Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Melbourne: Day Two
Soundtrack: ‘B-Sides and Rarities (Disc Two)’ by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Depressing, hey, but it’s full of Australian folk songs, which I thought might be apt, seen as I’m actually in Australia now
It’s Melbourne International Jazz Festival at the moment. I’m too cheap to pay A$35 to go and see jazz, but there is free live music going on in Federation Square, the main cultural centre of the city, every afternoon. When I reached the square, it was in time to catch this crazy Italian group called Funk Off. They had no bass, but three bari saxes and (I think) a sousaphone. And they were all remarkably good movers too.
On Fed Square in the National Gallery Victoria, which houses the Australian collections. Across the river is the NGV International, which houses all the other stuff, but I couldn’t be arsed with that. In the end, I did manage to spend the entire afternoon looking at the artwork – all this amazing Aborigine stuff that sucks you in and makes you sway until you have to step away before you fall over. But then, I do fall over very easily. When I finally emerged, the security guard was rather surprised to see me. It seems that most people are very quick through the gallery. I suppose it’s because people here have very short attention spans.
Out in the square were a soul band from New Orleans with the wonderful name Rockin’ Dopsie and the Zydeco Twisters, who were uproariously good fun. Nobody was dancing, though, which was a shame, and I didn’t want to because a) I would’ve felt really stupid, and you can’t dance to soul music properly without a partner anyway and b) I was waiting for a phone call from Andy and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to hear it, so I had the phone in front of me so that I could see it light up when it eventually rang.
It’s Melbourne International Jazz Festival at the moment. I’m too cheap to pay A$35 to go and see jazz, but there is free live music going on in Federation Square, the main cultural centre of the city, every afternoon. When I reached the square, it was in time to catch this crazy Italian group called Funk Off. They had no bass, but three bari saxes and (I think) a sousaphone. And they were all remarkably good movers too.
On Fed Square in the National Gallery Victoria, which houses the Australian collections. Across the river is the NGV International, which houses all the other stuff, but I couldn’t be arsed with that. In the end, I did manage to spend the entire afternoon looking at the artwork – all this amazing Aborigine stuff that sucks you in and makes you sway until you have to step away before you fall over. But then, I do fall over very easily. When I finally emerged, the security guard was rather surprised to see me. It seems that most people are very quick through the gallery. I suppose it’s because people here have very short attention spans.
Out in the square were a soul band from New Orleans with the wonderful name Rockin’ Dopsie and the Zydeco Twisters, who were uproariously good fun. Nobody was dancing, though, which was a shame, and I didn’t want to because a) I would’ve felt really stupid, and you can’t dance to soul music properly without a partner anyway and b) I was waiting for a phone call from Andy and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to hear it, so I had the phone in front of me so that I could see it light up when it eventually rang.
