Australian News Roundup

[the8thark]

Wow, one copy of the vinyl in Brisbane? Not surprised. I had a hell of a time finding their stuff when I lived there.

I live there now. Have done so for a long time. If you want any PSB stuff, apart from the base albums, you have to order it online from overseas. The PSB are just not that popular here. Getting the #12 is surprising though. I thought it'd do a lot worse considering the lack of Australian PSB fans.

That's a great result.

JB hifi only ordered one vinyl copy for the main Brisbane store. One copy! I picked up a copy from an out of town store in the end. I was the second one they'd sold. Plenty of cds around though. Even bagged a promo poster.

Which store do you consider to be the main one?

• Adelaide Street
• Albert Street
• MacArthur Central (Near BigW and the Apple Store)

[Paulo]

Wow, I'm (pleasantly) surprised at that result.

[Steve Fett]

Went to JB Hi-Fi in Melbourne last week only to find they had sold out! They got 12 CD's and 1 Vinyl !!?? WTF were they thinking ?
Went back this week and was able to get the glorious White Vinyl and CD finally. They also have promotional posters instore for the album too

[No Muscle Mary]

Wow, one copy of the vinyl in Brisbane? Not surprised. I had a hell of a time finding their stuff when I lived there.

I live there now. Have done so for a long time. If you want any PSB stuff, apart from the base albums, you have to order it online from overseas. The PSB are just not that popular here. Getting the #12 is surprising though. I thought it'd do a lot worse considering the lack of Australian PSB fans.

Yes, not an easy place to be a Pethead. Anything that's outside of the norm just doesn't go down very well. I've lived in Australia twice now - in Brisbane in 1999 for a year and then Sydney and Brisbane between 2010 and 2014. Went to see them live in Sydney the last two times they played there, once at a huge open-air event on NYE, the atmosphere was flat as a pancake, people walking around posing and paying no attention to what was happening on stage, then went again when they did the Vivid gig in Sydney, which was better as it was their fans plus a largely gay, male crowd who knew some songs but not a lot. That was more fun but nothing, nothing in comparison to the atmosphere at their gigs in the UK, Ireland and Europe.

Australia is an amazing country but the gigs for UK bands are definitely a bit lacking in atmosphere. Found the same at Numan (where myself and 1 other girl were the only people dancing) and other gigs I went to. PSB are never on the radio and getting their music is a hassle. It was easier to buy their stuff in Asia.

One of the things I missed most about being home was being 1 hour by plane away from London, PSB HQ.

But then there's the weather... and the beaches...

[Waffleon]

Oh Mary, that hurts. I'm from Birmingham, been here 7yrs. Moved for the family bla bla. Lovely country, all the things you said but where the f**k am i? I went to the same gigs you mentioned and yep the 2nd was better but no, not the same as home. Can't make it back for July because we've promised to visit at Christmas and can't afford/justify both. Hoping I can spin a trip to USA if they tour next year maybe, that's cheaper. Again though, not quite the same atmosphere.

I just wish i didn't have to take two weeks off work realistically to fly home. Makes it hard. Hated not being in UK when Bowie died. Going to be moody as hell when i miss this next gig. Still, i have two very happy children and a much improved summer wardrobe.

[Waffleon]

Oh and it was the Adelaide Street JB Hi Fi. They were very helpful though.

[No Muscle Mary]

Sorry Waffleon. Oz has, of course, a lot going for it. But culturally, so different. Very much influenced by America.

It was a toss-up for me whether to stay or go home, we have permanent residency there. But in the end, both of my parents were dying and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't support them at the end, or go to their funerals, and I knew we couldn't afford to go home at the drop of a hat whenever we wanted, flights are extortionately expensive and especially so for a family of 4 (approx $12,000!!), so I bit the bullet and went home. It was the right move. The economy is doing much better here now. The kids are much happier here for many reasons. One is the whole playing on the street thing, which they couldn't do in the part of Brisbane where we lived (Ashgrove), so they have much more freedom, and my son has autism which can cause 'bad' behaviour in public (meltdowns etc). Irish people don't take much notice of that or will ask if they can help, they're a good bunch that way. But I got lots of dirty looks and tuts and negative comments when out and about with him in Australia if he ever screamed or freaked out. It all comes down to individual circumstances and where your family is happiest.

