Swandive BC

When I was in Australia, as mentioned in previous posts, I played in a band called Swandive. This is the video of the last gig we did. It easily ranks as one of the top 5 gigs I've ever played in my musical life. The whole night was blast and fuelled with 'punk' exuberance from the start. Literally a minute or so before we played, a guy punched a friend of ours Stu in the face, cue Nick (in a drunken moment of 'this is a great idea' thought process) hurling a pint glass at the the offenders head. Thankfully it missed and just hit the wall. The guy ran out of the club with Nick in tow leaving the rest of us to just look at each other and shrug. It was smoothed over when I imagine the fresh air allowed the realisation to kick in, so Nick returned, still a little pissed off, and enabled us to all play one of the most fun gigs I've ever been involved in. It was all over in 10 minutes too. But then that's sometimes the best way. The proverbial short and sweet. Playing in this band, although it being temporary and consisting of only 4 gigs, made me remember why I love playing music. It was just so much fun and I will be forever thankful to them for letting me be a part. Cheers wicked dudes.



xx

5/101 Moray Street, 4005

Here are some photos of the flat I've been living in for the past year. I almost kind of wish I'd not lived in it because upon moving back home in a week, there's no way I'd be able to afford a place like this in London unless I was on Hollyoakes money or won the lottery (which, by the way will happen guys, it will. Always believe in dreams, always...even though I've not even bought a scratch card in about 12 years, there's still chance, because it's a dream. It's funny, cos me and my friends even have 'what would you do if you won the lottery' parties. I can't believe some of them would buy a ferrari and all the ice cream they could eat, ha ha you guys...Me? I would help the world...I would help...the...world)...it's a nice flat...

We have 3 piggin balconies for a start. One off each bedroom and one off the lounge...we move out in 3 days (hold on, 3 days...3 balconies...3 people living in the flat...a triangle has 3 sides and is considered the strongest shape. Pyramids were and still are triangles getting intimate. Could this mean that this is a portal to some sort of mathematical catacomb, or...oh actually we move out in 2 days, I got it wrong...maths don't work no more...we were so close...sigh...)















My balcony at night. Just behind the set of houses is the Brisbane river. It's not a bad view every morning.















The view from our front balcony looking out onto Moray Street















Looking out onto Moray Street again from the same balcony















Our lounge



















Kitchen and whatever that bit might be called



















Bit that leads to bedrooms...

This might be the last blog I get to do before I move home, but I still have more photos and stuff to put up and say. Despite my initial grievances with the humidity in the summer, Brisbane is one of the most incredible cities I've ever been to and I feel even luckier to have been able to live here for the past year. I've made some great friends and had some unforgettable experiences, apart from that one time when something happened and I did something that someone said something about...I don't remember...anyway...

It's very easy to get nostalgic about things and remember how great they were, when really, it's just existing and what you're used to. I've realised this past year that I've perhaps very much been a 'grass is greener' person (although the grass literally is greener back home, cos it's dead hot here and dry). Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because I think it shows just how much you value somewhere, despite not fully appreciating it when you're there. I'd be more worried if I never wanted to return, but as it happens, I cannot wait. I also cannot wait to return to Brisbane (although I've not yet left). It took a while to settle and get used to, but I feel comfortable here and not like an outsider. I'm glad I'll be leaving with a 'see you soon' as opposed to a 'goodbye'...

xx

Photos I've Taken

Here are a selection of photos that I've taken I quite like. They are predominantly nature based, although there's one picture in there that, because of it's title, you'd assume the author would place it under the header 'nurture'. Which would be ironic if he was a catholic priest don't you think...oh wait, I did that joke a few posts down...I blame Australia for my repetition as I do at times feel like I'm living in a little time warp. But, like the song from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, I'm not afraid to do it (the time warp) again. Although I fear if was to do that dance in the little town a few hours outside of Adelaide where I found the book, I would be chased out by the women/men in the coffee shop/bookstore whilst they brandished 'fire sticks' screaming at me never to return. In reality, all I actually experienced was some very confused looks as I was trying not to laugh whilst I got my Aunty Den to take the picture.

I spent 5 days down in South Australia, near Adelaide with my Uncle and Aunt and their friends Ron & Bern. I had a blast. Got pissed on awesome wine, chatted loads (I like to do that) and saw some great countryside, so thanks to all of them for an incredible week.

Also, if you click on the photos it will in enlarge them.

Breakfast outside the train carriages in Riverton



















Those pesky christian fundamentalists, they're always mucking about...















Ducklings are nice















Black Swan



















Clare Valley Grapes



















Tourist Idiot (sometimes self deprecation is a little too predictable...which in itself is self deprecation)















'American Psycho' is banned in the state of Queensland. Here is a review of the book from Adelaide, South Australia















I have no idea what type of spider this is, but if you saw one in Britain, more than likely, it would be described as a 'fuck off massive spider'



















Below is a Golden Orb spider that made it's web just above our front door. Again, a decent sized spider by UK standards. Apparently the bite hurts, but not poisonous. Here are a series of photos of it, as it was there for about a week, before I had to cut it's web down with a stick, because I couldn't leave the house as it's web had dropped in front of the door and it was hanging about chest height. As you can see, I've tried to integrate the spider into an art piece I simply call 'Tell Everyone About This Spider'...but how will I tell everyone? The phone lines...the phone lines...(in the photo)...
You probably don't understand art like I do, especially the metaphors and hidden meanings used within it, which is why I explained the first one for free. The next, you'll have to work out for yourself.



















