Melbourne Cup is a quirky public holiday – dedicated to a horse race. Every first Tuesday in November at 3 pm the race is on, “The race that stops the nation” – or so they say. A sweep, dressing up, some drinks, some fun with friends, a big day for the city’s milliners it is.
But that is not what I am after. I enjoy the Monday night out. The Princebandroom in St.Kilda has a good show on like every year. This time The Living End, a Melbourne icon around for twenty odd years, and I still have not seen them.
That separates me from the crowd which is singing along at nearly every song, knows all the tunes, knows all the words.
It starts with support from West Thebarton, a seven piece from Adelaide. Three guitars on stage, with a woman on the drums who drives them.
After that the stage feels empty, a big bass lies to the right, the drum kit in the back, that’s it.
And then the band comes on, and the crowd, friendly so far, gets ecstatic. It is a show in their backyard, as Chris Cheney, singer and guitar player states.
On the other side of the stage Scott Owen plays the bass, and then there is Andy Strachan on the drums, nearly hidden from my view.
Rock’n’Roll with a punk attitude it is, and I enjoy it immensely. The band plays tight, the sound is dense.
I leave the house with the feeling to have seen a great band. I leave with a new double album, colourful vinyl. A signed copy of the last studio record “Wunderbar”, produced in Berlin, and “Live In Europe 2018”. And with a tinnitus that lasts a few days.
Anyway, it was fun.
Here my bonus track: A photo of Courtney Barnett I have seen a few weeks ago in the Festival Hall. I just listen to “Tell me how you really feel”. I hear it the second time. Not as catchy as her first long player, it slowly grows on me.
