EUROVISION: A MUSICAL EUROPEAN ODYSSEY PART FOUR
IMAGES AND WORDS BY DOUGAL GORMAN
Presented by Hung Supply
I just woke up from my first night sleeping on Amyl and the Sniffers tour bus.
And I don’t mean sleeping upright in a van between people, I mean full blown bunk bed sleeping. It’s a small compartment just longer than I am, with a top bunk about 30cm from my face. I imagine this is what it feels like to be kidnapped in a car boot. Except this is a luxury one, with a coffee machine downstairs. This style of touring is very different to what I’ve just come from and I’m excited and honoured to be experiencing it for the time. It’s a day off today but we’re on our way to Charleville-Mézières (France), Cabaret Vert Festival where Amyl will play tomorrow. Firstly, here’s what happened on my final day with Mini Skirt.
PADOVA, ITALY
Big sleep in for everyone this morning. We don’t need to rush as tonight’s show is only a 30min train away. Just bought multiple miscellaneous Italian pastries for everyone. And some fruit, of course, we’re healthy boys remember. Bloody hot again, everyone is wishing we could swim in the Venice canals. Probably not ideal water conditions. Health is straight out the window again. Ate our weight in pizza, pasta and kebabs for lunch before hitting the road to Padova. Easy train ride, Peronis in hand. Everyone’s hyped to see Amyl and The Sniffers crew. There’s always extra excitement in the air when you re-connect with friends from home. Cam is borrowing Dec’s Flying V guitar tonight, he’s never looked so ready to rock. Amy just met a girl who cycled three weeks to make tonights show. THREE WEEKS!!! Mini Skirt show was a real goody. Honestly didn’t shoot many photos, kind of sat back and enjoyed the final show with them. Sick to see them back on a big stage.
Haven’t seen Amyl play in a while, but as expected they blew the roof off it. Get’s me hyped for the next four shows to come. Post show we’re all on the grass back stage telling our Australian slang jokes. The Australian dialect really stands out when you’re in a big group. News just in: Amyl is travelling in a full blown tour bus. Apparently, it’s very tricky to sleep on for a first timer like myself. But after these last three weeks of chaos and sporadic bed-hopping I’m sure I’ll do just fine. A ten hour drive overnight should be enough time for me to work it out.
Very sad to leave Mini Skirt behind after three weeks. As they say, all good tours must come to an end. It’s been one hell of a ride that I’ll never forget. Some how we have survived this far without any major hick ups and I hope it stays that way for their final shows. It’s been a true pleasure seeing the world with them again. Thank you Jacob 1, Jacob 2, Cam and Jesse, until next time.
DAY ONE OF AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS TOUR
Can confirm laying in a bed while a bus moves and jiggles at 100km along a highway is a trip out. Once I got to sleep it was ok though. Last night was the biggest drive of my touring so far but it makes a big difference when you’ve slept six hours of it in a bed. The bus is insane. Twelve bunk beds, coffee machine, toilets, TV’s, playstation, stocked fridges, you name it. Just one big rule - don’t shit in the toilet! Amyl is touring with a team of about eight people. Streaming the Matildas semi finals in the back TV room after a few VPNS and sketchy websites.
Just arrived in Charleville-Mézières, a small French town very close to the Belgium border. Amyl don’t play until tomorrow, so we have the day off to chill. Wandering around the festival with Dec to get some idea of where the fuck everything is. It’s a massive festival ground. We’ve ended up in the belly of a serious bush roof rave with about 1000 laser beams flying everywhere. Watched Scowl and Zulu play at the ‘Razorback’ stage. Both two very very good American hardcore bands. Also saw a big French rapper Damso + Calvin Harris. Keeping it diverse here.
CABARET VERT FESTIVAL
Accidentally slept until 11am, must have needed it. The bus bunks are so dark you could probably sleep all day in them. Just spent $120 attempting to recharge my SIM card. Very unsuccessful admin morning. Turnstile and Yungblud are now our tour bus neighbours. While standing in the same food line backstage as The Black Eyed Peas. One of them heard me talk and said ‘Hey are you Australian?!’. What on earth is happening? Amyl are playing on the ‘ZANZIBAR’ main stage which is by far the biggest stage I’ve seen and photographed in my life. Not sure how to tackle this. Amyl’s walk on song is Eminem ‘Without Me’, incredible.
From the first song the crowd erupted front to back. Photographing from the crowd at a festival is like walking into a big open war zone. There was a guy standing on someones shoulders as circle pit runs wild around him. He just fell off then crowd surfed all the way to the front. There’s also someone moshing in a Spiderman suite. Amazing first festival show for Amyl.
