... we do read the notes attached to the friend requests. Thank you for leaving us little notes of encouragement; really appreciated.

x

..love this time of year...

x

As a child, the most joyous times were sat on a carpeted floor, surrounded by all the toys that I had accumulated over the years. Old favourites, new soon-to-be favourites, and my friends toys if they had come round to join in.

I came home from school one day and found my parents had donated all my toys to my cousins (of a younger age). I remember that day very very vividly and I've always suspected that that moment had a very profound affect on me... And I've just been talking to my friend about how I enjoy jamming the most when I'm on the floor, surrounded by all my toys! That parallel has cemented my suspicion. It's so comforting to realise, those toys have remained with me all those years I thought they'd gone.

Lets grow young.

x

... guess who's studio we're in?

Fuck Buttons feature in the documentary film All Tomorrow's Parties, a kaleidoscopic journey into the parallel musical universe of the cult music festival of the same name.

Check out the link below for the official film website, featuring a trailer and info about the UK premiere coming in June and other screenings.

http://ourtrueintent.com

I went to sleep too early last night so I'm awake at this hour. Having slept with the window open for the first time this year, I was woken up by the gargling bird calls underlined by the faint hum of the distant city traffic. I really enjoy that hum actually, it's one of the most comforting sounds I can think of.

Anyway, one of our synths blew up last week, so we've been out of action for that time. It's been very strange, not physcally doing anything, but I guess the space is always helpful. However the synth is back from the repair shop and in a couple of hours we will be reconvening and continuing. I'm quite excited not least because we're having to go into overdrive to prepare for the forthcoming ATP festival.

Actually, I'm going to go back to sleep...

x

http://okayletstalkaboutmagic.blogspot.com

We fancied an outlet, so we made one ^^. This here bit will be for practical information now, but we will both be using the aforementioned "journal" to collect nuances, regularly.

Thanks

x

p.s. there's a button to follow the journal, click it.

It's pretty damn hot here, 37 degrees and rising. Shorts have had to be worn, having not been seen since the days of being a teenager. We're in Melbourne.

We arrived in Melbourne after a testing 24-hour flight. The socio-politics of reclining seats forever being at the fore-front of one's considerations and resentments heightened the discomfort. And I've never eaten so much airplane food. Oh boy...

Afro Dave and Bob (our friendly sound engineer and tour manager respectively) greet us at the airport. Apparently they'd been getting funny looks from the elderly and sniggers from the youthful, once the parties had read their greeting sign with the name of the band on it.

Melbourne is a contagious place. Its isolation is seductively overpowering and I understand, just from the few days of being here, why so many are tempted to move here. The isolation is an underlying theme to the whole psyche of the place and I would speculate to it being a significant factor contributing to the undoubtedly unusual comradery. Such a large city and yet such a feeling of friendliness. The food is fantastic as well.

We meet Dead Meadow and Afrirampo the next morning, after a night of consummate debauchery. My jetlag was still prominent and so during that evening, I tried to counteract the tiredness with shots of Sambuca. Consequently I feel slightly embarrassed by my drunkeness that night, but such is life. We all drive en convoy toward Mount Buller!

Mount Buller is a fantastical place. It's a very high mountain situated a few hours away from Melbourne. We arrive in the early evening to attend Nick Cave's welcoming barbecue. The barbecue is held on a rooftop terrace and from there we see the plush green mountains given a purple hue by the rolling night sky. The moon peeps back at us. NC introduces himself to us and thanks us for attending and we thank him for having us. Then his twin sons aged around 8(?) ask us for autographs which brings us bemusement.

The next day is show day and because of the lack of playing in the last month & a half (because of the festivities), I am simultaneously excited and anxious. But the first press of the keys to "Sweet Love for Planet Earth" gives me confidence and enjoyment, and I enjoy the rest of the set immensely. The crowd are extremely welcoming so I'll take this opportunity to thank you for coming to see our first show in Australia. Then as soon as we finish, we make our way to Tazmania!

+++++++++++++

Hobart, Tazmania is a sprawling city of small to medium sized buildings. Its inhabitants are friendly unassuming people. We went to play their MOMA FOMA festival, their first one. It was a good show. Then we head back to Melbourne.

Last night we went to see Michael Gira play and it was an excellent opportunity to catch up with the ATP folk. It was another heavy night, but fun was had by all and we stagger back to the hotel with content smiles on our faces.

That will be the last of the excess on the tour, because it's tomorrow when we start our string of dates without a day off. And I'm very much looking foward to it. See you at the Corner Hotel tomorrow.

x

We've been off for a couple of weeks now and settling back into normality as best we can. The idea of settling now is slightly alien, and I would go as far as to say that our sensibilities are bordering on nomadic.

I'm in Hong Kong at the moment visiting family. Of course, the moment one's mind starts to relax, illness emerges. The Hong Kong smog isn't helping either. I am possibly going to get one of those surgical masks everyone wears here, because of the pollution. I have to admit that though it would be mostly for practical reasons, there is a part of me that likes the idea of walking around like a ninja surgeon amongst the neon city.

Hope everyone is okay at home. Dead excited about NBC! Oh yeah!

x