A BAND FROM PERTH PLAY LONDON

I was a fangirl. I was completely smitten with a handful of bands from my hometown. I owned all their albums (on CD and vinyl, might I add) and I saw them live at every chance I got. As I’ve gotten older the hormones have subsided and I’ve just generally grown out of fantasising being the girlfriend of a super cool dishevelled pychedellic rock star and gotten my head out of my own ass. But, just because I’m not a fangirl anymore doesn’t mean I don’t still love the music of the bands I used to fangirl over!

One of the bands I still adore after my embarassing period of teenage posession is Pond. I’ve seen them play A LOT back home. Small sweaty bars, camping festivals, opening for other touring bands in grand arenas, they’ve done it all. So it took me aback when I saw that they were playing in London. My boyfriend and I got tickets a few months ago for their show in Kentish Town on June the 16th.

I’ve got to be completely honest and say I was pretty nervous because I anticipated becoming quite emotional seeing a band I loved from Perth play in my new home. I thought it might bring on an onslaught of homesickness.When they turned up on stage and played their first few songs I did get a pang of longing for home. I thought about how proud I was to be an Australian from Perth and to have been a part of the eclectic and ridiculously inspiring music scene there. I looked around the audience and wondered for a brief moment whether anyone knew I was from the band’s hometown….But then my mood switched and something glorious happened; I suddenly felt proud to be a Londoner and not just an Australian. I looked around at the crowd and felt my heart swell as I thought about the energy in the room and the happiness and joy all on the back of terror attacks and horrific fires which have plagued the city for over a month. How fucking awesome to be a part of such a resillient and strong community that bands together and still packs up their shit to have a good night out. London, you fucking babe.

I feel free and liberated after seeing Pond and I have a renewed confidence that I made a fabulous decision to uproot and move to the UK.