Sunday at the pub

Another bit of my Melbourne dream fell into place on Sunday night.

There were two main elements that drew me to these southern climes: football and music.

I spent last football season in despair as I watched my boys battle valiantly but, for the most part, futilely. They always seemed to be missing something, other than the obvious six or seven goals on the scoreboard. Hopefully the kicks up the arse they are surely receiving from Vossy on the training track will put them in good stead for '09. No matter how they go though that part of my Melbourne dream will never be completed until I stand at the 'G, on that last Saturday in September, at full time and sing the club song. May that day come soon.

Music is another matter though. From almost the moment I arrived in Melbourne I have been exposed to great gigs. Billy Bragg, a reformed Weddoes, Arcade Fire, Flogging Molly. Some of my favourite artists but they were all gigs I felt I could have seen in Sydney. Even the absolutely wonderful Still Flyin', who we saw at the East Brunswick Club a couple of weeks ago and Girl O' Sea described as one of the best concerts ever, felt like an event. What I was still searching for was a truly local experience and on Sunday I got that.

Girl O' Sea and myself jumped on the deadly treadlies and pedaled off to The Retreat in Brunswick to see Anthony Atkinson and the Running Mates. I have been a fan of Atko's music since he was in The Mabels and I think his songwriting has only gotten better on his solo albums. The Running Mates comprising half of The Lucksmiths only makes it better.

We walked in to find an unexpected support act playing. Gary Olson from US band Ladybug Transmitter. We had seen him on stage as part of the Still Flyin' musical collective only a week or so before but knew nothing of his Ladybug stuff. We were blown away some beautiful breezy pop music and this wasn't even with his normal band! Just a group of ring ins. A group that admittedly did include three quarters of the aforementioned Lucksmiths and a former member of Architecture In Helsinki. I hope he is able to come back soon with his full band and in the mean time I will be buying everything he has ever released.

As a side note, poor Girl O' Sea unknowingly committed one of the great gig going faux pars by wearing a band shirt that related to one of the acts playing. It is a beautiful, green coloured, head turning Still Flyin' shirt that I am very jealous of and should have been a source of admiration from all and sundry. Unfortunately for Girl O' Sea, Gary's secret support gig meant that there were numerous members of Still Flyin' in the room and when Isabel, in an attempt to show some serious R-E-S-P-E-C-T to somebody in the audience with great musical taste, pointed out the shirt from the stage all eyes turned towards us. Girl O' Sea could not burrow any further into her chair. Poor pet was a touch embarassed.

Ok, so my description so far gives the idea that it was another event. International band plays secret gig. Fair enough call. But Gary finished and left. The crowd thinned out a bit and Atko began to set up. Big, boofy, bearded Anthony. He's a primary school teacher by day. At one of the local schools in these here parts. His "Public and Proud" badge on his guitar strap gives an indication of what sort of school he works at. Atko is never going to have the mainstream popularity of somebody like Paul Kelly or the rusted on support enjoyed by somebody like Mick Thomas or have that wandering minstrel thing that his mate Darren Hanlon has, but he doesn't need that. He writes wonderful pop songs that speak from the heart about relationships and footy and cricket and politics. All of that stuff which means something to me. I don't care if the rest of the world gets him or not, I do. And I saw him play at a local pub on a Sunday night in February with my wife and I had a tear in my eye.

On the treadly coming home it felt as if Melbourne was the only place life could feel this good.