Waiting for Screech. All we were told was that he was tall, and wearing a checkered jacket.

Our flight out of Perth  was delayed by two hours due to fog. That meant we would get to Melbourne with even less time to hang out before the show. We were met at the airport by Screech, from Rooftop Alley, and spent the car ride to the venue getting a crash course on Melbourne. At least as best as possible considering Screech is a Kiwi, and has only lived in Australia a little while.

A tight fit in the back seat of Screech’s little car.

We arrived at the The Arthouse a short time later where we met the rest of Rooftop Alley, and unloaded our gear. A confusing thing about Australia is that all hotels are bars, but not all bars are hotels. Huh? Just because it has “hotel” in the name it doesn’t mean there are rooms to stay in. Therefore we had to search the neighborhood near the club to find a place to stay for the night. Bryan had started to come down with a cold so he was only interested in a warm bed for a few ours before the show.

Scott thinking hard about hotel options.

We ended up at an Ibis just a few blocks from the club. It was very nice, probably too nice, considering we were a “punk band” on tour, but whatever. I don’t need amenities, but clean sheets and a warm shower every now and then can be nice.

 This is Not Ok. ;) 

The show in Melbourne was our first of five with an Aussie band called Not Ok. Knowing a little about them thanks to this neat thing called the Internet, I knew they were an experienced touring band that played raw, hard-hitting punk rock. Yeah, that’s putting it mildly. Every band was awesome that night, starting with 5th Threat (NZ) and Rooftop Alley, before Not Ok made sure we couldn’t relax for a moment once we took the stage. 

I think we rocked pretty hard considering the crazy travel schedule we have been on. The music was tight, as was the space on stage, but the mix for vocals was a bit wonky. It was nice to play on pro gear again, and thanks to Not Ok, for the rest of our gigs in Australia that will be the case. 

Our money was no good at the Arthouse bar so Scott and I definitely took some advantage even though we were well aware of the 5AM rendezvous with Not Ok for the drive to Sydney. More than 12 hours, but less than 15, was the best guess anyone had in regard to the time it would take to get there. Not something I wanted to think about until I had to.