TOWNSVILLE, Townsville Civic Theatre

Wednesday 24 July, 2013

The drive from Cairns to Townsville is one of my favourite drives anywhere. The rainforest and sugarcane; the mountains that shoot up like South East Asia and the rusted old factories puffing plumes of smoke. Jane and I sepnt time working on her verse for the aforementioned song we were doing with Mr Kelly. Given last night's events I probably should've been working on my verse.

At Townsville's Civic theatre I caught up with my Japanese sister-in-law Yuki and her 1 yr old Ren. When we ventured outside she laughed guiltily at the older men and women milling about. I tried to explain that is wasn't quite the entire audience, but secretly I opened up the possibility of a awkward gig, like a packet of chips in a cinema. Our set was great though - the audience laughed and clapped and we walked off stage and back to our dressing room.

Paul and Dan saunter in strumming acoustic guitars to go over the collab that I'd forgotten the night before. Last night I told him I wouldn't forget the lyrics again and in his easy way, Paul just shrugged it off with a smile. But not so much so that he didn't want to practice it a little more tonight. Jane and I spent most of his set pacing backstage trying to learn the lyrics - Jane was a bundle of nerves moving around with headphones and a laptop going over the song.

Then the time comes and the first notes of the song ring out. We walk onto the stage.

We didn't forget the lyrics.

Next show is 750kms away in Rockhampton, followed by Bundaberg and Maryborough as we make our way down to Brisbane.