MELBOURNE–Seeing Swervedriver tomorrow night and I surely must regale in the stuff I couldn’t put in The West http://bit.ly/eYsXfl , what, 12 years ago.

I went along with Kate S from Universal and my dear cohort on RTRFM’s homegrown. Let alone her pride of seeing Ammonia support the Oxford four – well past her time managing Ammonia – this was very well looked forward to. If either of us, and Perth, could script the music we were really into in ‘95 it was Swervedriver.

About two minutes in to the opening number she left my side to bring back four wads of wet toilet paper. My first gig earplugs. And needed. Blistering, but beautiful, Swervedriver went from an onslaught of Raise to the meandering sonic perfection of Duel which, with one particular live recording I have of theirs, always makes me bawl like a baby.

It’s true they stood at the exit and shook hands with punters as they left.

A couple years later, or it may have been before, at Summersonic or sumsuch, I had the privilege to share the tour van to a post-festival band knees-up at The Stoned Crow with the band. There they joined in to faff about onstage with luminaries which I vaguely recall – maybe Beck etc – in a room that could fit around 80. Would love my mates to fill in those gaps. But I do recall thinking this was probably the zenith of my musical dreamscape.

Looking forward to tomorrow eve.

SYDNEY–Flying visit for a pretty sad occasion, and it’s not just the Penrith location. Myself and middle bro Scott here for just a few hours.

Pluses include a $10 steak meal worth at least 14. Minuses are the re-emergence of fishermans’ pants to tight ankle around George St.

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