It is almost the end of the school holidays, I will be so sad to say goodbye to sleeping in, and all day or late night sessions on the couch under a blanket with my spawn, watching as many back to back episodes of a series that we can cram in. It has been a very laid back sort of holidays, and that is the kind of pace I like. No deadlines, no rushing, just doing what we please, within reason. The 3 youngest spawn had a wonderful time at Miss Perky Pants' sleepover, being the wonderful crazy kids they are, and My little sis being who she is, I had no doubt. And then the rest of the weekend happened...
A photo of Miss Perky Pants and spawn at their sleepover. Did I mention the crazy? It's genetic.
My Justin and I were a little late leaving for our date, and got sidetracked by all the shiny that is jb high fi, Justin had been up since 5am, so we skipped the movie and went to the pancake parlor instead, followed by a rare quiet night at his house, and a veggie bacon, eggs, and mushrooms breakfast. Justin had a meeting he'd forgotten and couldn't take me home, it was a rush to get ready for 19yo spawn to take me home on his way to work, thank you Mikey!
Bleary eyed the next morning, I awoke to my phone at 5.30. 15yo spawn had gone camping with friends and it was the coldest winter night on record for four years, the soarers thermostat said -4 as my partner rescued 15yo spawn and her boyfriend, the tent they'd been sharing had partially collapsed with the heavy ice, and the sleeping bags were iced over as well, poor kids. Once they were safe and warm, I crashed again, I had a Karnivool gig that night and I refused to be tired.
Miss perky pants sent me into a rush, we thought the gig started at 8, but she'd just checked the tickets and they'd said 6... She needed to pick me up earlier, Arrrggghh. I hadn't even showered, my clothes were still in the dryer. Rush rush and she was here, rushing me some more to get ready. A near accident five minutes later saw us nearly not make it, but some great defensive driving on my sisters part, and lots of adrenaline got us there, 2 hours early! The tickets had a misprint, it did start at 8 after all... I hadn't eaten all day so it was actually good luck, we had a great dinner at Mexican graffiti in Geelong, and walked back to line up for VOOL!! The really good luck part meant that we were now early, and had a chance at the front. Sis and I are ALWAYS at the front. We even got my favourite spot, right in between Drew and Kenny. Me on Drew's side, and Sis on Kenny's.
Us getting pumped before it started. My sis posted this up on her Facebook with the tag line, front and centre, just where I like it. and thanks to the awesome security guy for taking this for us. Unfortunately during the first two acts, Sleepmakeswaves, and The Redcoats, the step that he stood on to over see the crowd was right in front of me... Leaving my face in front of his groin for the not so better part of 2 hours, with me craning my neck to see the bands, he did stay off it for Karnivool though.
Sleepmakeswaves played great music, I didn't miss a vocalist or words to their songs, an entirely instrumental band, they created a perfect atmosphere for the night.
The drummer was mesmerising to watch, (when I wasn't inadvertently staring at groin,) he was almost euphoric, as he pounded the skins entirely in his own moment, hearing and feeling his own rhythm, his eyes frequently fluttering to white as if in a perpetual state of ecstasy. The drummer is the heart of the band, and he was definitely the star for me. Amazing!
The redcoats were amazing too, a blend of heavy rock and bluesy vocals, and the lead singer was definitely a sensual experience, the way he made love to the mic stand... Whoa...
I will be looking forward to hearing and seeing these guys again, did I already say amazing?! I don't always look forward to bands that are not the band I've come to see, but these guys didn't let us down! Mind you, Miss Perky Pants already knew how good these guys were, and they have themselves a new fan, so much more than a supporting act, these guys rocked the stage hard. Bring on the VOOL!
From where I stand watching karnivool, there is no one band member that's stands out from the rest on stage, no single front man stealing the show, they are all equally "there" in stage presence no matter the contribution. And once again, AMAZING! (oh come on, you knew it was coming.) This band has not left the top 20 of my iTunes playlist since my sister shared them with me a few years ago, and after hearing some of the new upcoming tunes that night, they will continue to hold their place. It only got a little rough, one crowd surfer dropped on my sisters head and snapped her neck forward, but she was okay the next day, and I didn't have too many bruises from being rammed into the barrier, not as many as I usually do. Though because of my health issues, I had to take my oxynorm on the way home, and I've been slow to recover, slower than normal. But that's okay, it means the pace has slowed back to chilling on the couch with my spawn, snuggling, and not doing much of anything at all, I like this rare pace. Plus, my kombi died again the week before, we're pretty sure it's a CV joint this time, so at some point we'll drop her off to get fixed, I'm in no rush and I like it that way for the moment. But sometimes the rush is good.
My sis and I after the gig with the karnivool setlists we scored from the stage, she got Kenny's and I got Drew's, so happy and sweaty were we, thank you to my sis for another awesome gig night!
It hasn't been all slackness, there has been bread making, and garden pottering, among other things. And to end the holidays, my sister told us a few weeks ago of a new scienceworks exhibit, Wallace and Gromit! That's this weekends fun, I can't wait, but for now I might want to get out of my dressing gown before the shopping delivery arrives. I'll do a garden post soon.
Bek.