I have many friends there in Brisbane, had a lot of fun and I miss it at times. Like today, when there's a huge storm outside.

I hope you make it to the US for a gig. Or they might come and do a festival in Australia which would probably be a bit more craic, hopefully.

[the8thark]

Sorry Waffleon. Oz has, of course, a lot going for it. But culturally, so different. Very much influenced by America.

We have a lot going for it here. But it's as much influenced by the US as it is influenced by the UK and Europe and everywhere else in the world. We are our own unique nation. A big mix of the rest of the world. No one nation has more influence here than any other. But each area has it''s own influences though. Visit different palces in Australia and you'll see how different they are.

If anyone wants to come here, don't expect a 2nd US or a 2nd UK. Expect a nice experience and you will get it.

Hope you can visit here again. Should be a nice time for you.

Oh and it was the Adelaide Street JB Hi Fi. They were very helpful though.

Thanks for that.

[No Muscle Mary]

Sorry Waffleon. Oz has, of course, a lot going for it. But culturally, so different. Very much influenced by America.

We have a lot going for it here. But it's as much influenced by the US as it is influenced by the UK and Europe and everywhere else in the world. We are our own unique nation. A big mix of the rest of the world. No one nation has more influence here than any other. But each area has it''s own influences though. Visit different palces in Australia and you'll see how different they are.

If anyone wants to come here, don't expect a 2nd US or a 2nd UK. Expect a nice experience and you will get it.

Hope you can visit here again. Should be a nice time for you.

Oh and it was the Adelaide Street JB Hi Fi. They were very helpful though.

Thanks for that.

I've travelled all over Australia, and I've seen more of it than a lot of Australians have. And yes, all very different, especially the big cities. But a lot of the music on the radio and a lot of the big, popular bands over there would be from the US. Foo Fighters are massive, Red Hot Chili Peppers are massive. Yet my Aussie friends hadn't heard of a lot of European bands, for example they thought that A-ha were a one-hit wonder. They thought Pet Shop Boys had one or two songs in the 80s. But of course, that's to be expected, we are talking about a land on the other side of the world from Europe. And yes, definitely influences there from lots of different countries but having lived there for 5 years, I could feel an affinity with the US in the music culture there quite strongly.

I still run an Irish Australian media site and no doubt I'll be back there again some day. It's like a second home now.

[Waffleon]

I love Australia. Beautiful country and people. I have also lived and worked in Melbourne for 18mths and spent time in Sydney. All different of course - love Melbourne. I wasn't expecting a 2nd Uk or USA. I just stupidly didn't appreciate how different emmigrating with a family is from travelling. Ignoring the predictable pain of being seperated from immediate family which is total guilt on toast, I completely underestimated my own attachment to UK culture. It's parochial of me really and I am honestly surprised by it tbh but it is real. So now and again (e.g. uk only gig time) I have a moan because recharging the culture/psb batteries just costs too much to, that's all. Just wanted to clarify because i didn't mean to offend.

[TheGardner]

Sure! Thanks for sending them over!

Which ones?

All you have! Guess I don't have the last 3 or 4 albums! Front, Back & CD is enough! And if thats too much - just Super would be okay!

[No Muscle Mary]

I love Australia. Beautiful country and people. I have also lived and worked in Melbourne for 18mths and spent time in Sydney. All different of course - love Melbourne. I wasn't expecting a 2nd Uk or USA. I just stupidly didn't appreciate how different emmigrating with a family is from travelling. Ignoring the predictable pain of being seperated from immediate family which is total guilt on toast, I completely underestimated my own attachment to UK culture. It's parochial of me really and I am honestly surprised by it tbh but it is real. So now and again (e.g. uk only gig time) I have a moan because recharging the culture/psb batteries just costs too much to, that's all. Just wanted to clarify because i didn't mean to offend.

That's something that you only realise when you live abroad. I too have a massive attachment to Ireland's culture, UK culture and even European culture and you only realise it when you can no longer take that culture for granted. Not parochial of you at all, we are all products of our environment.

