This is exactly what I’d missed about Sydney: real, sticky-floored Sydney rock. A dark room, a chic young crowd, a throng at the bar, nonchalant bartenders and crappy local beers in crappier plastic schooner glasses, disgusting bathrooms, drunken eighteen year olds curled up around their phones, a snug stage, a smirking soundcheck, and a couple of your mates in the band letting loose on stage.
I used to say that not many great international acts came to Australia. I was very wrong, but it never mattered anyway because there were so many local acts working the circuit. I was bummed to realise I’d be missing the main late-Summer festival season, but there’s always a show somewhere.
These guys are The Former Love. I’ve known the front man since he was a mere bairn. Still kind of a shock to realise that he and his mates aren’t twelve years old (and thus a surprise to realise that I’m no longer 18). Less surprising to discover that in the last few years they’ve become pretty awesome.
It’s not their own song, but they stole a bit of local infamy with this…
Here is the original…
And for a bit of their original stuff (even Sydney loves antlers)…
January 13th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
Shaun used to play the guitar in a metal band way back when – I’ve since lost much of my hearing but I can understand the love for places like this.
January 31st, 2012 at 10:16 pm
[...] not by Australians. I made it to the beach, but you couldn’t call what I did there swimming. I saw one band but didn’t even stick around for the support [...]