It’s hard to believe that the height of Britpop was 30 years ago. 30 years ago! An age of less political correctness, when we listened to great music, wore baggy clothes over our thin bodies, had long straggly hair and danced our little hearts out.
Nowadays, it’s a lot more politically correct, the current music is 'of its time' (see how politically correct that was!!), but we’re recreating those fantastic Britpop & Indie tunes for you up and about in a land down under. Fair play, don’t judge, some of us have got baggy bodies now and a thin covering of hair, but we do it because we love the tunes and to see you sing and dance your lovely hearts out getting 'mad fer it' at our gigs !
So 2024 is the year of our Aussie Tour and didn't you just bring it for the first couple of weekends. What a bunch of legends you are. So this is what we’ve been up to as we blatted about.
CAIRNS (Reef Casino) - 12 & 13 April 2024
A weekend away for most folks over here involves a 4x4, caravan and fishing gear and disappearing into the outback, but not for us.
From a Britpop perspective, North Queensland is a pretty untapped spot, full of tropical charm, sun and humidity, (just like Moss Side really!). For middle-aged guys, we’re getting pretty good at the touring band thing; (unlike the early days when we were sharing foot pedals, deodorant and and one towel between five!). Now we're like a troupe of synchronised swimmers, thanks largely to the leadership and organisation of Mick, we all know what we need, where we need to be, and when to come up for air. You could say we're tighter than a turtles nostril. Armed with a sense of humour and clean set of underpants, we jagged a flight to Cairns on the first leg of our tour.
We all met at Brisbane Airport and Dave was giddier than a five year old who’s had three sherbert dips. John and Mick were tucking into their second pint of Guinness, Bondy was geeking it in the airport shops checking out the over-priced tech and Neil was impressing us all with his extensive knowledge of 90s band facts. All was good in the world as we prepared for the journey.
Flight safety brief completed, we settled into our seats and apart from Dee's bag of crisps exploding in the seat pocket behind Mick at 20,000 feet, (haha) everything went well with the trip. The Reef Casino Hotel gigs in Cairns were fantastic, with some great marketing, comfortable accomodation, close to the sea and really appreciative crowds. Winner winner, a few pints and a chicken tikka masala dinner.
Nothing beats hanging our for a weekend with your mates, the venue & team at Reef Casino Cairns are fantastic too..... Thanks Cairns - we'll be back!!
Solbar - Maroochydore - 19th April 2024
And then after what seemed like a really long week at work we did it all again, but this time on home turf with a few friends in tow as we headed to the Solbar in Maroochydore on Friday for our first gig with the amazing Brisbane Symphony Orchestra Quartet and the awesome Owls of Neptune.
The Solbar gig was sold out! everyone was packed tighter than Big Daddy's wrestling vest. As Mick’s dad used to say, “you couldn’t turn a toffee in yer mouth”. You peeps were in fine voice from the first note and a great night was had by all. We hope to see you at the Kings Beach Tavern in Caloundra, July 20 later this year.
Triffid - Brisbane - Sat 20 April 2024
Owned by Aussie Rock royalty 'Powderfinger', The Triffid is one of the premier live music venues in Australia and has hosted many international acts through the years. It's housed in a former WWII hangar with a rich history and unique atmosphere, contributing to its reputation as a cultural hotspot for music lovers. It's no secret that we love every gig we do, but the Triffid holds a special place in our hearts and we welcomed the BSO Quartet and the lads from Owls of Neptune back again for another evening of fun, singing and dancing. If you were standing at the front, you may have mistaken the gassy outbursts as Mick's reaction to Dee's crisp packet exploding, but the CO2 cannons added a touch of drama to the soothing tones of the quartet. We caught up with some of you after the gig and your appreciation was heart-warming ❤️ 💕.
We can't sign off with out thanking a few awesome humans.
Photographers - Kim Grimley, Sarah, Lachy Douglas, Cheyne Starkey - your photos and videos add another dimension and capture the events so beautifully.
Sound and Light Engineers - It's always a pleasure working with you all, your professionalism and flexibility is greatly appreciated.
Venue managers and staff - Look after us so well!
Our families - thanks for your ongoing love and support
So where are we off to next? Well if you fancy a trip up into the hills you can catch us on 5th May at the Bodega Bar in Toowoomba. If you can't make that, then check out the link below (either scan or click the QR code) for upcoming gigs.
The next Interstate gigs with the Symphony Orchestra Quartet are;
Please tell your interstate friends to come party with us!
Until next time 'Cooly Bees' - we're sending you all big love.
Neil, John, Mick, Dee and Bondy x
