steve comes onstage and strums his guitar it's some sort of new semi acoustic one i have not seen him play before. what happened to that old beaten up one with the black tape? 

i liked that look, it told stories and tales and was no mere guitar, that guitar has soul, and what's this. he's wearing a sort of black dress suit with a red shirt, like a naughty mephisto hosting a cabaret, the magic theater has begun. the band begins and it rocks when it needs to and it rolls where it does, and it's very good. it's actually better than the cd, it's alive, with just the right amount of chaos that makes it interesting to me. these players are veterans, all individual in their field. i watch them all do their thing effortlessly, in union like a school of fish following the man in the red shirt through the corridors of the mind, off love, loss, hurt and regret, off prayer and 11 women. 

it's hard to define why this band is good, i feel it's the element of chaos, it merges into the unity and creates something else. it's the bleed, colours mixing and swirling, steve singing with conviction as always and passion always makes interesting art.

i'm sold.

this is a new version of steve, same as the old but with a different background, it's loose and rambling, it's tight and fit. these guys are excellent and all is proven in my own personal fave, 'doris mcalister,' a song about a witch. i like that dark stuff in music, my inner old gothic nature feels like it needs to play. 

the second half set is perfection.

now i'm just an old man, sitting down the front with my friend as we sip our cocktails and our hash cookies kick in. the sound of 'providence.'

steve always plays this song and i always love it when he does. i always feel he's playing it for grant, out of love. i have no idea if that's true but i like to think it is and i am certain it is.

tonight this simple song becomes majestic as it moves into others, segues into, 'is this where you live' and some devotional george harrison like hindu chanting and back into 'providence' again and i'm taken into that strange place where the church always take me, that strange place where steve opens doors and portals for me, that doorway that feels so much like home.

well obviously the second set will be a whole batch of re imagined church songs and stuff from steve's massive catalogue of solo work.

but no, expect the unexpected. 

they play a few songs from the next 'winged heels' album, and oh, 'swinging on the moon,' a song i have never heard but it's stolen my heart already, and i hope it's as good as the live version. look out you rock and rollers.

all the other songs are equally as alluring, i'm so excited to hear the next album now. this is a curious band, very unique in many ways that all these people came from other great bands, icehouse, the models, gareth koch is a maestro at his classical form and yet plays rock with such finesse and unusual riffs, he makes it look easy, standing there like a giant with his fingers moving along the neck, making these sounds come alive. i love all the musicians, they are excellent but it's the drummer who stands out the most. i have no idea where he is from or whom he is but he was quite brilliant. inventive, restrained and powerful. fun to watch, and having a groovy time.

encoring with a reworked 'milky way' that sounded fresh and as magickal as the first time i heard it, steve closes the set. the winged heels are a live band. 

upstairs with all the people as usual i wonder what i am doing there, oh yeah i think, i really wanna give steve a hash cookie as this batch is amazing, although i'm tempted to eat it as the munchies kick in, show restraint mission i think. fortunately we share a few moments to chat before everyone is whisked away. he's telling me about a san pedro experience and it's a good story, makes me happy to hear it. 

down on the street at foxy studios my friend and i wander to the tram, watching huge bats fly over our heads, swoop swoop. i feel happy. it was a very good night.