The Jungle Giants' Tour Diary 3

With the first two legs of our first headline tour already in our memories, it was barely any time at all before we were in the Tarago heading to the airport for the final round of gigs. Seeming all too familiar, we checked in, went to the Virgin Lounge loaded ourselves up with food and coffee and staggered gingerly to boarding.

Over the next four days we were set to play Beach Road (Bondi), Transit Bar (Canberra), The Cambridge (Newcastle) and finally GoodGod (Sydney). And though the general rapport was still good, fatigue was noticeably starting to settle in. To counteract this, Keelan, Cesira and I spent any time in transit deeply rooted in crosswords.

Despite it being a trip highlight for me, sitting in the triple j studios doing promo clips with Sam, skipping meals for press left Sam and I very hungry, so after all the banalities of our first day were complete, we made way for Beach Road's famous restaurant. Joined by the others, we all chowed down.

In the triple j studios.

With Sam burdened by illness and vocal fatigue and the rest of us exhausted, it was a hard gig, but we were saved by the crowd and the prospect of a warm bed and a decent sleep.

The next day, our tour manager Jeff went on a mission to find and make a voice-saving tea he'd used on a previous tour for Sam before departing for Canberra.

The drive to Canberra was filled with an eerie, unnerving silence that could only be explained by Sam's forced vow of silence. His usual inability to remain quiet for more than 30 seconds was sorely missed.

The Canberra gig whirled through. It seemed the litres of healing concoction Sam had consumed and his vocal abstinence had done him the world of good. We were all proud of him and happy with the show; he wasn't in the clear, but things were looking up.

The next morning, after having been provided meals at the last two venues, we all splashed out at breakfast in Canberra (Cesira and I spending $30 each). Our large breakfast filled us with a good feeling that lasted throughout the day, even after unnerving car silence, some accommodation blunders and very rudimentary venue equipment, all spirits were still high through 'til gig's end.

We woke on a sunny Saturday on the day of our last gig, eager to get to Sydney as quick as possible. After checking in at our lovely accommodation on Crown Street, we all ventured off for coffee and hangouts with the guys from Toucan.

It wasn't 'til we got to the venue that I realised two things: 1) that I had actually been to GoodGod before on a hazy night last year and 2) that Sam had been violently ill through the night and was still feeling the aftermath.

Despite this, I was on cloud nine and nothing was bringing me down. I was on a mission to make everyone feel as great as I did and by the end of the gig, all nostalgia aside, our happiness was not a well-kept secret. The gig went wonderfully and the tour was over, so we were ready to let loose. And where better to do such than on a distant friend's yacht in Darling Harbour?  So, straight out of a 50 Cent video, we popped sparkling wine off the bow of the boat and finished the tour with a bang!