The journey home: Turin – Pisa – Rome – Dubai – Melbourne – Castlemaine

We woke early after our show in Rome and began the long drive up to Torino. The journey takes six or seven hours depending on traffic so we settled in and watched as the weather changed out the window. We soon left behind the sunshine of Lazio and Toscana and moved into the colder climes of northern Italy, complete with its grey skies, cold wind and rain.

The hardest thing about being on tour has been being away from our families. It’s a new thing for us, and why we limited the trip to just two weeks. My heart melted earlier this week when I got a picture from home of the calendar with days being crossed off until ‘daddy gets home’. And although regular Facetime and phone calls have made things a little easier, I’m very excited to be heading home soon.

My eldest daughter asked that I bring something back with her name on it. And as Veronica is a popular name in Italy, it seemed a sweet and simple request. So over the last week I’ve been on the lookout for gifts with names on them. I remember seeing them countless times in the past. However, someone must have been one step ahead of me this week, removing all trace of them before I arrived.

I did find a little ceramic tile with Veronica’s name on it but there was no matching one for Isla so I had to let that one pass. I have to make sure my presents are evenly matched otherwise things don’t play out so well. But time was running out…

Finally, on our way to Turin I found a tacky little make-your-own charm bracelet kit with some princess trinkets (that they both love despite my best efforts) and a pack of shiny silver letters. I seized the opportunity even though it’s not the kind of gift I like to buy and set about putting them together in the back of the van. But would you believe it? Despite there being about 200 letters, there was only one A. There were about 10 Ds, Os, Fs and plenty of all the other letters that I didn’t need a duplicate of, but only one A. And A is a pretty popular letter here in Italy! So I had to improvise, flipping a Y upside down for Isla. Thankfully she can’t read yet so I’ll just have to have a quiet word with Ronnie to make sure she doesn’t let on.

We arrived in Turin and enjoyed a great show at Spazio 211, a place we played on our last Italian tour almost exactly ten years ago. A couple of local guys arrived with a laminated photo of us with them from ten years ago. So we headed outside to recreate the picture. We also caught up with some old friends after the show and then headed back to the hotel with the gear. It’s always a weird feeling coming to the end of a tour so its nice to mark the moment somehow.

Unfortunately, usually by the time you’ve loaded out and settled everything with the promoter it’s too late to find anywhere particularly welcoming. So like many previous tours, we ended up at a random old-man bar in the middle of nowhere to celebrate and reflect on the past few weeks. We enjoyed a quiet whiskey in the company of a disinterested Torino barkeep, some old timers, and a few end-of-the-night revellers while the line-up of Italian poker machines provided the mood lighting.

The next morning we began our journey home. And it is a long one: Turin – Pisa – Rome – Dubai – Melbourne, and then the drive up to Castlemaine for me.

We took the coast road down to Pisa from Turin – a route that we have taken many times before and one of my favourites. It’s a magical drive with the hills to the east and the Mediterranean to the west, cruising past the port of Genova and countless seaside towns and hillside villages. It was our last trip with Leonardo, who has been our tour manager for the second part of the tour. It’s been great getting to know him and also get an insight into Italy’s next generation. Like many young people he has a wildly eclectic taste in music that can surprise, inspire and confound an old fella like me.

Our last night in Italy was spent in the company of dear friends in Pisa. We took a stroll through the centre at sundown (passiagata as it is known by the locals), enjoyed a bicicletta (a local drink comprised of Aperol and white wine) in a local bar, and then had dinner at Luca’s house. We grew up with Luca and Enrico from Locusta on the highways of Italy and Europe, and it has been a real blessing to reconnect and share this time with them again.

6.45am arrived far too quickly and soon we were on the road to Rome with Luca. We said our difficult goodbyes at the airport and made our way through the labyrinthine hallways, gates, security checkpoints and shopping malls of Rome airport. It seems that before you’re allowed to do any actual travel, it is necessary to walk through the equivalent of at least five full-size shopping malls.

We settled into the luxury surrounds of the Emirates A380 and I chose the Iranian film Salesman from the some 300 options on offer. The choice is quite overwhelming on this airline but the film was quite the revelation and I’m so glad I was able to catch it. It’s the kind of story that stays with you and I keep thinking back to the various aspects of the film.