Post show energy is high. Amy, Jamie and I are running over to see Bob Vylan, a two piece from London who toured America with Amyl earlier in the year. Never seen them play before but are now officially my new favourite act. Serious energy and aggression. Amy came on for a song before running and stage diving into the crowd, only just making it over the barrier. Successfully surfed out and back over the barrier. ‘Bus call’ was 4am but we’ve left earlier. Every day there is a call time for when the bus leaves. Do not miss this. And do not shit in the toilet. Simple!
LOWLANDS FESTIVAL, NETHERLANDS
First hangover for some of the The Sniffer boys. The artist/backstage area is wonderland of free booze, food and air-conditioning. There’s even a god dam theme park next door. You can hear the screams as the rollercoasters go by. A Melbourne tattooist friend of Dec’s is coincidently in town and is brining his gear backstage for some tattoos. Even more coincidentally I was tattooed by him (Jad) when I was 19. Small world shit! Dec, Bryce and myself all got a quick sticker each.
Amongst the utter chaos some dude in the crowd is trying to talk Dutch to me - obviously I have no idea what he’s saying - until he says it in the English, ‘take photos make memories’. Oddly inspiring to hear. Despite the early rowdiness, it’s an early night for everyone. Everyone abused the complimentary cheese toasties before heading back to the bus. The bus leaves at 3am. Tomorrow we will wake up at Pukkelpop Festival, Belgium, not far from here.
PUKKELPOP FESTIVAL, BELGIUM
Developed a morning routine of avocado toast and coffee while I edit photos. It’s something that feels like home to start the day. Very hot today, everyone is sweating buckets in the greenroom as the aircon isn’t working. Gus is demanding ice for his vodka cranberries. Vodak shot with Amy and Florence from Dry Cleaning. Great company, terrible shot. Limp Bitzkit is playing at the exact same time as Amyl today, we’re all a little bummed about that. Amy just floated the idea of finishing their set earlier so we can all see Limp play... obviously we wouldn’t do that...right?
Today’s stage is a little smaller than the last few festivals which I personally enjoy shooting more, you feel closer to the chaos. Gus now officially has his own drink stand next to his amp. Two cups, a self-mixed bottle of vodka soda cranberry and a cup of ice. The life of luxury.
The Oh Sees play at 11:30pm but bus call is at 12:30 and I don’t really trust myself making that/just kind of can’t be fucked. Still haven’t see them play yet. Oh well no Oh Sees. Forgot to mention we have to wake up at FOUR A.M tomorrow morning to show our visas at the UK boarder office. Then get on a 6am ferry. THEN get back on the bus and drive 6hrs to Greenman Festival in Wales. Everyone is quietly dreading it. Everyone is half asleep. It feels like a very strange dream in here.
GREEN MAN FESTIVAL, WALES
The boarder/visa place is the most bland building you’ve ever seen. There’s also a very annoying beep repeating itself every 50 seconds (Bryce just counted). 20 minutes later we have all been cleared to enter the UK. 45 minute sleep before driving onto the ferry where we have to leave the bus and attempt to sleep on the ferry itself. Free breakfast provided: a classic barmy English breakfast of bacon, beans, eggs etc. Not hungry but still ate it. Always eat free food.
Green Man Festival is in Brecon Beacons, a large mountain range in Wales. Really nice to be surrounded by nature again, it feels a lot more wholesome than the last festivals we’ve been too. Less intense. Backstage is two large tents with a view of the surrounding mountains. I’ve got my feet up, shirt off and eating a falafel plate in the sun. Fucking wonderful. Spent the afternoon walking around with The Sniffers soaking up the sun and festival. The band has a bunch of friends in town so everyone is in high spirits.
Tonight’s crowd is hands down the most people I have ever seen watching a performance. There must be at least 9000 people at the Amyl set...if not more, I’m bad at judging crowds. Walks of all life and ages in the crowd tonight. So cool seeing the kids getting stuck into it. Amyl were all losing the shit over the crowd size and think it’s likely the biggest crowd they’ve played too. ‘That’s like the dream doing something like that’ - Amy. Watched the ‘Green Man’ itself be set alight at midnight. A tradition that’s been happening for ten years. Watched Special Interest play. Another band I’ve been wanting to see for while. Presumably based off the early earlier crowd size, tonight has turned into a big one for most of us. Dec, Bryce, Gus and myself nearly missed bus call time of 2am.
I’d like to thank Amy, Bryce, Dec and Gus for having me on tour, as well as the entire touring team involved. Never did I think I’d be rattling along the highway in a tour bus bunk bed. I am very grateful for the opportunity. Until next time!
