Wombative.

Here we are on the Big Day Off Tour. Five days in Sydney, six days in Melbourne. If I wanted to I could go home, get a change of clothes, and still make it back for our next show. Seeing as how I need to do laundry but can't find a laundromat, flying home might be the best option. But then I would miss the in-between action; like the after parties where I can scream at the bad DJ's and the side shows where I can see The White Stripes and Franz Ferdinand strut their stuff. The 'Nand are quite hard rocking live, much more so than on record. Kinks-esque drumming, leg and scissor kicks, heavy metal-style swaying back and forth guitar playing, and in general the best looking band around. We've known Alex and Paul since their Yummy Fur days and it's nice to find them doing well and being so polite about it all. The White Stripes are as dangerous as ever. No pandering to the crowd, just ripping through song after song. Dylan covers galore. Mars Volta are the band I most wanted to see. They are the nicest of fellows: the best dressed, the best hair, the best moves. And very, very nice. It's a bit like summer camp, with factions and cliques and people I'm already sick of and people who are already sick of me.

We are adjusting to the festival life; one of no sound checks and short sets. It's always good to play to new people though. We get to stretch our legs at the few side shows we have. In Sydney the segue between Let's Call it Love and Night Light was as long as it's ever been. Those are the moments I enjoy the most.

The highlights for me have been non-musical: the bats at the botanical gardens, the sharks at the aquarium, the Australian Open men's tennis final for which I managed to procure a ticket. Actually, that was the best of all. -cb.