So I was very fortunate to be working Soundwave for Sydney and Melbourne and I had an absolute blast!
Met so many awesome people and saw some truly amazing, mind boggling bands.
Festivals like this remind me why I want my career to revolve around music.
First things first - SYDNEY
So Sydney was ridiculously HOT!!! It was something like 40 degrees and I was melting in my clothes before I even started work.
Buuut when I finally rocked up and started working backstage on riders, I had the pleasure of having Dallas Green and Steely from Alexisonfire come over to ask if they could go into our cooler van after they played since they were crazy drenched in sweat. Ah be still my beating heart! Steely is a babe and Dallas Green is Dallas Green, Enough said.
Daryl Palumbo from Glassjaw - the coolest, most down to earth guy with a massive smile. Bribed me with the offer to have sex with Iggy Pop if I could get him some more beer (I was wearing an Iggy Pop shirt) so I got him some more beer stat! haha and then found out I had to PRESENT Iggy Pop.
''Nup nup, not part of the deal. you promised me getting sexual with Iggy Pop and I'm going to film it dammit!''.
Then he offered to have sex with my shirt but I didnt really want to be walking around with just shorts and a bra so had to pass on that one.
When it got a bit later in the day and some of the bands had left, I went on a trawl with my new friend Lisa to collect left over alcohol, food and tubs and on our travels had one of the guys from A Wilhelm Scream ask if we could give him some beer we found so on the way back handed over some beer and he gave us A Wilhelm Scream hats and cigarettes. Haha
It was a busy day and so hot and when night came, it was still pretty warm but slowed down thankfully and Lisa and I met some graff guys who were backstage graffing 2 walls with all cool, random drawings and they roped in Lisa and I to bail up some of the bands to come and do some graff in their down time so we got some guys from This Is Hell, Meshuggah and Rolo Tomassi to partake which involved drawing a penis on a sphinx (You gotta draw a penis, it's like tradition).
Also sighted
*On my way back from Triviums band room, walked past Dave Navarro.....with no shirt on....mmmmmmm....(him not me of course, haha).
*Gallows hanging in their band area, Frank typing away on his laptop
*Aaron from The Almost sunning himself
*Guys from A Whilhelm Scream creating a game which involved chucking chairs to each other
*A band that shall not be named smoking fat blunts which wafted over to me all afternoon
*Paramores Jeremy Davis chasing a bottle of whisky if available at the end of the night
* Guys from Escape the Fate applying make up
MELBOURNE
FRIDAY -Got to Soundwave at about 1:30pm by train which wasn't so bad, on a breakfast of two museli bars and apple juice. Go for a bit of trek to the gate I'm being met at by the lovely Rob whom I'm working for and cruise in.
The morning workers were great and made the rest of the day much easier in running riders to all the bands and it meant I got a chance to see some phenomenal bands such as Alexisonfire, Janes Addiction, AFI, Placebo, Anti Flag, Jimmy Eat World and Faith No More. Later on in the day went to see how the bands riders were faring and to be sure everyone was happy with their lot and see what's going on. Heard Janes Addiction warming up in their rooms, ran into one of the guys from Rolo Tomassi (his name escapes me) having a feed before making the journey to the airport to head to Adelaide. Wrapped up the night seeing one of the guys from Anvil macking a babe in a leopard print dress and emptying tubs of ice and seeing the booty left over (Gee, next to no beers were left, what a shock, lolz).
Headed to the hotel afterwards to have a drink with Justin (Anti Flag) and met Will from Emarosa who is possibly one of the nicest guys I've ever met and Frederik from Meshuggah who kinda tripped me out. Listening to him speak made me think of Metalocalypse.
All in all, I had such a great time working Soundwave. Truly an amazing festival, times, can't wait for next year already.
By the way, I hear Gallows are keen to come back before the year is out. I am sooooo there! If you havent seen them live yet, you're off your head. They're such an electric, high energy, rip your face off and dance on it band. Loves it.
