“Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.” – Hunter S. Thompson
I feel pretty confident in saying that The Delta Riggs feel the same way about music. It is the fuel that gets us up for those 5am lobby calls, it is the fuel that carries us through countless hours spent in a cramped van, and it is the fuel that allows us to turn exhaustion into energy when confronted with a stage and an audience.
Our last trek across this great southern land saw us venture into new territories, cross 5 state lines in support of the newly released LP.
Before even stepping on stage, hours of rehearsals were spent in a darkly lit room in Sydney, where we toiled over the best ways to recreate the songs from the LP that were to be included in the set for the upcoming run. Opening with a ballad, switching between instruments mid-song and detuned guitars (amongst others things) were some of the potential sonic disasters that had to be well rehearsed to ensure the set was smoothed of all potential kinks.
Monte was more than keen to show me (and the rest of the country) his two newly acquired, now prized possessions, a crème 1960’s Fender P, and a shiny little pedal named after an extinct herbivorous mammal.
The shot of myself and two other gentlemen regrouping in the under stage bunker that was the back stage room of the Beach Hotel was taken moments before a posse of disgruntled security guards burst in with wild allegations of the presence of Mary Jane. Little did their minds realise that they had just bitten off more than they could chew. Simon released a calm, yet stern verbal onslaught that left them disorientated and diffused as they scattered back into the night to harass some poor drunkard who’s night was no doubt about to get worse.
The shows that followed were a blur of scissor kicks, harmonica solos (much to the crowds delight), dozens of fuel stops, and a 15 hour pilgrimage from Sydney to Adelaide by Elliott Hammond and Jeremy Stones (manager) that included a run in with the law. On the home straight, the weary travellers were pulled to the side of the road by John C. Lawman with the only fine being that of a 50 minute addition to the drive and the confiscation of some local flora.
The show in Melbourne is a great example of how exhaustion can be flipped on it’s head to become energy. I felt as if the gravitational forces on earth had tripled. The beer soaked carpet of the Northcote Social Club was starting to look akin to a king bed in a 5 star establishment, yet the vibe of the room, the punters coupled with the other acts of the night completely turned it around for me (and the whole band, who were no doubt equally as exhausted from the overnight drive).
A late addition to the tour, Perth, was a great way to call and end to the journey that felt like it had only just begun. The most isolated city in the world really knows how to turn it on.
All photos and text provided by The Delta Riggs exclusively to the AU review.
