i am pushing a shopping cart around some massive cathedral type mall, miss cupcake is buying for her nursery, it's exciting stuff, we share the same tastes in almost everything, nothing to childish, no dumbing down here, somewhat sophisticated tastes and adult, not your average child. the place is huge, it's european and filled with nesting mothers following strange urges, it's hard not to be enthusiastic, our trolley is filled with stuff, i buy some strange orb lights and candles. suddenly i get a text from kate, she has a ticket for the church in newcastle, lizottes. well miss cupcake and i had planned a meal and a movie but she knows what this means to me.
'go' she says.
i drive up that freeway, it's hot and sticky, aircon on full whack, listening to the radio chat about julian assage the worlds most amazing man, hero of the libertarian. i kinda dig him. he is very cool in my books. i make good time, newcastle appears interesting, better than i remember it from 23 years ago, cafes everywhere, i park outside the hotel and meet kate inside. what a place, massive mock tudor, lots of space, nordic girls in bikinis, it's good top see kate, she's somewhat ethereal and about as obsessive about the church as i am, she has seen every gig this tour. we drive to lizottes, arrive just in time, it's full, the band come on as we walk inside, we make our way to the seats and table kate has booked. i text sam, who i hope will be there, she is.
we are listening to four incredible musicians, as individuals these people are exceptional, collectively they are a singularity, forget the beatles and the stones, the velvets and the smiths, this is a band that have played for thirty years constantly evolving and evoking the spirits of things, this is a band that don't write songs, they write spells and their spells enchanted me a long time ago.
i see them as often as i can, these people are amazing, to witness is to transported across the dimensions, it's not rock and roll, it's not just music but words, the words all make sense, the delivery the intent, these words are much more than throwaway lines to a spurned lover, these words have the epic quality of homer, the magickal power of shakspeares the tempest, the intense focus of proust and the haunting presence of a million ghosts with a story to tell. i love this band, kate loves them to.
i speak with sam in the interval, she is an amazing individual, a singularity, shes got some kind of avitar quality around her head, like a halo.
we watch the rest of the show, it's incredible. 'tear it all away' sounds so fresh, it's thirty years old!!!!!
marty thanks kate and i for coming along.
we wander around the ocean front after the show, some awkward birds sleeping in the shallow waters, clouds rolling in, temperature still humid, she says,'i feel safe with you.'
that's a good thing for me to hear.
back in the room i fall into a deep sleep, stirred only by the rainfall, we have all the windows wide open, a breeze blows through and in the morning i awake at 5am and drive back to sydney, the highway stretching out, one road to nico, one to cupcake, one to somewhere someplace.