Battleships Tour Diary: Part Four

Transport can be quite a tricky thing. And we discovered this anew this past weekend. Usually we fly to our destinations to play, I know there is some romanticising around 'the tour van' and bands, but for the most part, it's just a long way! So we have usually flown. We have done a few Melbourne to Adelaide trips in the car, a really nice drive.

The weekend previous we'd played in Queensland and following that, Dan, Nato and Jon drove back to Sydney in their rented Kia to make it in time for Monday - juggling work and band can be tricky. I got to hang around and visit friends and family.

On Friday we hired a 12 seater, filled it with gear, band members and friends and headed to 'the Gong'. Previously most of our Wollongong gigs have been at the very small Your & Owls - a rite of passage for bands visiting and from the area. Waves night club is a drastic change from the humble and understated Yours and Owls. Waves features a large room, with raised floors, cages for all the wild animals they get visiting from time to time I'm sure...) and a large stage.

Every set has a different feel, every crowd, every room. It's funny how a location can influence the audience. Wollongong was rowdy but responsive, we had a lot of good comments and met quite a few really lovely people. We were able to watch Boy & Bear from a really good vantage point up on a riser, side of stage. We had a late drive home and an early morning flight the next day.

On Saturday morning I nearly missed our flight. The rental car had to be dropped a long way from the airport, so I dropped the guys and the gear off and took the van there. At the car yard no one would take me to the departure gate, so there I was walking at 6am along a random airport road round to the other side of the airport. I quickly realised I wasn't going to make it and called a taxi... it never showed up. I was saved by a gentleman who works at the airport, who recognised me and stopped to offer a lift. Turns out he is also the creator of Dan's custom made snare drum that gets so much attention. I got to the airport, but then had to wait while my bag was put through the X-ray machine three times before they finally asked me if I had an aerosol can in it. I politely told those annoying explosives testing people I couldn't stay to chat and ran to the gate while my name was being called over the speakers. The rest of the band had kept the plane waiting.

In Hobart, we had a bit of a rest. Hobart must be the best city to have a rest in; quaint and sleepy with a gentle bustle. We played at the Wrest Point Hotel, Australia's oldest casino. The Showroom is a good place to play, everyone gets a good view of the stage and our first ever show in Hobart went really well, even if my between song banter was more awkward than ever. The night was finished off by some use of the casino. Most of us lost, but Dave from B&B had a pretty good win.

We awoke the next morning keen to have a look around, we drove up mount Wellington (seems like cheating) and sampled some of the lazy shops strewn about the hilly Hobart area. All in all a pretty darn good weekend!

It's a terrible shame to realise that there is just one weekend left in our tour! On Thursday the 21st we play Adelaide, Friday we are in Freo and Perth is on Saturday. Can't wait!

Written by Jordan Kane Sturdee.