Rock Chick

Map

Pete please, if I visit you in Melbourne please please please find me a gig, I am getting desperate....... I tried to suppress it, after all I go to see bands all the time at home and this year is all about doing something different, exploring and learning. My total failure to find any rock gigs throughout my travels in Asia though had taught me one thing, I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT IT. Oh how jealous I was of people back home going to all these festivals and gigs. Just in the past couple of weeks I had missed Reading festival, Maximo park and and and.... the big one Muse at Wembley stadium with Biffy Clyro supporting, for which I was absolutely devastated. Pete stuck by his promise and I was also in for a little surprise in Melbourne which left this rock chick pretty satisfied and ready to face the rest of my travels mo fo’s ooh yeeeeahhhhh.

First things first, a little walk around Melbourne and some admin, internet, shopping, haircut, that kind of thing. Oh yes the haircut, that was fun NOT. I found what looked like a nice little salon in the centre of Melbourne and booked an appointment later that day. When I got there, it seemed that the lady was there on her own as her colleague had gone home sick. So, in between sorting out my well-travelled mop she was answering the phone, greeting people in the shop and at one point she even left me sat there with wet hair while she ran an errand elsewhere! Not surprisingly, it didn’t turn out too great, the worse cut I have ever had! Oh well... Anyway, disguised the hair as much as poss then off out to meet Pete. It was wonderful to catch up with Pete and weird to meet him on his own turf after last meeting on mine! Very happy that he kept his promise and after a couple of beers in a bar next to central station we left for a gig in Richmond, a lively little area of Melbourne.

Think the band were called Blackchords, really enjoyed watching them although the venue was very very quiet. Maybe it was a weeknight but also there were students filming the gig as part of their videography course so no one wanted to go to the front and embarrass themselves moshing on camera. Pete knew the band so we had dinner with the guitarist and turns out they had just returned from a tour of Europe so are clearly making some strides

This probably would have satisfied my craving for live music but a quick search through the ‘what’s on’ and WOULD YOU BELIEVE WHO WERE IN TOWN AND PLAYING ON MY LAST NIGHT IN MELBOURNE?????? Sold out though unsurprisingly but thanks to ebay and a bit of luck I went to see METALLICA!!!! Oh yeeeeessssssssssss.

... what are the chances? As it was such short notice i even got my ticket for under face value and the guys i bought the ticket from were my escorts for the evening too Metallica played at the Rod Laver stadium, famous for being where the Australian open tennis is held. Oh how excited was I? Absolutely amazing evening although I have to say these Aussies really do not know how to rock! It was the tamest gig I have ever been to, no kidding, and they call us soft sooks??? This might have had something to do with the over-the-top security at the venue and maybe the ban on taking alcoholic drinks into the stadium WHAT THE...... Anyway, happy, happy, very happy but unfortunately I hadn’t thought this through too well as didn’t get to bed til 2.30am and had to be up at 5 to catch my flight to Queensland! More than worth the lack of sleep though

Then the stage caught alight!

weird art in Melbs