I got an awful feeling of deja vu when I walked into Bunnings - the store and layout is exactly like the Wagga one and I had a brief uneasy feeling as though I was in two places at once - weird.
That's the little trick that these big companies use (hello Coles, hello Woolies) in order to make their customers feel safe and in familiar surroundings no matter which store they're in by making each store the same.
Well I didn't feel safe, I felt sick, thank you very much.
Amanda got some potting mix for her pansies (pronounced pansthies) and made Don Bourke look like a complete amateur with her planting skills.
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| Amanda playing with her pansthies... |
Below is my review of the Bush gig. I think I'll try and get into music writing when I return to the real world - it's something I enjoy and if I can get it to pay enough to cover my rent and food costs then I'll be satisfied.
Live Review - Bush with supports Staind and Cherri Bomb
Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Thursday 1st March 2012
Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Thursday 1st March 2012
I'm in a strange period of my life.
I was 14 when Bush's debut (and arguably best) album "16 Stone" was released way back in 1994.
For those who failed maths, that makes me 31.
Having successfully negotiated the awkwardness of my teens to reach manhood (what I like to call my Britney "Not a girl, not yet a woman" phase), I now find myself in a similarly awkward time in my life.
I'm no longer young, hip or cool nor am I quite yet old, crusty and ill-tempered, though I am making progress with the passing of each day.
So with the slew of 90's bands currently getting back together, I've found myself asking the question, "Am I going to see these bands because I actually like them or because I can't believe I liked them back in the day"?
Bush are a strange little entity.
A four piece, consistently lambasted for being Nirvana knock-offs yet garnering a relatively large and loyal fanbase.
They have a tough, masculine sound yet are led by a guy with a posh, nearing effeminate, British accent who plays tennis when he's not rockin' out.
Their lyrics are non-sensical, even by grunge standards ("Limbo this and limbo that, you were this and you were that" a case in point) yet as a 14 year old I could not get enough of it.
But how do I feel, 18 years on?
A lot of water has flowed beneath the bridge during this time, it's true, but when Bush hit the stage of Melbourne's Palace Theatre, the 14 year old inside me could not have been happier.
Opening with "Machinehead" and "The Chemicals Between Us", followed by new song "All My Life", like a sneaky Sunday arvo acoustic covers band with aspirations of bigger and better things, Bush walked that delicate line of playing the old classics while also introducing a few new songs when the crowd's guard was down.
Current single "The Sound of Winter" slipped seamlessly into the set after rousing renditions of "Everything Zen" and "Greedy Fly", and a personal favourite of mine, "Swallowed" had the entire crowd singing along as passionately as if it was "Khe Sanh".
When the band launched into "Little Things" to close the set, it was no longer 2012, we were back in the 90's, baby!
For Bush to still sound like they did in the 90's, is not only a credit to their lead singer (who freakishly still looks like he did all those years ago), but their new lead guitarist Chris Traynor.
Having played in bands with a revolving door of lead guitarists, I know how they think and how they like to leave their own signature mark on a song no matter how often they are told not to mess with it. Much like a dog pissing on a post.
But thankfully Traynor has kept his creative tendencies focused on the new material and did an excellent job of recreating the guitar lines and tones of former Bush axeman Nigel Pulsford.
The band returned for an encore consisting of a cover of The Beatles' "Come Together", a solo "Glycerine" and ending with a barnstorming "Comedown" which had the crowd moshing, cheering, singing and as the band left the stage and the house lights came on, everyone was smiling big, grunge-filled smiles.
Although this was Bush's night, I suppose I should say something about the support acts.
Cherri Bomb are an all girl rock group, who were cute, but for all I care, it may as well have been Lash up there.
Other support act Staind had never been to Australia despite having massive success with their single "It's been awhile" back in 2001 and put in a solid performance with vocalist Aaron Lewis impressing on both the heavy, quiet and "heavy-quiet" numbers.
But the night belonged to Bush, a band whom some of us will admit to once liking but after tonight's performance I'm brave enough to say I still like.
I was 14 when Bush's debut (and arguably best) album "16 Stone" was released way back in 1994.
For those who failed maths, that makes me 31.
Having successfully negotiated the awkwardness of my teens to reach manhood (what I like to call my Britney "Not a girl, not yet a woman" phase), I now find myself in a similarly awkward time in my life.
I'm no longer young, hip or cool nor am I quite yet old, crusty and ill-tempered, though I am making progress with the passing of each day.
So with the slew of 90's bands currently getting back together, I've found myself asking the question, "Am I going to see these bands because I actually like them or because I can't believe I liked them back in the day"?
Bush are a strange little entity.
A four piece, consistently lambasted for being Nirvana knock-offs yet garnering a relatively large and loyal fanbase.
They have a tough, masculine sound yet are led by a guy with a posh, nearing effeminate, British accent who plays tennis when he's not rockin' out.
Their lyrics are non-sensical, even by grunge standards ("Limbo this and limbo that, you were this and you were that" a case in point) yet as a 14 year old I could not get enough of it.
But how do I feel, 18 years on?
A lot of water has flowed beneath the bridge during this time, it's true, but when Bush hit the stage of Melbourne's Palace Theatre, the 14 year old inside me could not have been happier.
Opening with "Machinehead" and "The Chemicals Between Us", followed by new song "All My Life", like a sneaky Sunday arvo acoustic covers band with aspirations of bigger and better things, Bush walked that delicate line of playing the old classics while also introducing a few new songs when the crowd's guard was down.
Current single "The Sound of Winter" slipped seamlessly into the set after rousing renditions of "Everything Zen" and "Greedy Fly", and a personal favourite of mine, "Swallowed" had the entire crowd singing along as passionately as if it was "Khe Sanh".
When the band launched into "Little Things" to close the set, it was no longer 2012, we were back in the 90's, baby!
For Bush to still sound like they did in the 90's, is not only a credit to their lead singer (who freakishly still looks like he did all those years ago), but their new lead guitarist Chris Traynor.
Having played in bands with a revolving door of lead guitarists, I know how they think and how they like to leave their own signature mark on a song no matter how often they are told not to mess with it. Much like a dog pissing on a post.
But thankfully Traynor has kept his creative tendencies focused on the new material and did an excellent job of recreating the guitar lines and tones of former Bush axeman Nigel Pulsford.
The band returned for an encore consisting of a cover of The Beatles' "Come Together", a solo "Glycerine" and ending with a barnstorming "Comedown" which had the crowd moshing, cheering, singing and as the band left the stage and the house lights came on, everyone was smiling big, grunge-filled smiles.
Although this was Bush's night, I suppose I should say something about the support acts.
Cherri Bomb are an all girl rock group, who were cute, but for all I care, it may as well have been Lash up there.
Other support act Staind had never been to Australia despite having massive success with their single "It's been awhile" back in 2001 and put in a solid performance with vocalist Aaron Lewis impressing on both the heavy, quiet and "heavy-quiet" numbers.
But the night belonged to Bush, a band whom some of us will admit to once liking but after tonight's performance I'm brave enough to say I still like.
- Guy Pinter
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