Dear all,
Greetings from a suitably warm Brisbane. We’re almost at the midway point of this my fourth tour of Australia and sixth time in the Southern hemisphere. This time as last time is a family trip as well as a musical tour – this time of course with two kids not just one! It’s a little different this time as last time we just had a one year old to take with us so wife and child accompanied me to virtually every gig. Whereas this time we have a three year old and a nine month old so wife and kids are safely installed at wife’s uncle and aunt who have extraordinarily generously offered accommodation for the duration of our stay here. I’m popping off to do the touring but alternating between that and precious family time.
The trip began with a bit of stress as Shrewsbury became awash with snow! Our airport transfer was hastily brought forward so we could get out while we could! Thankfully Manchester airport was unaffected so off we took…the kids were absolutely terrific on the flights. Heidi was a hero on the last trip as cabin crew declared her the best behaved one year old they’d ever seen on that beastly flight. Smug mode suitably engaged that time, but we wondered if three year old Heidi would be quite so amiable. We shouldn’t have doubted her! And thankfully newly crawling Zac was similarly relaxed.
So far so good. What I hadn’t reckoned with was the bloody jetlag! In the past jetlag has had relatively little effect on me bar a few days of waking up very early. But with two children? Good god above! One wakes at 1.30 then the other then one might be possible to get back to sleep but the other one scuppers it…it took a full week to feel human I have to say. The first gig in Woy Woy was absolutely stellar but there wasn’t much in the way of late night drinks and chat from me afterwards! Thankfully I’d perked up a bit by the following weekend which saw a return to Illawarra Folk Festival. Great festival with some great music and quite prodigious rain!
Then a lovely week with the family seeing koalas and kangaroos, swimming, beaching. In other words, classic Australia! Heidi relished seeing all these new and exciting creatures and has felt a great sense of responsibility feeding the chickens in the morning and checking for eggs in the afternoon! It was a lovely week but duty called next and I entered my longest period away from my children since they were born, a whopping six nights. As documented elsewhere, I had always decided to try and limit lengthy stays away from home especially while the kids are so young but Australia is rather a large country! And while here I of course want to tour, play to plenty of people and indeed earn enough money to fund the trip so yes here began a busy week…
First it was off to the delightful Wentworth Falls where I played to a wonderful packed house of brilliant people at the first ever Grandview Folk Club. It was a joy as was returning to Upper Lansdowne the following night for my third gig there and staying at the incredible home of Al and Helen whose garden is something of a wildlife park with wallabies, platypuses and god knows what making an appearance! I was also introduced to the catbird – I can think of few less desirable morning alarms than the piercing mew-like call of that thing!!!!
Next to Nabiac for a cracker of a house concert before heading north to Byron Bay for a night off en route to Brisbane. I very much enjoyed some time on the beach before an evening at The Rails listening to Alex Tilley with a few pints…sorry Aussies I still don’t get your beer. But I thought when in Rome…somehow I’ve never quite felt right drinking wine in a pub.
Then it was off to Brisbane for two shows, last night being at the legendary Bug with the superb Flora Falls over from Berlin. It was a belter of a night and tonight it’s Red Hills Folk Club before a looooooong drive back to my family tomorrow. I have missed them very much I must say. It’s not very rock’n’roll I know…but I have seldom laid claim to being rock’n’roll. In fact my delightful friend Matt once described as ‘about as rock as mittens’. Probably about right.
Anyway, some more Aussie diaries to come but in the meantime I hope you all had a wonderful festive period too. I can’t wait for you all to hear the new album. UK tour coming in May and September and some videos to come before then too!