Sydney Showdown

Faith rushed over to him saying “Oh Stevie, you’re back!” and enveloped him in a huge hug. I must admit that they had gone to town on him; his hair was a very feminine cut and he obviously was wearing shapewear as he looked every inch a girl.

The funny part of it all that he moved in a much more confidant fashion, as if this may have been the real Stevie after all and the antics on the original UK tour had just been envy mixed with the shame of not having the gumption to go all the way. We were introduced to the rest of the band, who were somewhat shocked to be this friendly with the rest of us. They were now very good friends with Brianna and had been now playing with Stevie for a week but meeting the band that you cover on stage would be a bit un-nerving for anyone. The next two gigs would be different in that it will look like one big Quimble show being played by two different bands so we needed to sit down and work out a presentation that would define each band. It helped that they modelled themselves on our early music and we asked if they could do more that Brianna had written so that when we did the later stuff it would be different enough.

As they used the same set-up as us we played them a couple of our latest songs that had not yet made it to record to show them where we now were and then they did a couple of songs that Brianna had written since joining them and we all decided that there was enough difference. Stevie was back behind the drums and had regained all of her skills but I still thought that Faith was a little more polished these days. Brianna had gone from rhythm to lead guitar and was really very good at it. We all agreed that it was going to be fun here and in Brisbane.

Before we left we had Felicity take photos of all of us together and then we went back to the hotel for dinner and an early night. Friday saw us at the Horden Pavilion for the sound check. It became evident that the two bands were so similar we only needed the one set of drums and amps on stage and that it would only be guitars and the keyboard that needed swapping during the break. The promoters had been talked into letting both bands have equal lighting effects and that Spittool would get some pyrotechnics that could be recharged in the break and I must say that we all looked forward to tonight.

Stevie was still dressed as a girl so I understood that it was 24/7 until the show was over. Spittool had all their stage gear with them so they came back to our hotel for salon sessions and dinner before the show. This meant ten girls at a long table chatting merrily, much to the amusement of fellow guests. The looks on their faces when we came back down in our stage gear was a sight to behold. Spittool had full Goth long black dresses and our original capes while we were all fishnet and mini-skirts. We were all now heavily made up and literally draped in jewellery. Everyone piled into our coach and we set off to Moore Park.

There was a big crowd around the entrance as we drove by on the way to the rear. I saw several with Spittool tee shirts as well as a lot of Quimble gear. Everyone was a bit hyper when we got to the dressing rooms and Lesley took over, getting both bands sitting down and taking deep, slow breaths. When it came to time to open the show we all had a group hug and Brianna led her band to the stage. There was a roar from the crowd as they opened up with some of our early numbers, especially the ones from the original EP. As they continued I could tell they were really getting into the act and the smoke and lighting would have been something different for their own fans. By the time they finished with one of Briannas’ new songs, the crowd were really pumped.

We opened up the second half with the songs from our limited edition record and then followed it up with several songs that the fans would not have heard yet but it didn’t deter them from being enthusiastic and loud. We finished off with our latest couple of hits and, when the smoke cleared, brought Spittool out on stage for a group bow. The audience still would not let us leave the stage and Lesley suggested we do a couple of our original songs with Brianna and Stevie with Faith and Fiona and the other girls from Spittool as backing singers. Everyone thought that it would be a blast so I went to the front of the stage and tried to quieten the fans down.

I thanked them for being a fantastic audience and that we were very happy to be in Sydney again, seeing that the last time we were here we were playing pop songs. I said that there was a magic in the air that had brought Brianna and Stevie back on stage and that, as we didn’t have an encore number on tap, we would like to turn the clock back three years to the time when the world seemed much simpler. I went back to my place as the roar built and we launched into a song from when we were young and male and the other five girls formed a line across stage to supply the shoop shoops and doo wops as needed. It was good fun and the smile on Stevies face was worth every minute of being out of character. When we finished we all formed a line across the stage and bowed as the curtains closed. It was a spontaneous and heartfelt group hugging session that followed as the tensions eased.

