dynamo would play, and it would be fun and nostalgic and prompt me to send annoying text messages… Afterwards the drummer would remember meeting me on Wednesday and we’d discuss his missing cymbal prompting him to go see the band about the return of the cymbal. I would follow, because they are friends with good looking men, and I’d eventually meet a tall, thin man with facial hair who looks like a junkie (but isn’t really). Then faux-junkie and I would fall in love and I’d drop out of uni and we’d spend our days kissing and moulding each others faces in clay.

I haven’t used my imagination in a long time, so please excuse me.