The Indelibles put in an appearance at The Lowie Live and acquit themselves with mild distinction
22.8.22 – I felt it was necessary, necessary for me anyway, that I call a second rehearsal for the upcoming Lomond gig, despite Daryl being unable to attend due to pressing family business in Cairns. I don't know how long it’s been between Lomond gigs - gigs for the band that is, because I’ve indulged an apparent masochistic whim to play two or three solo gigs at Rod Claringbould’s mid-week Lomond Acoustica nights, the memory of which still provokes a shiver.
I’d fallen well short at the first rehearsal – for instance, I just went totally blank when it came to playing the intro to Xavier Rudd (Is Not My Son). I knew the title and that I’d written it, but that was about all. More work had to be done and a second run-through with Robbo and Broc would benefit me and the whole of mankind, so we plunged into the icy depths of our Box Hill rehearsal studio and raced through the rep’, even playing a couple of tunes twice – and only then did I start to feel a little better.
There was a suggestion of drizzle in the air and a big puddle at the back of the van that created an extra degree of difficulty loading-in, but once we were inside it all seemed so familiar that I started to relax. The stage has been relocated (to good visual effect) since the band was last there, but it’s no more commodious that it ever was and consequently only the rhythm section found secure purchase. A riser by another name.
My amp might have made it onto the stage, but my mic and pedal board were set-up on the floor - just as it ever was. This led to the first set being slightly uncomfortable, as my guitar was pressed up against my song-list tablet attached to the mic stand, and I if I took a step back I was in danger of falling over backwards. Bad decision-making that I blame on lack of match practice.
I was torn between playing two or three sets over the three hours, but when the end of the second set fell due we only had thirty more minutes till the witching hour, so we just kept playing. It was good fun and I know the audience was enjoying it, but I think a few stayed on a bit longer than they intended because we just wouldn’t quit.
Spectrum and the Madder’s Bren Mason came along (ostensibly to loan me his wah pedal) and stayed all night, and Maria tells me he filmed a good part of the show. I haven’t seen any of the footage, but at several stages of the evening it occurred to me how lucky I am to have such a great band to play with – what an ensemble we are! My songs' fragile import could be totally neutralised in the hands of a less sensitive band, but the chaps’ awareness and attention to detail makes the Ruddy rep' a pleasure to listen to, even if it’s not always appreciated by audiences waiting for THE HIT.
Next weekend, something completely different.

Spectrum and Madder Lake Waddle the Walk at the Oakleigh Lounge
26.7.22 - Maria and I decided to go separately to our first Double Bill gig for a while at the Oakleigh Lounge (formerly the Caravan Music Club at the Oakleigh-Carnegie RSL) so she could be spared the sound check with its interminable tuning of the drumkit, amongst other things.
As I walked into the familiar hall, optimistically laid out for a full house, our sound engineer, the legendary Pixie Michael, was indeed fine-tuning the kick drum sound with Madder Lake’s drummer, Luke, patiently punching his foot-pedal like some grossly amplified agitated heartbeat – so, as I walked back out I prudently inserted my ear protection.
I’d remembered on the drive in that I’d left my new you-beaut folding trolley at home and had rung M to ask her to bring it with her for the load-out at least, so I was glad when the genial Steve Georgiou intercepted me as I staggered through the door with my god-awful heavy Hot Rod amp and offered to carry it the rest of the way to the stage.
Sound check was inevitably running behind, but we had a decent-sized stage for a change so I was looking forward to stretching out, physically and musically, after the prolonged COVID-induced break.
Unfortunately Spectrum had only begun sound-checking after the doors had been opened to the public and we didn’t really have time to adjust the stage set-up, so the frontline of Daryl, Bren and Broc was crammed on stage right with me on my own on stage left, so it wasn’t a vastly different experience from some of the tiny stages at smaller venues.
I have to admit that I was very, very cranky about that, but thankfully managed to channel my anger into the performance and actually found myself enjoying it.
We premiered a couple of revivals; the instrumental Launching Place Part 1, originally recorded on the I’ll Be Gone session at Bill Armstrong’s 100 Albert Park Rd studio, (but subsequently ‘lost’ for a couple of decades), and What the World Needs (is a New Pair of Socks), or simply Sox, from the Milesago album, a song that encapsulates the odd-ball humour of my songs from that era.
They both went pretty well too, but the small crowd on hand was struggling to sound like an actual crowd. Nevertheless, they gamely joined in with the standard singalongs, Red Hot Momma, Esmeralda and I’ll Be Gone and we flounced off stage (well, I flounced anyway) - after Keaton Robertson’s impromptu Blues in A that is – feeling we’d done the best we could.
Sadly, now things are looking ever-bleaker, (we just found out that Broc's contracted COVID - and he was the most assiduous of the band in masking up), and I suspect it’s only going to get more difficult over the next weeks and months. It’s not just the music scene, although you might think that we’re doing it harder than some other sectors from all the squealing, (music does squealing really well). Given the recent surge in cases, the next Double Bill show booked at the Rochford Winery on Saturday the 6th of August could be under threat. (I'll let you know, of course).
In the meantime, Spectrum and Madder Lake wish you and your families all the very best of health. As well as ourselves. As Bill Putt wrote, 'It’s a lottery my friend..'