STOP PRESS: Your Latest BCB Oz Tour Newsletter...

THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE DOWN UNDER -
NOW HEADING FROM NEW SOUTH WALES TO VICTORIA Are we coming to a town near you? All the way from London and driven by our love of Books, Booze and Boogie-Woogie, the General Salena Godden and Major Max Doray, we have been on a wet and wild mission, through floods, cyclones and electrical storms, tackling croc infested water holes, swimming through tea-tree lakes, collecting mozzie bites, gathering poets and music makers and doing blistering sets and wicked gigs all along the East Coast. Our tour started in December up in deep Bundjalung country and ends in a mega road trip to the hip city of Melbourne. The Book Club Boutique Band have joined forces with Australian cohorts, guitarist Melania Jack and Patty Preece on drums - both from the outrageously sparkly Shiny Shiny. We've been playing a brilliant variety of venues; taking Books, Booze and Boogie-Woogie from Soho to the rainforest, from the lush green England town to the gold coast loveshack; from Nimbin’s Turntable Hall to a Lismore Cocktail bar, Byron’s Belongil Treehouse and The Sheoak Shack at Fingal Head.



The Book Club Boutique posse went Priscilla Queen of the desert style when we performed at a big fat gay disco for New Years at the Tropical Fruits Recovery Party - supporting Shiny Shiny. On our travels we have discovered so much wicked talent and made new friends with brilliant poetry from Jane Treasure, David Hallett, Christine Strellen, Rhys Rogers, Stefanie Petrik, Rosie Sherwood, Daevid Allen (from Gong fame) Plus stunning music and poetry from gorgeous Ilona Harker. And live music doesn’t get better with awesome sets from Melania Jack, the tremendous Hussy Hicks and also Frank Coorey and his band. Plus a kitch musical extravaganza from Combat Cabaret and made pals with The Blush Foundation too.

Last week The Book Club Boutique Band were in ULive Studios (near Christmas Beach and Byron Bay) collaborating and working on tracks with the wonderful Hussy Hicks. We don't mind admitting it, we are so star struck by these ladies, and really look forward to sharing and releasing these recordings with you all soon! We are thrilled to announce that coming up we have THREE more big shows:

Newcastle, Royal Exchange, Jan 14th Salena Godden & The Book Club Boutique Band Special Guests: Melania Jack, Kira Peru, author Jude Conway & more...

Sydney, Red Rattler, Jan 19th Salena Godden & The Book Club Boutique Band Special Guests: Melania Jack, Raymond Nedziak, Justine Poon, Busty Beats, Molly Stolly, Rosie Sherwood & more...

Melbourne, Bertha Browns, The End of Tour Super Show, Jan 22nd The End of Tour Show – Salena Godden & The Book Club Boutique Band Special Guests: Alicia Sometimes, Sean Whelan, Cara Fox, Kris Saknusseum, Jez PA Speelman, Simone Pileggi, Daniel Alexander, Di Drew, Amy Acre, Fiona Stuart, Komninos Konstantinos Zervos & more...

So far we have been on the Aural Text Show on 3RR Radio in Melbourne and also Talking Out Your Arts on 2SER Radio in Sydney. We have featured in The Nimbin Good Times, The Byron Bay Echoe and The Northern Star - The words are Book. Club. Boutique. and the word is spreading! So if you are in NSW or Victoria then come along - pass this on!

Big shout out and thanks to all poets, authors, musicians, raconteurs and dudes who are helping us on our way Tug Dumbly, Benito Di Fonzo to name just two... Let us all raise a glass to great writing, wicked music and lots of fun London style, Books, Booze and Boogie-Woogie!

love.life.live.long.alive-oh
Yours Generally, sgx

Wanna see more pics, live gig footage or check out our new friends down under? Please go to our facebook group page, for quick news snippets on twitter: @bookcboutique 2SER / Arts Magazine Radio Show 'Talking Through Your Arts' for Sydney area! www.2ser.com Triple R 'Aural Text' Radio Show / Melbourne Radio 1027fm. www.rrr.org.au

THE BCB DOWN UNDER / A LETTER FROM THE RAINFOREST

local time: 7.30am. date: decemberry. climate: tropics. co-ordinates: rainforest. north of nimbim. northern rivers territories. bundjalung country. tuntable commuity. message to all boutiquers, for your eyes only, hello can you hear me? hello? blip blip...signal...a weak signal but something...i can hear a connection...i hope this will reach you...and those of you that can hear this message, your general wishes you a merry merry good morning or the sweetest good evening depending on where on gods earth you are...

this first week we have been in a industrious whirlwind, we have swam in the pacific and dived through waterfalls, swam in watering holes and sheltered from the most awesome electrical storms, magnificent cacophony, orchestras of thunder and lightening and sipped whiskies beneath the starriest skies. and all this - whilst gathering poets, authors and movers and groovers from up and down the east coast to join our tour. we did a load of eucalyptus oil last night and this warned off the mozzies but this morning i smell like a koalas bum and i seem to have stopped wearing any clothes i appear to have woken up in the rainforest. after last nights battle, i slept in a safehouse, a treehouse, high up in the hills. i am in bundjalung country and waking up to hear the early morning bird song, i laid in my bunk and recall watching a huge spider devouring a moth in its web above my head. i stayed quite still watching the spider wrap the silken thread around its victim and as i write this, currently it is sucking its brains out. the mothy memories of full moonlight are being eaten by the jaws of spider hell, yes, war is harsh and nature is creul. we have witnessed all manner of wildlife here - leeches, worms, centipedes, tics, midges, lizards, jumping ants, flying foxes, wallabys, whip birds, enormous bird-eating butterflies - think of the bush tucker trials on 'i'm a celebrity get me out of here' - yes all them critters, but without the celebrities - god is merciful.

last night was our first battle at the tuntable hall outside of nimbin. note: this was the first time we tied the book club boutique bunting between palm trees and also the first time we played together under the southern cross. we were delighted to seek out such wicked poets from the local communities, jane treasure and pico, david hallett, christine strellen, outstanding performances, brilliant! we will soon post links on our webternet pages so you can check out these excellent poets... its brilliant to be re-united with the aussie contingent of the book club boutique army, private patty and lieutenant jack, last night i was star struck to play alongside the hussy hicks! beautiful! our major max is ahead of us, down in base camp in the town of lismore and i can assure you there will be evidence and footage up on our website, so check in on our facebook and twitter tonight we play lismore and sunday down in byron bay! if you know any boutiquers in these territories send them to us, the more the merrier. united we stand for all things books, booze and boogie-woogie!

i must admit, even though i am the general, even i am scared of the toilet here. there are brown snakes. ground snakes. the very dangerous ones. i am going to have to hold it in until we reach the border! i raise a glass to you, to the solstice and the yuletide. and i salute my grandmother from colonels ridge and the blue mountains of Jamaica, who passed away yesterday morning. we believe her spirit rises with us. i sense her near me. the morning she died the wildest storm died down, i planted tomatoes, aubergines and courgettes, i water them and think of her until i can get home to my family. rest in peace muriel burke, my tigerlilly, my tigers eye.

love. life. live. long. alive sha-boom boom boomerang
general g