Dubai came and went like any other shopping mall and now we are just a couple of hours out of Melbourne. My parents will meet me at the airport and then I will drive an hour and half north to Castlemaine where I live. It’ll be tiring after such a long journey but I can’t wait to walk in my front door and see Eli and my girls again. The girls will be asleep but I’ll kiss them goodnight and look forward to a beautiful day together tomorrow.

Family roots in Castiglione

After putting on the show for us in Pescara, our good friend Paolo decided to join us on our journey to Rome and despite it being only 24 hours we certainly packed a lot in. Show nights are always very busy so it is great when you can share some downtime with friends and just catch up without the pressure of performing. We had breakfast in the cafe next to the museum where we played the night before and then took to the highway towards Rome.

My wife’s mother spent her childhood in a tiny mountain village in Abbruzzo called Castiglione. The village is not far from Pescara and just a short drive off the highway, so we took some time off to explore this place I’ve heard so much about.

Armed with a text message containing the directions to the family house as well as the details of the only restaurant in town – Giacomino’s – we made our way up the bumpy mountain road, taking in the snow-capped peaks, rugged pastoral land and towering granite cliffs on every side. You can’t help but feel humbled by the vast landscape here. Grand and imposing, the area seems untouched by the ravages of the modern age. You can picture what life was like for the peasants who lived here a hundred years ago.

Arriving at the edge of the village, we stopped to marvel at the scene in front of us. The town sits perched on a hillside like something out of a fairy tale, with sweeping views across to the nearby mountains and valley below. Ancient houses line the sides of the narrow road through town and the old walls tell the countless stories from the last few hundred years. Pock marked and cracked, patched and repainted, the houses prop each other up like a row of old teeth, and wrought iron balconies and wooden shutters jut out over the road from above.

The family house was badly damaged during the earthquake some years ago and is apparently still unsafe to live in, as are many other local residences. In fact the village is very quiet now, what with so many house unliveable and a large number of families migrating to Australia, America and Argentina over the last half century.

We found Via Colle Santa Maria and walked around trying to locate the house but had no luck at first. A man on a nearby balcony hadn’t heard of the family before and didn’t seem particularly inclined to help us in our search. Unperturbed, we ventured on and wound our way through the narrow back streets and walkways. Finally we circled back to the main road and found what we thought was the house. I happily took a picture and sent a message to Eli and her mum to say we’d found the house and then we took off in search of Giacomino’s restaurant hoping for a traditional Abruzzo lunch.

Giacomino is a 90-something Castiglione local who owns a restaurant on the main road. The only online reference to the restaurant is a trip advisor listing with a picture of Giacomino literally slaving over hot coals. We walked in and there he was hunched over the old stove, just like his online self. He welcomed us in and then his son showed us to a table in the dining room. And despite the revamped interior (his son now runs the show) it still had that special feeling of a place that’s rooted in the past.

We explained who we were and what our little pilgrimage was about and soon everyone was asking about family names and maiden names, nicknames and children’s names, trying to piece everything together. A couple that were visiting from Canada even came over to join the conversation. Their family migrated in the 50s and they share the same family name as Eli’s mum. They also have relatives in Melbourne, so the connections became even wider.

You don’t order off the menu in a place like Giacomio’s – food just starts arriving and you dig in and try to keep up. Pete, Paolo, Leonardo and I were all smiles as the biggest plate of handmade pasta I’ve ever seen landed on the table. We shared a bottle of local wine and reflected on family histories and the joys of travel. It was great to share the moment with Paolo too, who is especially passionate about Abruzzo’s cultural heritage and always takes the time to give us the background on the different places we visit.

During lunch I got another text message from home saying that we had actually gone to the wrong house so I raced down the hill to try and find the real family house while the guys finished up at the restaurant. I’m sure I raised a few local eyebrows criss-crossing the street and staring into all the different houses. Thankfully I eventually found the right place and managed to grab a few pictures before the tour van cruised down the hill to pick me up. So with bellies full of homemade pasta and local wine, and an hour behind schedule, we raced down the highway to Rome where we were plaything that night.