The promoters had organised a signing session here and we were inundated from the moment we appeared. We all had lots of shirts, programmes and records to sign and it was well after midnight when we were back on the coach. Spittool came back to the hotel to change before the coach took them to their homes and the rest of us just got out of the stage gear, removed the make-up and fell into bed. I think that I must have smiled all night as, when I woke up, my jaw was hurting and the pillow was wet from drool.

At breakfast on Saturday morning the promoters came to our table and wanted to discuss the events of last night as it had exceeded all their expectations. We told them that the songs with the old line-up was a one-off and we didn’t want it to happen again as it took us out of character. They agreed and wanted to know what we could do as a joint group encore. Lesley suggested that we play two of the Quamble songs if we could get Spittool up to speed with them. They were both from our older material and they already played the normal version.

Mid- morning we were all at the industrial building again, this time we talked about a proper joint encore and we played them the African version of the two songs which the girls from Spittool instantly loved. While we could do them with two leads, two rhythms and two basses, we only needed one drummer and keyboard player. Stevie volunteered to play bongos so that Faith could drum and the girl keyboard player from Spittool offered to play a tambourine so we got the promoter to rush off to collect these from a music store. We spent the rest of the day perfecting the two songs as well as trying the other two that we had recorded. Once the other girls had picked up the different rhythms that made African music distinctive we moved on quite quickly. We had lunch on the run and, by mid-afternoon, we knew we could do these with ease and it didn’t need either band to be out of character.

Spittool joined us at the hotel for dinner before the show and it was a boisterous affair. The girl who was their usual drummer had been released from hospital today and joined us on crutches. She was staggered at how friendly we all now were and quickly was caught up in the mood. She came with us to the venue and was sent off to sit with Felicity, Charlie and the promoters. I could imagine her surprise when her band played with a full light and pyrotechnic effects. Algernon was, by now, staying behind with Cate as he said that the excitement was getting to be a bit much for him in his dotage.

The show followed the same path as Friday night, if a bit louder on both sides. When we finished the second half and had a full line across the stage the crowd, again, did not want to let us leave. Once again I went to the front of the stage while the others sorted themselves out and called for a little quiet. When I got it I said “Thank you all for being a great crowd tonight. Last night we did an encore of a couple of the old bands songs, before we were truly famous. Tonight we have prepared a real treat for you as we are going to play you a couple of songs that have been recorded and released in South Africa next year. We were joined there by a cover band called Shamble but have now, with our Goth magic, turned Spittool into African maidens so here we go!”

We launched into the songs with gusto. As they were already old Quimble numbers the crowd could sing along with them and did so. It was a totally different feel to the Goth style and was much more welcoming and inclusive. I think that it made a lot of the audience think hard about themselves as we set them swaying and singing. At the end of the first two songs they wanted more so we did the other two and it was a magic moment for us all to be playing together as a Quimble supergroup.

This time we did not wait for the curtains to close before launching into a group hug session and, when we got down to the signing session, we had a huge number of fans asking when the songs were going to be released in Australia. When Kaye, the Spittool drummer, reached us she was crying her eyes out and said that it was with joy at being there tonight but thought she may be now replaced. Brianna told her that Stevie was only filling in before she could get back behind the drums as she was sure that Stevie would have lots more things to do after the shows.

It was another late night and this time I laid awake a while wondering at what direction we would take after this tour. The African sound was tempting, after all, Paul Simon did well using it some time ago, but then I realised that we were now branded as a Goth band so it would make it difficult.
In the morning we had a big surprise as the promoters had brought all the girls from Spittool to the hotel for breakfast with us. They announced that they were taking a leaf out of the Durban book and Spittool would join us on stage, along with the local band, for New Zealand and Japan as the feedback from last night was so positive. Everyone had a group hug again and Algernon was looking very thoughtful. Afterwards he got Lesley and me aside and asked us what our thoughts were of a Quimble spectacular to tour the UK and Europe next year with Spittool and Shamble on the bill as well. Now there’s a thought!

Marianne G 2020