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THE LIVING END: Still Trusting Rock And Roll With SCOTT OWEN · HEAVY Music Interviews

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You know, folks, this is Scott from the Living End
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: here and welcome to Heavy Magazine. We're going to hit
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: the road shortly and do a bunch of recent regional shows,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: so please make sure you get yourself down to one
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: of them and we'll we'll just celebrate life together.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Cheers.
• 0:17
  Speaker 3: Excellent, Thank you so much, Scott. It's so good to
• 0:20
  Speaker 3: be there at twenty end of the week, that's for
• 0:21
  Speaker 3: sure though.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I know where are you.
• 0:24
  Speaker 3: I'm gold Coast, so running the border.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Oh nice, but this morning I'm actually coming from Oh yeah, beautiful.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: How's how's it up there?
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: Is it lovely?
• 0:35
  Speaker 3: It's gorgeous, but we've had a lot of rain so
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: it's been a bit damp at the moment.
• 0:39
  Speaker 4: Yeah right, usually it's absolutely stunning. Were very blasted.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Sorry, Yeah, I'm in Melbourne, but i'd spent a bit
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: of time living up in the Northern Rivers as well.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: I've spent seven years up there, so I can I
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: can appreciate how freaking awesome it is.
• 0:58
  Speaker 4: Yeah, so very very spoiled to living on the beach
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  Speaker 4: as well.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah no no you can't.
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: So welcome to Heavy Man Ends up. Thank you for
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: coming and having a chat with us today.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: You're welcome. Thank you.
• 1:11
  Speaker 4: Yeah. I was fortunate enough to catch you guys earlier
• 1:15
  Speaker 4: in the year at runs. You'll get there with Yeah,
• 1:18
  Speaker 4: the one and only Jimmy so awesome.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I know. That was very very cool, very very Yeah,
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: it felt it was.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: It was a hard secret to keep when I found
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: out in the morning that it was going to come
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: and come down and get up and sing with us,
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: And I was like, I don't want to tell anyone,
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: don't even want to tell I don't even want to
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: tell the people that the Bruns part, like the venue people.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Just wanted to be a complete surprise for everyone because
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: I knew it would just blow everyone's mind.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: And it was. It was awesome.
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: Yeah, no, I am because I was in the media
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: pit and I turned round to chat with someone like
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: official behind me, and I just was in work mode
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: and I started talking and he's laughing, and I've looked
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: and clopped and went, oh my god, Jimmy, I'm so sorry.
• 2:04
  Speaker 4: He just thought it was the guy you need to
• 2:08
  Speaker 4: do that. Yeah, it was was wonderful. It was so
• 2:11
  Speaker 4: good to say. It was epic.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: So he's a good fella.
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, no, hears and I said afterwards that you know,
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: I see a lot of bands out around and you know,
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: even just local bands, and the two most covered songs
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: ever are Prisoner Society in case and I the real
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: deal was better than ever.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: So yeah, it's kind of even better that he's saying
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: that particular song because that's that's that's the one, isn't it.
• 2:39
  Speaker 4: It was certainly a moment that we'll forever remembered and
• 2:42
  Speaker 4: talked about for years to come with definitely.
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it was one of those yeah.
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and you guys have also congratulations been living and
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: is now inducted into the Hall of Fame for.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: Urry yes.
• 2:57
  Speaker 4: And well deserved.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: I know i'd be line if I if I said
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: I wasn't quite chuffed about it. It's a nice it's
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: a nice feeling. It makes you reflect on things and
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: go wow, really yeah, I never kind of expected, oh god,
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: I never expected a lot of things to happen that
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: did happen. But you know, this is definitely one of
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: the milestone ones that you just go what yeah, really.
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: Yeah, It's been many achievements over the years. So how
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: long you guys have officially how long has it been
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: since living and it's been together.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: Well, the first record came out in ninety eight, I
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: guess the first Living End EP came out in like
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: ninety five or something. I think, yeah, But Chris and
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: I had been playing together and just playing covers, yes,
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: since ninety ninety basically, so twelve seasons. It's not delve
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: too deeply into the match. It's confronting. Yeah, I don't know,
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: have Friday morning.