From the mountains to the sea

The first few days in Italy have been quite an experience to say the least. I’ve felt very blessed to be back walking the ancient streets and travelling the highways like Pete and I did so many times. And reconnecting with friends after 10 years away is an amazing thing. You never really know how things will be after so much time apart but we’ve been able to pick up exactly where we left off. Our Italian brothers Luca and Enrico have taken time out to share the journey and it has been a special time for all of us.

The path Pete and I took through the music industry seemed a bit strange to some people and at times a bit ‘unambitious’ but for us it was always about the music and the personal connections we made along the way. And I’m glad we did things our way. The older I get the more I appreciate these special bonds that cut across borders, languages and now decades.

We played at Locomotiv in Bologna last night and were happy to follow in the footsteps of so many great bands. Micah P Hinson and Jens Lekman are both stopping by in the next couple of weeks – both people we have crossed paths with on our travels. Wherever you are in the world it seems the indie world is a small and close-knit community.

There was no support band last night so we had plenty of time to just catch up with old friends from Bologna and Finale Emilia. Steven from The Chemistry Experiment popped in. He has lived in Bologna for five years now and after hanging out with him at the Fortuna Pop gathering in London it was nice to see him on his own turf. Unfortunately he went to leave only to discover his bike had been stolen. Needless to say he was none too pleased as it was 3am and he was ready for home. Turns out there’s a place in town where you can go and buy stolen bikes for 20 euro so hopefully he has some luck finding his bike down there today.

I tried working on my Italian language skills before I left but there’s never enough time to do it properly. I can usually make myself understood by fumbling through a selection of awkward phrases but it’s been fun being immersed in it this week. And people do seem to appreciate the effort even if you don’t get more than one or two words right. I’m in the front of the van with Leonardo – our tour manager for the rest of the tour – and he’s been helping with my Italian while I help him with his English.

The weather here in Italy has been incredible. It’s perfect spring weather with days in the mid 20s and nothing but clear blue skies. It's been great but it’s not something I was expecting at all. I thought I planned well by packing a bunch of warm clothes but instead I’ve had just a few cotton shirts I brought with me on high rotation. I’ve been carting around my heavy jumpers and jackets while my shirts hang out to dry in the back of the van.

Right now we’re travelling down the coast to Pescara where we are playing a show tonight. Paolo the promoter is an old friend and has organised some amazing shows for us in the past. And it was on our first visit to Pescara that Pete enjoyed his greatest ever meal. I can’t remember much about it at all but Pete, who remembers gig by their associated meals, can recall all the details. Anyway, I'm sure another great

The highway to Pescara passes right down near the water here. The blue water of the Adriatic Sea stretches out for miles on one side and white-capped mountains rise up on the other. So I’ll sign off and just soak up the amazing scenery for a while before we arrive.

Big night

Well after three days of catch-ups with old friends and happy wanderings around this new and refreshed London (a little different from the grit and grime of 15 years ago) we finally headed down to the Islington Assembly Hall for our first show of the tour.

We met the Butterflies of Love outside and have to say we were all mightily impressed by the venue. A beautiful and imposing theatre to say the least and not the place we’re used to performing in. The in-house team were fantastic and helped us settle in. Dressing rooms were allocated. And despite Jeff from the Butterflies insisting that their dressing room was much better because they had a bathroom attached, ours had more homely furnishings and mood lighting so I called it a draw.

Sound check proved a little challenging, as the lads behind the desk couldn’t actually turn on the PA for a good couple of hours… just a lot of furrowed brows and purposeful pacing around. We left them to it while The Butterflies ran through a few numbers on the stage and eventually the PA roared back to life. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief and we raced through sound checks before the doors opened.

With just one Melbourne show under our belt before taking on London I have to say I was feeling pretty nervous. Pete and I opted for a relaxed Mediterranean dinner across the road and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc helped quieten the nerves.

Lots of friends from the old days began arriving and there was a magical feeling in the room as we watched Darren Hayman do his thing. Great tunes and lovely to hear them live after such a long break. Next up was Flowers – part of Fortuna Pop’s next generation – and their cinematic sound filled the room. I hadn’t heard much of their stuff before but their beautiful vocals and epic guitar sound was something special.

Then it was our turn. I did my final warm-ups in the kitchen under the stage. And with all the steel cabinets and cooktops it was kind of like being in a reverb chamber – perfect for my weird vocal exercises.

