Phew! Just remembered to pay the rent before we close down for Christmas. As always when not at work, its a pain trying to use Konquerer or any other non-Microsoft browser when trying to access businesses over the Internet. After logging in about three times I finally managed to get the applet to load and display my account details!
Too early for New Year’s resolutions? Maybe next year I need to tidy up all the loose ends of this site. Too many things that aren’t quite right. Too many pages where I’ve started to say something, but then left it empty as a place-holder. I like the idea of a random photo being included each day, just as a reminder of what I’ve got!
Work finished early, it always seems a bit pointless on the last few days of the year. Nothing gets done, the jobs are still there, but nobody is interested. I’d feel ripped off if I took leave though — why waste a day of leave when in exchange there is only half a day of work?
Early dinner then off to the Corner Hotel for a Christmas institution — the Mick Thomas Christmas shows. It used to be the Weddoes’, for the last few years Mick has been back with his new band — and visitors. There’s a tension between what he’d like to play, and the audience stuck in a time-warp, all these very blokey blokes all wanting to chant and swill beer and stomp around and pretend that they’re still young and single and at the old Central Club gigs.
A full page article in the Age on Mick and the shows seemed to result in sold-out audiences and far more of the old WPA fans.
First support act was a one-man play performed up on the rooftop, “A Party in Fitzroy.” Very evocative, and exceptionally well done, in what could have been a hostile environment of drinkers and talkers.
Then time for a drink and to sit and talk and watch the sun go down from the rooftop beergarden — first time I’ve ever managed to get up here! You can see the beergarden from the train, I’ve thought of heading up there a few times, but each time its either been closed or I was waylaid, or something else came up. Finally up there, a refreshingly un-renovated outdoor oasis, just far enough up from the traffic to be isolated.
Back downstairs in time to catch Nick Barker as first support with his Backyard Six — although whether that’s the name of the band or just the name of the latest album I’m not sure. Good as ever, Nick and the band just looked as though they were having so much fun to be there. Covered old songs and new, finishing with a balls-out rocker of “Stone Hearted.”
Next support was Git, a band I’ve never really enjoyed. Just too much a whining country girl band for me. They seem fairly light-hearted, but I just can’t get into their music.
Finally the moment we were all waiting for, eleven o’clock and Mick and the band came on. Two sets and an encore, finishing on the dot of one in the morning. There seemed to be a lot more of the older Weddoes material than at previous Sure Things gigs, maybe that newspaper article self-fulfilled by attracting all the old fans. Sure enough, there were plenty of half-drunk neckless yobs stomping around, arms around each others’ necks in blokey mateship and screaming out for songs from ten years ago! As always, the final set had the stage filled, Nick Barker, Sarah, Suzannah and Trish — the three women from Git — and Michael Barclay joining the four members of the Sure Thing for a couple of songs.