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  Speaker 3: It makes you realize that, like shit, it's like your
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: own vintage because you guys were essentially a huge part
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: of you know, my misspent with and what's like a
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: love of old rock. And I was fortunate enough to
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: days ago interview crame as well, So so two fan
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: favorites and I get to speak to work in the
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: same week, which I'm very blessed.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: So yeah, it was a pretty healthy environment back then.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: You know, Triple J in the nineties was how awesome
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: was it?
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  Speaker 2: You know?
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  Speaker 1: But that's the thing, like when I was saying, we
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: reflect on you know, this is kind of made us
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: reflect on things. There was like normal music, you know,
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: mainstream commercial music. Then there was like alternative music, you know,
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: more sort of indie music, which was which consider Triple
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: J yeah, to have been back then, yeap for you know, alternative,
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: but we were like the alternative to the alternative we were.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: We were you know, we weren't even like an alternative
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  Speaker 1: indie band. We were just like this weird, like little
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  Speaker 1: hybrid rockabilly punk band that was like we didn't fit in.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: We didn't fit in any man.
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  Speaker 3: The thing with that too, like it was, it was
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  Speaker 3: such a huge scene back then, like and especially if
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: Bone grown music it was. You know, I don't think
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: it would be nice to see that again, but you know,
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  Speaker 3: it certainly hasn't been, especially the nineties early two thousands.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that I think the music's still around. Like,
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: like I said, I moved back to Melbourne like ten
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: years ago and moved to the north side of Melbourne.
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: Like it's sort of in the north around sort of
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Thornbury and Brunswick and Northcote and stuff. And there is
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: a lot of young rock and roll bands playing around
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: here all the time. It's awesome and well it's a
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: lot and it's really yeah, and they're good, you know,
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: and I know, I know. Live music, the live music industry,
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: for lack of a better word, has taken a bit
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: of a hit over the years, more than a bit.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: It's taken a number of hits over the years, but
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: it's but it doesn't stop, just doesn't stop people from
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: getting guitars.
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  Speaker 2: And plugging it in and playing.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: And it's so true, so true.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: Thank thank god.
• 6:33
  Speaker 4: Absolutely when the world is like craising ship, thank God
• 6:36
  Speaker 4: for music. That's yeah.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: I know. I love it when when you can't come
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: to terms with how crazy the world is, go to
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: the pub. Hang out with hang out, hang out, be
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: cuddled in the warm, open arms of a pub with
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: full of freaks watching a rock and roll gig.
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: That's that's my idea of like a level up, absolutely.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: And thank god you can do that every night of
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: the week around.
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: You know where you'll find me is in a dive
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  Speaker 3: bar somewhere listening to live music every weekend.
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  Speaker 4: And it's it is. It's soul food. I say, it is, ye,
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  Speaker 4: pessidential to our existence. Absolutely.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: I forgot how much I loved being in a pub
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  Speaker 1: full of just pub breaks, you.
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  Speaker 2: Know what I mean.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: When I was living up in the Northern Rivers, everyone
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: was so fit and tanned and healthy and wow, and
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: it's like you come back down here and it's like, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: this is my.
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  Speaker 2: People, yeah.
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  Speaker 4: Around here, which gravitates.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, there are, there are exactly, yes, there are on
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  Speaker 1: the Gold Coast especially, Yes, yes.
• 7:37
  Speaker 4: Yeah, no, it's it's just God. You'll seek your people's out,
• 7:40
  Speaker 4: you know, you're inner beacon stuff.
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: That's it. Yeah, that's it, the radar.
• 7:44
  Speaker 4: Yes, and so you which are you most want known for?
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: Is man handling that amazing double bass you have, which
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: as a bass guitar player myself, I have the experience
• 7:56
  Speaker 3: of trying out one of those bad boys.