It was strange walking out onto our first London stage since 2007 but it wasn’t long before we felt right at home. It always takes me a song or two to find my feet but once the nerves settle I can lose myself in the moment and just enjoy being wrapped up in the songs for an hour. It is a real blessing having the opportunity to play music both at home and abroad, and the older I get the more I appreciate what a gift it is.

The set flew by and it wasn’t long before we were playing our final song. I looked out to Sean, the man who put this whole crazy thing together and who has been the epicentre of this eclectic community of music fanatics for the last 20 years. It was then that the emotion of the moment really hit me. He’s off to Japan in a few months and after this weekend Fortuna Pop will close up shop and everyone will disperse. But whatever happens next, this ‘little label that could’ will hold a special place in the hearts of people from all over – from London, New Haven and Kentucky to Melbourne, Innsbruck and New York City. 

As much as I love performing, I have to say I also love that moment right after a show when you can relax and in an ideal scenario (like it was the other night) get to watch another band do their thing. And what a treat The Butterflies of Love were. Wild, unruly and thoroughly engaging, they kicked their way through a set of amazing songs. With both Dan and Jeff in fine voice (why we all used to smoke so much as singers I’ll never know) the songs really came alive… and Jeff’s engaging monologues are a sure sign that a career in politics awaits.  

After the final chords rang out it was time to relax and continue the catch-ups with friends. Celebrations continued on into the wee hours and finally came to a close in the salubrious surrounds of the Walthamstow Travelodge Hotel bar. Needless to say heads were a little heavy yesterday morning but there wasn’t too much time to feel sorry for ourselves as the next Fortuna Pop show was kicking off in the afternoon down at Tufnell Green.

Butterflies, breakfasts and tin hats

Well it’s been a fun and entertaining start to our London adventure. We’re into day two now and feeling pretty relaxed about things.

I had an illuminating chat with my Uber driver on our way to the hotel from the airport. Despite his relative youth (27) he was able to set me straight on a wide range of subjects – apparently Brexit is an amazing opportunity for everyone in the UK; it’s impossible to win an argument with a woman; and if you invest in real estate you’re guaranteed a 200% return on your investment. Who knew I was wrong on so many fronts? Needless to say the hour-long drive didn’t exactly fly by, but I did enjoy taking in the sights of London out the window. 

As Pete mentioned, we’re staying in Walthamstow, and it seems like the place to be right now. Reminds me a little of Preston or Reservoir back home in Melbourne: a nice mix of local markets, mum-and-pop shops and little cafes and bakeries with good coffee….  just with a few extra double decker buses cruising around. And although we’ve barely left the area we’ve managed to catch up with a bunch of old friends we haven’t seen in such a long time.

The Butterflies of Love barrelled into town yesterday bringing with them their own special brand of chaos. They arrived in London on three separate flights as they’re spread between Boston, New Jersey and Connecticut now. Since then, we’ve been sharing our various life stories from the last ten years. Kids, new music projects and London’s changing culinary identity have dominated the conversations so far. There’s been a bit of debate about how London’s new breakfasts compare with the classic fry-ups. My spinach and ricotta quiche with rocket at this morning’s gathering at Today Bread was ok but the toasties (a favourite of the locals) got a lukewarm response from our American friends. We’ll see how things play out.

After an afternoon rehearsal in the hotel room yesterday, we rode the overground train out to Hackney for a vegan dinner with a friend at The Black Cat (an old anarchist club that’s been given a new-London makeover) and then the Twenty Years of Trouble opening party at The Moth.

The Moth stands for ‘Memorable Order of the Tin Hats’, a club for military veterans that’s been around since 1927. The place now has a second life as a popular indie venue and its sparkling gold ceiling certainly helps create a festive vibe.

Inside we caught up with Sean Price, the man of the hour and Fortuna Pop kingpin who’s orchestrated this whole thing and who we have to thank for bringing everyone together this week. Over the last 20 years he’s released some 200 records on Fortuna Pop and put on countless shows. It’s an amazing achievement and I guess he does deserve a bit of a break after such a big effort. Music was played; drinks were drunk, and stories were shared – all round a great start to proceedings and we’re looking forward to the first of the full shows tonight at Bush Hall.