Thing is, beautiful as Oz is, it's still life as normal - school runs, commuting, working, boring nights in front of the TV. It's not like people spend every day at the beach or lapping up the sunshine. I spend far more time at the beaches here in Ireland than I ever did in Australia. The sunshine is a novelty here in Ireland, but in Queensland, where it's almost all the time, I soon got sick of lashing on the sunblock to myself and two kids several times a day, having the arse burnt off me every time I sat on my roasting hot car seat, sweating constantly, it being too hot to go for long walks and having mosquitoes using me as their slap-up meal every evening. Oh yeah, and people mocking my accent ("say thirty-two"). You get sick of being an outsider, being different. Most people are welcoming but you can never get away from the fact that you ARE different. The fact that you're Irish (or English or whatever) becomes a talking point which is something that, of course, never happens at home. And it takes a bit of getting used to.

That doesn't mean that it's not a wonderful place, it is. But at the end of the day, home is home, people are often most comfortable in the environment they're used to. An Australian would find the rain here hard to deal with, there would be massive culture shock, the cold would be too much... there's nothing easy about emigrating. Some people will never admit the downsides to living abroad, but they do exist. Grass is always greener, eh? Never feel bad about having a moan, you're entitled to. It's not easy. That doesn't mean you don't like Australia.

[alig]

I love Australia. Beautiful country and people. I have also lived and worked in Melbourne for 18mths and spent time in Sydney. All different of course - love Melbourne. I wasn't expecting a 2nd Uk or USA. I just stupidly didn't appreciate how different emmigrating with a family is from travelling. Ignoring the predictable pain of being seperated from immediate family which is total guilt on toast, I completely underestimated my own attachment to UK culture. It's parochial of me really and I am honestly surprised by it tbh but it is real. So now and again (e.g. uk only gig time) I have a moan because recharging the culture/psb batteries just costs too much to, that's all. Just wanted to clarify because i didn't mean to offend.

That's something that you only realise when you live abroad. I too have a massive attachment to Ireland's culture, UK culture and even European culture and you only realise it when you can no longer take that culture for granted. Not parochial of you at all, we are all products of our environment.

Thing is, beautiful as Oz is, it's still life as normal - school runs, commuting, working, boring nights in front of the TV. It's not like people spend every day at the beach or lapping up the sunshine. I spend far more time at the beaches here in Ireland than I ever did in Australia. The sunshine is a novelty here in Ireland, but in Queensland, where it's almost all the time, I soon got sick of lashing on the sunblock to myself and two kids several times a day, having the arse burnt off me every time I sat on my roasting hot car seat, sweating constantly, it being too hot to go for long walks and having mosquitoes using me as their slap-up meal every evening. Oh yeah, and people mocking my accent ("say thirty-two"). You get sick of being an outsider, being different. Most people are welcoming but you can never get away from the fact that you ARE different. The fact that you're Irish (or English or whatever) becomes a talking point which is something that, of course, never happens at home. And it takes a bit of getting used to.

That doesn't mean that it's not a wonderful place, it is. But at the end of the day, home is home, people are often most comfortable in the environment they're used to. An Australian would find the rain here hard to deal with, there would be massive culture shock, the cold would be too much... there's nothing easy about emigrating. Some people will never admit the downsides to living abroad, but they do exist. Grass is always greener, eh? Never feel bad about having a moan, you're entitled to. It's not easy. That doesn't mean you don't like Australia.

Interesting read, Mary! Though I never emigrated to Oz, I always felt that as beautiful as it is, you really are living at the world's end. The nearest country is New Zealand and it's still 3.000 km away. Getting to Asia takes probably 6-8 hours by plane. Europe? 24 hours and loads of cash. So you are stuck there. And checking my shoes and the mattress for huge spiders seems quite unpleasant.
You mentioned sunblocker: The UV rays are much stronger there, aren't they? Someone told me that colored clothes and other stuff are bleached quite fast by the sun.
And as for feeling different: I feel you. Being second generation of immigrants, I always felt a bit like a stranger even though I was born here. I just can't shake it because I grew up with immigrant parents.

[DarkElf]

I love Australia. Beautiful country and people. I have also lived and worked in Melbourne for 18mths and spent time in Sydney. All different of course - love Melbourne. I wasn't expecting a 2nd Uk or USA. I just stupidly didn't appreciate how different emmigrating with a family is from travelling. Ignoring the predictable pain of being seperated from immediate family which is total guilt on toast, I completely underestimated my own attachment to UK culture. It's parochial of me really and I am honestly surprised by it tbh but it is real. So now and again (e.g. uk only gig time) I have a moan because recharging the culture/psb batteries just costs too much to, that's all. Just wanted to clarify because i didn't mean to offend.

