Princess Chelsea Tour Diary #2

DEAR DIARY A LOT HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST MONTH.  WE'VE BEEN TOURING ROCKING OUT TO AUDIENCES OF BETWEEN 1000 - 5000 WHILE SUPPORTING ALT-J. ITS BEEN A LOT OF WORK AND A LOT OF FUN. THE GENERAL RESPONSE FROM THE AUDIENCE ON TWITTER HAS BEEN MOSTLY POSITIVE, SOMETIMES NEGATIVE, SOMETIMES CONFUSED OR SOMETIMES ALL THREE COMBINED.

ALT-J ARE A VERY ACCOMMODATING BAND TO TOUR WITH. 

QUITE OFTEN ACTS WHO HAVE HIT THE BIG TIME DEVELOP SOME KIND OF POWER COMPLEX AND SWAN ABOUT LIKE BIG SHOT 69 PARTY GUYS.  ALT-J ARE BASICALLY THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THIS AND ARE SO CONSIDERATE THEY SHORTENED THEIR SOUNDCHECK FOR THE SUPPORT BANDS BENEFIT WHILE GENERALLY BEING VERY NICE AND CASUALLY HANDING US BOTTLES OF CHAMPAGNE.  

THE OTHER BAND WHO HAS BEEN TOURING ON THE ALT-J LEG IS FLORIDA BASED 100 WATERS.  THEY PLAY SPACEY ENYA FOLK WITH KEYS, FLUTES, DRUMS, GUITARS AND SICK BEATS OVER THE TOP AND ARE SIGNED TO SKRILLEX’S LABEL. THEY PLAY MICHAEL JACKSON SONGS AFTER THEIR SET AND I WHOLEHEARTEDLY APPROVE OF THIS.

ITS A KOOL BUT ODD FEELING PLAYING THE ESPECIALLY HUGE VENUES AS A SUPPORT ACT.  FOR INSTANCE AT THE BRIXTON ACADEMY, A 5000 CAPACITY VENUE - EVEN IF 2000 PEOPLE IN THE ROOM ARE DIGGING YOUR SET, THAT STILL LEAVES 3000 PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT GAME OF THRONES / FEELINGS. VERY SURREAL BUT STILL HEAPS OF FUN.

MANAGEMENT AND PUBLICISTS ASIDE, I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT INITIAL SUCCESS OR ‘BREAKING THROUGH’ AS A MUSICIAN WAS A RESULT OF A WEIRD SORT OF FATE SOUP MADE UP OF BITS PIECES OF SEEMINGLY UNIMPORTANT AS WELL AS SEEMINGLY IMPORTANT MOMENTS IN YOUR CAREER / LIFE. ITS HARD TO DEFINE AT WHAT POINT ANYTHING TRULY MADE A DIFFERENCE BECAUSE ITS A COMBINATION OF 100 DIFFERENT THINGS AND I IMAGINE THAT EVEN WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON IT YEARS LATER ITS HARD TO CONNECT THE DOTS.  

MEANWHILE IN NEW ZEALAND IT SEEMS THE INDIE MUSIC MANAGER GAME HAS BEEN LAUNCHED. 

IN MY OPINION I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD IDEA TO START THE FEMALE MUSICIANS OFF -1 LEVEL AS A REFLECTION OF THE TRUE STATE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. THEN THEY COULD HAVE PASSED OFF THE PART IN THE GAME WHERE THE FEMALE RECORDING ENGINEER IS LIKE THE GIRLFRIEND OF A GUY FROM A BAND OR SOMETHING AND IS ALL LIKE DURRRR I DONT KNOW WHAT IM DOING IS THIS A MICROPHONE LEAD OR A FUNKY NECKLACE / ETHNIC HEADPIECE AS A KIND OF CONTINUATION OF THAT IDEA.

BUT TO BE TOTALLY SERIOUS THERE IS STILL SEXISM LURKING IN THE ALTERNATIVE INDIE AND COMMERCIAL MUSIC SCENEZ. 

OCCASIONALLY YOU'LL READ A REVIEW OR PIECE OF JOURNALISM WRITTEN BY SOMEONE WHO HONESTLY JUST SEEMS GENUINELY PISSED OFF AT YOU FOR BEING A GIRL. 

GRIMES RECENTLY DID A MUCH-TALKED ABOUT TUMBLR POST ABOUT THE CHALLENGES SHE FACES BEING A MUSICIAN, AND TO A CERTAIN DEGREE A LADY MUSICIAN.

I RECENTLY RECEIVED FEEDBACK ON A NEW SINGLE FROM UK RADIO PEEPS AND WAS TOLD THAT AN INFLUENTIAL BBC RADIO 1 DJ AND UNFORTUNATELY AN EXPAT 'WASN’T SO KEEN ON" AND "TAKES A PARTICULAR DISLIKE TO" FEMALE VOCALS...... IN GENERAL.

LOL.