This one is called 'Goat Hell (It On The) Mountain'



















And the final shot of this trilogy. This was taken just after I moved it's web. Note the almost skull like angry voodoo face on it's body. It's because of this marking that I call this picture

'Kevin, That's Not Turps'



















Gecko's love to hump



















This stick insect can fly. It looks weird. Plus, it took a dump on our washing















These lizards hang out everywhere...boring...















Ibis is a chain of budget hotels in Europe. In Australia, the avian version eat out of bins.



















Brisbane City Centre



















View of Brisbane from some look out or something, probably historic, but I was too busy getting PISSED! (I wasn't...)















xx

Something clever & witty about storms...and being calm...

I wrote this first line a few times because I wasn't sure how to begin the beginning of this first post. The fact I've not deleted it and I'm still writing suggests I've opted for for the more 'narrated' approach, an almost casual inner monologue that is no longer a 'silent word companion' to myself, but one that I can now share with people reading this...either that or I'm masquerading as a wannabe journalist that just "can't understand why Pitchfork won't accept my submissions".

I moved to Brisbane, Australia on the 27/09/07 and subsequently came down with one of the worst flu's I've had in recent memory (the line 'recent memory' I feel gives the impression that we're dealing with a diary of some kind written by an explorer whose days have become months have become years. I'm going with a nautical themed explorer, due to the amount of sea I've had to cross to get here. Admittedly it was pre-determined and I hopped on a plane as opposed to a boat, but regardless of this, hopefully I'll be able to relate it all back to 'water' and 'river', like the photo above shows evidence of, at some point later in the post...I realise I've crossed as much land, but that doesn't really work with the imagery of 'aqua based stuff').

Back to the flu. I'm pretty much over it now and my body clock has been able to correct itself to Eastern Standard Time so I'm now functioning more normally. The one plus side of not being able to sleep until 6 in the morning meant that I was able to get up at 4.30 on the 4th October to watch Liverpool play some of the worst football I've seen them play in 'recent memory' and subsequently lose 0-1 to Marseille. Actually, why was that a good thing...(that's rhetorical).

Brisbane is a lovely city. It's pretty small, so it's a great change after having spent 8 years in London (beep beep, mind the gap, can you spare 5p, how did you not know she was a man). Whereas the River Thames 'divides' London, the Brisbane River 'connects' the city. I think there is a metaphor loosely based around how friendly the cities are that I could use, but instead I'll just opt for the phrase 'you do the maths'...not actual maths though.

There is a ferry called the City Cat that you can catch and get dropped off at various points. We all know how buses or public transport in general works don't we yeah? Well imagine a water based version of a bus, or a water based version of a plane, whichever works for you, but imagine people getting on, paying money, then getting off at the stop they so desire. I gave a woman $2 (about 80p UK money) the other day because she didn't have change for the ferry and the guy wouldn't accept her $50 note and was about to make her leave the ferry. She said I was 'an angel', I said 'don't worry about it, although I must point out that angels are without genetalia so if you're implying I'm some sort of eunuch, then that's the last time I'm giving you $2'. She laughed, we laughed, probably for a little bit too long if truth be told, so I went and stood at the front of the ferry at the very tip of the boat and pondered this whilst not laughing. But instead listening to the album 'Enter' by 'Russian Circles' and pretended for a second that maybe I was an angel, but then remembered I was an atheist, so I imagined the word 'SCIENCE' flashing in front of my eyes just because.

Anyway, there have been storm warnings these past few days, but nothing massive. To me it just seems like heavy rain. It certainly can't be compared to the storms that my brother and the
Strom's have endured on the east coast of the US these past few years. There has been some pretty cool lightning though, especially last night. (I didn't take this photo by the way).

So that's my first 2 weeks pretty much. A bit uneventful due to the flu, but I have grown a sweet beard which has been exciting I guess. Plus I did see Pelican play live the other day, who were amazing as always.

Before I forget, this diary is called 'Dead Scenes' because I'm documenting events that have happened, so subsequently don't exist anymore other than in memory, although I realise it sounds a little macabre. I also realise that this is just a standard practice of documentation and that it's actually pretty tricky to document events that haven't happend so everything is naturally going to be in the past as it were. Also, it's in black because apparently, a black background is more environmentally sound on a page than a white one...something to do with kilowatt hours. Speaking of which, the average lightning bolt contains 250 kilowatt hours. So that's 1000 just in that photo above from the other night. What this means? I have no idea...what we can learn from it? Again, nothing much other than I had to use google to find this out and the link and information about black backgrounds.

xx