• 7:58
  Speaker 4: And yeah, it's not easy. They are very large.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: It's hard to get used to, especially if you come
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: from a bass guitar and it's like so similar but
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: so but like just a completely like different muscles, you know,
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: like I'm the same as soon as I pick up
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: a bass guitar, I'm like, after five minutes, I'm like, oh,
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: well this hurts, but yeah, so I guess I just
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: got used to that and just stuck with it.
• 8:24
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I know, you've certainly made it your own.
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: And it's it's so often the scene that you're that
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: essential part of what the Living End is essentially.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: And it is definitely a bit of a signature thing
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: for the band, you know, like there's Chris has got
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: a really you know, amazing sort of distinct guitar style
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: of Well, when I say distinct style of anything.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: Do anything, you can play anything.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Yeah, that's that's a that's a kind of signature.
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  Speaker 2: I think that's good.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: No, And you know, there's been virtually no changes with
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: you guys be laid up by it, which I think
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: has a lot to do with the way you guys
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  Speaker 3: have stayed on top of the game and still are doing.
• 9:02
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Well, well, Chris and I went to primary we met
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: when we were in primary school five when we first met,
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  Speaker 1: and we went.
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: To high school together.
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  Speaker 4: That's awesome.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: So it's yeah, that's that's that's like we're like an
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: old married couple.
• 9:18
  Speaker 4: I often say being in a band like being in
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: a marriage.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: I reckon we've had more romantic dinners together than any
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: couple in the world.
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: That we spent a lot of time living together. Yes,
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: but you know, it's.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: What makes it work, you know, if you've got that
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: and how many groups you know that have disintegrated because
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: of that break up between members and it's you know
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: it is you've got to have that that long term
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: lock in and commitment.
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: And yeah, there's got to be a certain sort of
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: chemistry and yeah, or.
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: Something to maintain a relationship for that.
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: Which and so so you guys are going the got
• 10:04
  Speaker 3: the tour coming up, which is again amazing.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: I don't forget to Andy the new guy before we
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: go on to that bit, because he's only been in
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: the band for like twenty years or something.
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, the new guy.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, so he's his chemistry must be right A
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: song about that, isn't it.
• 10:26
  Speaker 4: Yeah?
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah, anyway, Yes, we are, we're coming, We're heading everyone's way.
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: Yeah, trust rock and roll, which is a great spinal
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: Tell me where that comes from?
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: It? Well, it was just that song, you know that,
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: that's one of the tracks on the album. Yeah, it's
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: just you know, we're sort of brushed on it before
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: when we were talking about the comfort food of pubs
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: and how crazy the world is because of how crazy
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: the world is around it. Absolutely, that's what the song is.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: You know, it's like, how do you know what to trust?
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: These days? And been covered in the warm arms can roll?
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: I can trust, I can trust that. That's something I
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: can believe in. That's something I'll actually sit here and
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: go yep, that's for real, my impressions asked. But a
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: lot of the songs on the record are based around
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: that because this record Chris started writing, we plan to
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: make this record back in like twenty twenty or one
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: or something.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so a lot of so a lot of a
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: lot of the songs.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: Were written around then, when COVID happened, and yeah, just
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: just when just when everything, yeah, just when we really
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: started to think, holy crap, like what's going on and
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: we're in yeah, long suffering Alberians throughout.
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: Those couple of years.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: So yeah, a lot, a lot of the songs are
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: based around based around it, but a kind of you know,
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: just written in that environment and reflect it. And so
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: I guess, you know, I only trust rock and roll.
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: It just seems just just seems like the one thing
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: we can say.
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: You know, It's one of those things that I always say,
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: you know, no matter how much technology and whatever happens,
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: there's you know, the one thing that you can never
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: replace or replicate. And I that exchanged between you know,
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: an artist and their audience and that you know, that life.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: It's just that's that's right, all those all those very
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: real ingredients you know, humans up on stage, playing real instruments,
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: sweating to an audience on sweaty carpet, having a freaking beer.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: All those things you just cannot Yeah, technology AI cannot replicate.
