We all meet in Sydney and board the flight to LA, which is really no longer than a driving tour from Brisbane to Sydney. The first night is spent buying mexican food and a keyboard stand. I lost my last one in SxSW when I lent it to the Youth Group kids and then got drunk and never came back. I also realise that Wilco and Okkervil River are playing Thursday, but have sold out. Sob. The next day we wake up early to play a TV thing for Beta TV … I get to use my 1982 Yamaha battery-powered keyboard, which has a "tone variator" and pastel buttons. Yum! I use the "fantasy" setting. 

We then hit an op-shop across the road, which has a whole bunch of old Hollywood costumes and the girls behind the counter coerce us into playing a private show for them. No discounts though. 

The show that night is in a club above the Roxy called On The Rox, which is apparently owned by Mischa Barton’s boyfriend. It looks like a tiny airplane cabin. The two other bands we play with are great – The Picture from NYC and The Parson Red Heads who hold down the soul of California with some sweet harmonised CSNY rock & roll. They all look great in white slacks too. Next comes my favourite part of an LA night out, which is when the bars close at 2am (boo!) and you all go and have buddy times at a 24 hour diner. We end up in Swingers sitting at a table across from The Veronicas. Brisbane. Everywhere.

"We end up in Swingers sitting at a table across from The Veronicas. Brisbane. Everywhere."

Ahh, sweet jet lag. Perfect for keeping gig-like hours. We wake up about 3pm and mooch around in the pool for a while before an acoustic run-through and a band meeting ("James? Present. Robin? Present.", etc). Then we head to gig number two at the Mint Lounge. The first band are another great NYC band called Pete & J, who it turns out are staying with an Australian girl who has a mutual friend in Bertie Blackman. I tell Pete my Wilco woes and he offers to text their manager and ask for tickets. This didn’t work obviously as I’m sitting here writing this at about the time Wilco are probably hitting stage. My hopes are raised and dashed again as I find out that Phoenix are playing on Sunday and then find out that’s the day we fly home.  We finish with more diner times among our new friends, a breakfast burrito and cheap mexican beer that would cost $12 per bottle in Australia. 

Thursday! This is a slightly nerve-racking day as we play a morning (uuuuurgh) boardroom showcase for a whole bunch of Film & TV types at the Warner building for our licensing company Rhino. It goes well and I also get explain the concept of glassing someone to the audience. Nic Harcourt, who has been our LA champion, also turns up, tells us a story about playing soccer against Deep Purple and then sorts out a last minute show for us at the hotel cafe. 

We get home to find out Michael Jackeson is no more. RIP big fella. Me and Charles leave the others playing in the spa, which has been filled with dish detergent, and head into town to check out the holy grail of record stores – Amoeba – but then get distracted by a Sheila E. (Prince’s drummer) drum clinic. Nerdlishious. Hollywood is packed with people going Jacko-Wacko and news vans are everywhere doing live crosses and the like. 

Now I’m sitting here writing to you gentle reader but there is so much more fun to be had – tonight we go out in Echo Park, tomorrow we lay down a track for Blue Microphones and play the Hotel Cafe, then Saturday we play our biggest show at the Echoplex in Silverlake with Telekenisis. I’ll leave you with the dubious (depending on your taste for double entendre) image of the California sun cascading down my face. xox Robin 

THE BOAT PEOPLE return home to play a free all ages show on the QPAC Cascade Court this Friday Jul 3, then play Tuesday Jul 14 at The Hi-Fi. www.myspace.com/theboatpeople