That's something that you only realise when you live abroad. I too have a massive attachment to Ireland's culture, UK culture and even European culture and you only realise it when you can no longer take that culture for granted. Not parochial of you at all, we are all products of our environment.

Thing is, beautiful as Oz is, it's still life as normal - school runs, commuting, working, boring nights in front of the TV. It's not like people spend every day at the beach or lapping up the sunshine. I spend far more time at the beaches here in Ireland than I ever did in Australia. The sunshine is a novelty here in Ireland, but in Queensland, where it's almost all the time, I soon got sick of lashing on the sunblock to myself and two kids several times a day, having the arse burnt off me every time I sat on my roasting hot car seat, sweating constantly, it being too hot to go for long walks and having mosquitoes using me as their slap-up meal every evening. Oh yeah, and people mocking my accent ("say thirty-two"). You get sick of being an outsider, being different. Most people are welcoming but you can never get away from the fact that you ARE different. The fact that you're Irish (or English or whatever) becomes a talking point which is something that, of course, never happens at home. And it takes a bit of getting used to.

That doesn't mean that it's not a wonderful place, it is. But at the end of the day, home is home, people are often most comfortable in the environment they're used to. An Australian would find the rain here hard to deal with, there would be massive culture shock, the cold would be too much... there's nothing easy about emigrating. Some people will never admit the downsides to living abroad, but they do exist. Grass is always greener, eh? Never feel bad about having a moan, you're entitled to. It's not easy. That doesn't mean you don't like Australia.

Interesting read, Mary! Though I never emigrated to Oz, I always felt that as beautiful as it is, you really are living at the world's end. The nearest country is New Zealand and it's still 3.000 km away. Getting to Asia takes probably 6-8 hours by plane. Europe? 24 hours and loads of cash. So you are stuck there. And checking my shoes and the mattress for huge spiders seems quite unpleasant.
You mentioned sunblocker: The UV rays are much stronger there, aren't they? Someone told me that colored clothes and other stuff are bleached quite fast by the sun.
And as for feeling different: I feel you. Being second generation of immigrants, I always felt a bit like a stranger even though I was born here. I just can't shake it because I grew up with immigrant parents.

Oh the glorious isolation - I just love it so much! I moved from Europe with my parents and sure the first few years were tough but after 25 years I am still here and would not go back for any amount of money. It is the reverse now - every few years when I visit my country of origin, I feel like a stranger there...

[No Muscle Mary]

Interesting read, Mary! Though I never emigrated to Oz, I always felt that as beautiful as it is, you really are living at the world's end. The nearest country is New Zealand and it's still 3.000 km away. Getting to Asia takes probably 6-8 hours by plane. Europe? 24 hours and loads of cash. So you are stuck there. And checking my shoes and the mattress for huge spiders seems quite unpleasant.
You mentioned sunblocker: The UV rays are much stronger there, aren't they? Someone told me that colored clothes and other stuff are bleached quite fast by the sun.
And as for feeling different: I feel you. Being second generation of immigrants, I always felt a bit like a stranger even though I was born here. I just can't shake it because I grew up with immigrant parents.

Interestingly, I met Australian children of Irish parents who I thought were more Irish than I was. And they clearly thought that too. I was interviewing a traditional Irish music band for my magazine and they were horrified that I didn't know many traditional Irish songs, didn't Irish dance (well, I can but badly) and didn't play an instrument. I explained that I grew up in Cork watching British TV and listening to British music and loved electronic bands. They were horrified and saw me as some kind of "plastic Paddy". Even though actually, I was the real McCoy, an Irish person comfortable in my identity. But because they had been brought up by parents who had emigrated, they had made a huge effort to instil the Irish culture in their children - sending them to Irish dancing lessons, playing Irish sports, socialising in Irish clubs, sending them to the Catholic school because they see that as more "Irish" and playing Irish music at home. In one way, that's nice, but in another way, it makes it harder for these children to fit in in their new country.
I didn't do that with my children in Australia (or China). I sent them to the local state schools, mixed with the locals. Then they had problems fitting in when we moved back home to Ireland. So I totally see where you're coming from.