• 12:40
  Speaker 4: And that's why I always say, you know, music will
• 12:42
  Speaker 4: forever be.
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: You know, we've needed it, we've had it around and
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: you know, since we were caveman you know, times it's
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: part of ingraining and who we are. So that's gives
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: me a bit of a center of comfort as a
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: musician myself.
• 12:53
  Speaker 4: Do you know that will be doing this to you know, forever.
• 12:57
  Speaker 4: It's as long.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: As which is exactly and then you need to need
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: to pull back and get that perspective sometimes absolutely absolutely,
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: it's easier to spin so easy to spin out at
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: the moment.
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: Oh, it is, it is and that's why, Yeah, definitely,
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: it's why we do what we do. And it's so
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: it's it's different and the changes, you know, especially you
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: guys who've seen that, the changes and how your music
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: has made and produced, the marketed, and it's you know,
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: it's it's just different. It's not harder, it's just different
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: and you just got to adapt the way. I think
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: it probably might be harder coming from like you know,
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: back in the days where you had your Bible and
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: records and CDs and store and whatnot now to be.
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but people who are people who are coming up
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: aren't complaining because it's that's what they that's what they know,
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: and that's what they're coming up through. So yeah, it's
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: always there's a saying nostalgia ain't what it used to be.
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: It's just I think it's just a case of your time.
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: Time.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: Time moves on, as fairst bullers time, life moves pretty fast.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: If you don't stop and look around every now and then,
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: you might miss it.
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: Yes, yes, yes we are. We are hitting the ride.
• 14:08
  Speaker 4: Yes, hitting the road.
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: So it's we'll be definitely catching you guys up again,
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: which I can't like. It's always a pleasure to see
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: you guys on stage and doing your things, because it
• 14:18
  Speaker 3: is it's a visual thing as much as it is,
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: you know, our listening experience. You guys, you know have
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: that central bookut you say that the rockabilly old rock
• 14:26
  Speaker 3: punk sort of mixture of which is just the living
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: in and you've kept that, which is really.
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: It's quite We like to put on a show. We
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: like to try and leave people leave people going what
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: the hell was that? What in the world are they doing?
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: Definitely, definitely is awesome, and that's the goal.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: The goal is to blow the roof off the giant
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: and leave people just whoa.
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: Gigs and venues that you do that, it's really you
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: get to experienced that moment. That's certainly how it comes out,
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: rather than you're big on a stage and a festival
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: line up, which is I mean awesome as well. But
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: I think those those smaller and more intimate ones are
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: where the goods.
• 15:11
  Speaker 4: Are for sure.
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, the goods are everywhere, yes.
• 15:18
  Speaker 4: Perspective everything. That's one thing I always say. Indeed, so yeah,
• 15:22
  Speaker 4: so new music coming up only too?
• 15:25
  Speaker 3: And what else is that the rest of our twenty
• 15:27
  Speaker 3: twenty six is going to be encompassed by that?
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: For you guys, Well, yeah, we've got a bid on,
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: we've got a.
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: We've got a trip.
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: To Japan it's nice. We've got a trip to New Zealand. Yeah,
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: and we've got a trip to Fiji wow. Yeah, plus
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: all the regional shows. That's a bunch of other festivals
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: and stuff that are sort of in the books. Plus
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: the Hall of Fame thing. Yeah else, that's it at
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: this point.
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: It's a bit.
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: That's a bit, yeah, which is great.
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: That's really good.
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: Busy and certainly be seen around and about.
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: We've just finished the Gods the regional tour which.
• 16:17
  Speaker 4: Was massive and they're just in as well, so yes, yeah,
• 16:22
  Speaker 4: and so.
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know it's good to be able to you know, play, play, play,
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: because that's that's what we love doing. That's all we
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: know how to do. We don't know anything else. So yeah,
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: it's good to be able to do it as much
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: as we possibly can. Yes, yes, yes, after all these
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: years