An Aussie documentary 10 years in the making, director Mat de Koning’s Meal Tickets follows Perth band Screwtop Detonators, their manager Dave Kavanagh (an ex-mentor to The Libertines) and their one-time roadie, Will Stoker, as they discover the realities and struggles of modern-day rock’n’roll.
With a run of East Coast screenings scheduled this month, we caught up with de Koning to see what the journey taught him.
1. People are less concerned about practising safe sex than your parents or high school health teachers may have led you to believe - carry condoms.
2. Get roadside assist insurance before you hit the road; they slog you with additional fees if you need to join up when broken down.
3. Taking on dares from your fellow tour party members can be a good way of earning beer money when you’re strapped for cash, and be the source of many reflective laughs post tour.
4. Make friends wherever you go. It’s always good having a couch to crash on when you return to that town.
5. Infidelity is a hell of a lot harder in the age of social media, that one-night stand can be a friend request on Facebook the next day. Stay faithful or stay single, people!
Meal Tickets screens at Dendy Canberra on Feb 16; Dendy Coorparoo, Brisbane on Feb 17; Dendy Newtown on Feb 18 and Nova, Melbourne on Feb 23.
Head to the Meal Tickets website for more info.
