Floods, Puppies & Sneaking Into Dave Chappelle's Party: Pub Choir Share Their US Tour Diary
The brilliant Pub Choir team have recently wrapped up their first-ever US tour, taking the joy of drinking beers and singing tunes all the way from Brisbane to some of the biggest cities in the USA. Here, they share a diary of their trip.
Righto, so Pub Choir is in America. Seems a bit of a weird premise for a story, but it’s ACTUALLY TRUE! Our lil girl gang managed to sell out a couple of shows on the other side of the world, so now we’re here. First stop: New York City baybeeee!
Hi, we're models...
It is summer (they have different seasons here, it’s crazy, you should Google it), and it is HOT on the streets. There is a definite NYC smell… but we’re smart, so we’ve eaten ourselves to the point that all of our senses are dulled #cutegirlthings. Tomorrow we play in Manhattan at the Mercury Lounge. It’s kind of an institution for bands and artists to play, and we’ve sold out all 275 tickets!!! It feels huge - YUGE, even. Here’s us unsuccessfully adjusting time zones on the subway to the gig...
What day is it? No, seriously?
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The first gig was INCREDIBLE. The vibe was so high. People were lined up around the block to get in nice and early, and they greeted us like rockstars! Which is crazy, ‘cause we literally flew around the globe to deliver a PowerPoint presentation. We sang Time After Time by NYC legend, Cyndi Lauper. And the crowd nailed it! Also super cool to hear them singing in American accents, it really classed up the joint.
It's Dave Chappelle, OK? Trust us
Look, we don’t care how dodgy this picture is. We had a lil team bonding night at the Comedy Cellar on our night off, and who should walk in the bleeding venue but Dave Chappelle, Aziz Ansari, and Michael Che. Photos are totes not allowed so please enjoy this blurry thrill. Also, we managed to get into Dave Chappelle’s after-party. And you better believe we sat silently in the corner for a solid hour before somebody kicked us out <3
Brooklyn Bell House was a VIBE
Our second gig in Brooklyn was, honestly, one for the record books. We collectively rate it as one of the best gigs ever…. and we’ve had some real bangers. The crowd at the Bell House was one of the friendliest, most diverse, most excited group of people we’ve come across anywhere. And they sang so well. Like, you should probably stop reading right now and go and watch the video of them singing All These Things That I’ve Done by The Killers. What a night. We will definitely be back to Brooklyn. 11/10 night.
Pub Choir sings All These Things That I've Done (The Killers)Brooklyn brought the goods!! Please enjoy 341 of the FRIENDLIEST FOLKS in all of New York City absolutely BELTING out "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers What a TIME we're having in USA, we can't believe how amazing the vibe has been at these shows. Thank you SO MUCH to all of our new friends in New York, we hope we can visit y'all again real soon.
Posted by Pub Choir on Friday, July 12, 2019
We're influencers now
Next stop was Los Angeles, where we had this cool billboard mome outside our venue, The Regent. Another incredible crowd of singers who absolutely nailed …Baby One More Time by Britney Spears. It was also Waveney’s [Waveney Yasso, guitarist] birthday at the gig, and it was a real heart-warming moment to have the crowd belt out “Happy Birthday dear gpkosidarhw”. Turns out, they had trouble understanding our names.
John, Astrid and Meg drop smog looks
We finished off our LA trip by walking up to the Observatory (the sky has so much smog you can’t see the sky?), where Astrid proceeded to fall asleep and snore during the movie screening. We also dropped by the Museum Of Death, just to keep things real. We’re heaps grounded like that.
Apartment pyjamas guy!
Last stop was San Francisco!!! We planned on finishing with a bang, as our show at Café du Nord was SOLD OUT!! However, 10 minutes before the gig started, a sewage main burst below the venue, and literal poop-water flooded the floor. Our crowd was evacuated onto the street. They all huddled around waiting for information on refunds and stuff… and then we thought: shit (literally), let’s just do the damn show on the street!
Astrid, Meg and Waveney hopped onto some chairs, and we put on Pub-Choir-turned-Street-Choir. Unplugged, shouty and joyful. Peeps in the surrounding apartments all looked on as we cobbled together a version of I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys. One guy even came down in his PJs (see above) to join in on the action.
Pub Choir on a sidewalk - I Want It That Way (Backstreet Boys)When a busted sewage pipe flooded out the venue moments before Pub Choir's show started, San Francisco rose to the occasion. Please enjoy this very special version of Pub Choir..... aka SIDEWALK CHOIR! This beautiful audience didn't let one tiny bio-hazard get in the way of a good time. They stood shoulder to shoulder, un-amplified, while we improvised a quick singalong out on the street. No instructions on a screen, no filters, no special lighting. Just some old fashioned yellin' and singin' because it felt good. A night we'll remember forever. MOST SPECIAL thanks to Kate Lesta from Cafe Du Nord who withstood the literal shit-storm, and helped us cobble together a show on the footpath. Let's do it again some time (indoors!). Thanks for an amaaaaazing time USA. We can't wait to return. <3 We have so many Aussie shows coming up: www.pubchoir.com.au/dates
Posted by Pub Choir on Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Pub Choir fam in San Fran. Plus dog?
All in all, we had an amazing trip. People everywhere like singing. We kinda already knew that, but it felt special to be reminded in real time, somewhere very far away from home. We will be back, USA. Thanks for being so friendly and incredible. Also, we don’t know who’s dog this was. Astrid just steals stuff like that sometimes.
Pub Choir are kicking off their tour with Ben Lee in Melbourne in September, which will see them visit Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Sydney. Head to theGuide for all the info on the events.
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