Greetings from Tamworth country rock and roll dudeparts, Here it is of course, hot as Humpty Doo but here in hell we are happy. Two gigs down and four to go. Apologies for the distinct lack of Viscera newsletters but my computer has been destroyed by multitudinous vicious fucking astro-bugs along with my address book so you’ll have to make do with this.
We are seasoned 05 festival veterans already after our shows at Woodford where in the Blues tent we preceded the inimitable Xavier Rudd, whose five crew swarming over the stage the minute the last note of Bye Bye Byron Bay shimmered in the air taking an hour to set up his noseflute ensemble were largely ignored by us gaping at the massive crowd he had attracted who were thereby exposed to country rock and roll fury and heaps of them are now new fans buying up our festival shop stock and making us rich men. Or somebody rich after we’ve paid off all our debts. At any rate we had enough to invest in extraordinary hangovers so that our early morning departure to Tamworth for New years Eve was brutally hungover and the long, broiling drive suitably tortuous. Fortunately Savvy D, now no longer publican of the City Tavern but still our very great friend was on hand to let us swim in his pool and recline in his leather armchairs after the show.
Now back in Tamworth we preceded the mighty Blues Cowboys on stage last night and are lying around in various states of decomposition at Swoop Owly Owl’s place even as we speak. The crowds are building up and by midweek it should be huge here. Yesterday Leigh and I played with Gibbo and the City Tavern has been generally a hotbed of Coalface action, with COs (Coalface Operators) from the Toe Sucking cowgirls, Red hot Poker Dots, Detonators, Gatorbait, Barramundis, Blues Cowboys, Jimmy Willing’s Real Gone Hickups, Rob Luckey, abloke who looks exactly like Charlie Owen without the debonair dressage etc converging to discuss the latest in mining techniques.
After it’s all over we’re heading south, to Albury where on Invasion day, Jan 26 we play on the banks of the Murray for the Mad Hatter regatta, which is a childhood recurring dream for me cos in the days of yore we used to line the banks pegging flour, eggs and bottles full of recently decanted urine at drunken crews on motley rafts sliding down the river. Now of course its alcohol free and you gotta have your public liability before you get out of bed in case you spill tea on your trousers and are sued for indecent talk. Anyway it’ll be fun to play in my home town.

After that we drive to Canberra to play the Holy Grail in Kingston on the 27th. I’ve been assured it’s a good venue and maybe we can get in a drive-by flourbomb on Li’l J Howard before the show.

Back to Sydney on the 28th where we play with the Toe Sucking Cowgirls at the Empire of Annandale. They’re launching their new cd and we’re taking the opportunity to also officially launch our EP Burnin’ Daylight on the night.

Sunday arvo we play the Botany View again. always a rousing knees-up and a fitting round-up to a long hot summer.

We’ve got a couple of weeks off after that before we head to the Gollan in Lismore again but I can’t remember the date offhand so I’ll post it later.
Salut!