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Third gig in less than a week; Mark Seymour tonight. Not sure what it is about the Spiegeltent as a venue but the artists always seem to be in a great mood and very light-hearted. Amazingly, there were no CDs for sale, an oversight that I'm sure had Mr Seymour kicking himself with the happy mood the punters were in as they left!

It felt odd driving back from Lorne to Melbourne in daylight — normally we don't leave until after dinner — today was not normal. An early evening CD launch for Phil Moriarty and the Paris Brests in the Spiegeltent. Phil, ex. of the Gadflys, has a voice and a style that I've loved for years, the new band played well. Mikelangelo of Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen a guest appearance on guitar, clarinet and repartee.

Songs I knew, songs I remembered, songs I half-remembered, and songs in a distinctive style so even if I haven't heard them before I thought I had... not surprisingly, we left the CD launch with the new CD!

There's only one way to cap off a near-perfect Sunday and that was dinner at Silvio's. Piping hot pizza, excellent pizza, pizza on your table so quickly you start to wonder how it happens. Friendly staff and a glass or two of red wine and a good coffee. Simple, quick, perfect.

It's that time of year again — TARDIS-like, the Spiegeltent appears in the Arts Centre forecourt and brings joy and good things to Melbourne for a month or two. Tonight was the first of hopefully many gigs I'll be seeing there, “My Friend the Chocolate Cake” were playing. Highly accomplished musicians and a packed crowd, the one drawback was having to sit at an odd angle and crane my neck around to see them!

Last things first. Considering the early start tomorrow, going out to see an 11:00pm show might not be the smartest thing in the world, but knowing what a big fan Joey is, I'd booked tickets to see Mick Thomas in the Spiegeltent. We turned up around 10 and sat around with a drink, watching the queue grow longer and longer. Eventually we joined it, wondering, along with everyone else, why nobody could get inside. Finally, at about 11:10, a car pulled up and someone ran inside carrying part of a drum kit. Coincidence? Maybe, but the queue started moving immediately!

Mick remarked during the set that it did seem bizarre to be playing in a venue he's been in before, but with a view of Melbourne rather than Edinburgh out the window. With an appreciative audience he proposed taking the Corner Hotel or Cornish Arms and audience, and transporting them to Prague or Beijing.