Tumbleweed Tour Diary: Part Two

DAY 4

The usual drill, we meet at the Curley house, cowering beneath the misty escarpment - heavily laden long hairs conspicuously carrying guitars and pushing trolleys through the airport. Paul, in double denim, tests positive to explosive residue, to blow the roof off the Central Club tonight? Boom boom!

Big Muff and Wah Wah are given the once over by the authorities and we are given the all clear for Melbourne.

Tonight is a blast from the past, Tumbleweed and The Meanies at the Central Club. Pretty sure last time we played here it was with the Meanies in '93 or '94, things haven't changed much, the stage is in a different spot, but, I don't really remember a lot from back then.

We scrounged gear from here and there, and do soundcheck with minutes to spare. Rushing across the city in peak hour to grab our key, drop off our bags and make it back in time for Electric Guitars or at least Seedy Jeezus.

We love The Meanies, known them a long time, I remember Wally coming to Atlantis when we were laying down Stoned and Holy Moses, they were there at the beginning. Link gets a bottle of gin in the nick of time and his new wave twitches are awesome and Wally is calling out the set list on the fly. They are still our favourite Melbourne band.

The light was in my eyes so I drifted away and the sound swirled and roared around me. A jolly good show. Thank you and goodnight.

DAY 5

A whole lotta bull...

Brunswick Street is ablaze in sunlight, we split to eat, Steve and me read street press and fill up at the Veggie Bar, Lenny's lost in one of the million bookshops. Paul and Jay are back at the ranch. We walk back to Wally's place to make plans. He hurls abuse at passers-by and cars driving the wrong way down a one way street.

Heading out to the sticks, to play down on the farm with the Cosmic Psychos and The Meanies, we arrive to a green Shangri-La bathed in dappled light and a bonfire topped with a wicker bull's head. Kids on bikes and toy tractors, long haired, bearded dudes sitting under the shade of trees sipping coldies in huddled groups of good vibes

Relaxing on the grass to listening to Money for Rope, they play better when they're blinded by the sun. Their songs cut through without walls to contain them. Dudes stage diving and hitting the mud to the Psychos was awesome and hilarious. Twirling sticks, fuzz bass, and big belly rolls, the sky gets dark and the bonfire is lit, fire fairies fly off the bull's horns into the electric sky.

The Meanies are up and they are better than ever, I'm digging it in the dark behind the stage writing our set list. Looking out at silhouettes in the spill of stage and firelight, a succession of stage divers like lemmings, it's hard to sing and laugh at the same time. Such a great day, such a great night, this is how a festival should be, festive.

Heading back to the city, we are pulled over by cops. Lenny blows into the bag and pulls an old Jedi mind trick.

“These aren't the droids you're looking for…..move along.”

“Good as gold” says the copper. “Move along."