Friday afternoon Trev sends a txt to find out if I want to go to a gig – a little under the weather but I say sure, who? He tells me it’s Hopewell, some guys who used to play with Mercury Rev, he saw them at Reading and they were good. Okay!
Having seen Mercury Rev a few weeks before, stood at the back of the Electric Ballroom, I hadn’t been able to see who was on the stage, so I got a pleasant surprise to see Justin Russo floating about the Water Rats when I arrived.
Go back three years to September 1998 when I floated my way around parts of America in tow of the Jesus and Mary Chain and Mercury Rev were supporting them. Justin and I spoke a couple of times, and on my last night in Fort Wayne Indiana, he managed to convince their merchandise guy to give me a t-shirt.
A year later, Mercury Rev played in Sydney’s Metro. Before the show I noticed members of the band standing around the bar but a year had passed so I decided not to waltz up and expect them to remember me (this was circa Deserter’s Songs so they’d been everywhere and met everyone). I went and stood inside the theater and some time later, Justin walked past me, turned around to look at me and said “I know you from somewhere” “yeah” “jesus and mary chain 98?” “yeah” so we got chatting. After the show we talked some more, all was good in the world.
Now, almost two years later, again I couldn’t go and say something because too much time had passed. I went to the bathroom, walking back up the stairs, not really looking around me, I hear Justin say “Where do I know you from?” I look back down the stairs, he’s looking up at me. “Jesus and Mary Chain 98” “Your face is familiar” “and Mercury Rev in Sydney in 99” “How are you?” so we got chatting again.
After the gig we chatted some more.
Sweet.
PS. The gig was great. Currently listening to the album “the curved glass” and it’s also sounding mighty fine.