The other night we did a show in Murwillumbah – the Australian Hotel to be precise. As usual it was warm and humid and as usual, I, Lethal Lee Steel was lamenting the loss of the winter months. How I love those golden leaves. Anyway, 3 songs into the show my attention is deflected from the steel fretboard by a flurry of movement over uncle S’ side of the stage accompanied by an almighty crack. Two cracks in fact. One was the sound of Uncle’s banjo DI getting crushed under a rather large arse and the other crack was the sound of the large arse’s owners’ head impacting with the hardwood wall of the pub. It was a mighty fall even thought I didnt actually see it, but it looked as thought the Re-mains had done it again…it looked as though they had KILLED ANOTHER MAN with Country Rock and Roll. T’was not so. An ambulance arrived – 2 in fact – to drag his sore and sorry arse and head out of there. I can tell you this. If I needed an ambo in Mur’bah, I would be hoping that it wouldnt be for something too serious. One could die waiting. I think it was half an hour before we got going again.

Funny how things set the tone for a gig. Probably we should have all thrown ourselves at the wall, crown first and stopped there. Awww….it was Ok I guess. The next next in Lismore really showcased how lame the town has become. It’s like this; you’ve got kiss-arse live sounds going on at the Gollan and most people are staying at home and (in my opinion) are watching satelite TV and surfing the net and playing Playstation. It’s true. Tim Freedman should be blowing up those things ’cause the pokies are played by square-eye old codgers with no memory of the war and not people who would normally consume stuff like we serve up. The young (the young…god, listen to me) for that matter are more interseted in playing the real estate market and buying hatchbacks. God what a horrible vision this paints for the future.

Cha…

HELLLLLL YEAHHHH….

The Re-mains have returned from another successful tour to Sydders. We played our CD launch at the Vic on the Park, supported by the irrepressable Australian Beefweek Show who did their level best to add meaning to the word “shambles”. Our set was loud and long, but not long enough. With a midnight curfew in place for the noise (go Marrickville – one of Sydney’s noisier suburbs), the bouncers at the Vic attempted to remove all and and sundry including the band as soon as they could. God this is tedious shit. Here we are supplying their wages for the night and they try to play God. Poor silly souls. DJ soft told them to wait. They did.

The following night, we played a better show (musically) in Cronulla. The last act on could have come from Byron. However the exciting part of all this was that Uncle Shaun got to entertain the cast of Pizza on the way home while manager Paul looked on in wonder. It was just one of those wonderful things that happen to guys in bands. The next night saw some members witness the mother of all shambles, The Shout Brothers perform a special show at the Union Hotel in Newtown. Earlier we’d been watching the Wetsuits at the Hopetoun. Members of 80′s supergroups abound.

There’s more….

The new album has garnered some filth reviews of late. The Weekend Australian gave us four stars: http://au.geocities.com/the_remains66/disco.htm – and compared Hot Blood to something off the Stones’ Sticky Fingers, while the Age gave us another four stars and some very impressive accolades. Check that one out at;

http://www.croxtonrecords.com/images/remains-EG-review.gif

The Sydney Morning Herald Metro was slightly less forthcoming, only three stars there, but that shat all over The Brag’s begrudging 2 1/2 from someone whose only reference point in country was Dire Straits and thinks that country folk are all fervent singers of the Internationale, as opposed to your usual National Party voting types. You do the algebra. I’m out.

Somebody got in trouble at Splendour in the Grass. Yes, the gates of hell have yawned much widely of late. We wont mention any names, but it was somebody, and they did get in trouble, at Splendour in the Grass.

The Re-mains have recently returned from a southern jaunt, to Sydney again. Both shows there were great. They were well attended, enthusiastically persued and consumed by all. We also did a show at the Tatts, right here in Lizard County. 10 years ago the walls would resonate to the throb and rush of anynumber of bands. The condensation would be dripping from the windows and your eyes would be stinging from all the cigarette smoke and all general carry on. Anybody recall that. What, you were there?

In the salient words of John Butler, “I dont know whats goin’ on.”

Talk about the preverbial dead fish.