I AM STILL QUITE SHOCKED BY THIS AND SINCERELY HOPE ITS SOME KIND OF MISUNDERSTANDING ON MINE OR ANYONES PART.

BUT TO BE HONEST, I AM PROBABLY JUST BEING OVERLY SENSITIVE.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE, ONE OF THE FUNNIEST THINGS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD IS GOING TO A MUSIC STORE AND WATCHING JONATHAN BREE TRY TO BUY A TINY GUITAR AMP FROM SOMEONE WHO TRULY AND COMPLETELY LIVES FOR SELLING GUITAR AMPLIFIERS.

AFTER DISCOVERING JONATHAN RICHMAN AND THE BEACH BOYS AS A SMALL BOY THEN CUTTING HIS TEETH IN FLYING NUN AFFILIATED GOTH BANDS AS A PRE-TEEN JONABRO WENT TROUGH A BRIEF CYPRESS HILL PHASE BEFORE GETTING INTO SONIC YOUTH AND PAVEMENT THEN MAKING HIS FINAL TRANSITION IN THE MUSICAL CIRCLE OF LIFE - ONLY LISTENING TO THE BEATLES.

IT IS SAFE TO SAY AS SOMEONE WHO APPRECIATES GUNS N ROSES IN THE SAME BREATH AS HANK WILLIAMS, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT JONABRO IS VERY AWARE OF WHAT HE WANTS AND NEEDS FROM A GUITAR AMP FOR THE PARTICULAR SOUND HE IS TRYING TO CREATE.

AND BASICALLY WHAT HE NEEDS FOR PLAYING GUITAR IN PRINCESS CHELSEA IS A REALLY CRAPPY AND LIGHTWEIGHT PRACTICE AMP THAT HE CAN PUT IN A SUITCASE AND FLY AROUND PLACES AND WHICH HE TRIES TO MAKE SOUND BETTER USING LIKE 5 PEDALS COS ITS CHEAPER THAN HIRING A FENDER TWIN FOR THREE MONTHS.

LAST YEAR AT THE ROCKSHOP THE MUSCLY SALES ASSISTANT WHO WAS ASSISTING US WITH OUR PURCHASE WAS VERY HELPFUL IN DEMONSTRATING THE FUNCTIONS OF THE VARIOUS NON-PORTABLE AMPS WE COULDNT AFFORD BY SHREDDING METALLICA AND SLAYER RIFS PRETTY AVERAGELY ON ALL OF THEM.  WHEN I SUGGESTED WE TRY THE 4 KG FENDER PRACTICE AMP HE LOOKED UTTERLY SICKENED.

‘MATE YOU WOULDNT WANT THAT, THATS SOMETHING A DAD WOULD BUY FOR HIS TEENAGE DAUGHTER’.

'ILL TAKE IT' - JONABRO

THIS YEAR IN BIRMINGHAM WE VISITED A SICK MEGASTORE FILLED WITH THE RADDEST GEAR.  THE FRIENDLY SALES ASSISTANT COULD SHRED MUCH BETTER THAN THE MUSCLY GUY WE HAD MET LAST YEAR AT THE ROCK SHOP INFACT IM PRETTY SURE HE WAS PLAYING YNGWIE MALMSTEEN ON THE FENDER TWIN WE COULDNT AFFORD.  

HE WAS MUCH BETTER AT HIDING HIS DEVASTATION WHEN MID SHRED JONATHAN ASKED FOR JUST THE CHEAPEST THING THEY HAD.   HE WAS STILL REALLY NICE TO US WHEN WE WALKED OUT WITH A 30 POUND (CURRENCY NOT WEIGHT)  SECOND HAND PRACTICE AMP BUT AND ONLY MILDLY SURPRISED WHEN WE TOLD HIM WE WERE USING IT TO PLAY THE BRIXTON ACADEMY.

WHEN HE HEARD WE WERE FROM NEW ZEALAND HE GOT REALLY EXCITED AND SAID 'OH MAN IF I WAS IN NEW ZALAND NOW... ID BE EATING A LAMB!" 

WE ALL FOUND THIS STATEMENT REALLY AMUSING AND AS WE DROVE AWAY FROM THE STORE TOWARDS THE SOUNDCHECK AT THE 02 I IMAGINED THE NICE SALES ASSISTANT GETTING OFF A PLANE AT THE AUCKLAND AIRPORT EXCITEDLY THEN SPRINTING VIOLENTLY OUT THE DOOR AND RUNNING FULL SPEED INTO THE DISTANCE UNTIL HE ARRIVED AT THE NEAREST FIELD, WHERE HE BEGAN SHREDDING AIR GUITAR SOLOS EPICLY GOING 'YEAHHH YEAHHHH' BEFORE THROWING HIS AXE (GUITAR) AT AN UNDERSIZED NEARBY LAMB (FATALLY) THEN RUNNING OVER TO IT AND TAKING A BIG BITE AND THEN SHREDDING SOME MORE.