Dougal's Diaries: Touring Australia with Bad//Dreems

Our pal Dougal is finally back on the road and we’re taking you all along for the ride. For those who don’t know, Dougal Gorman is a Sydney-based music photographer. He has a penchant for scrapbooking his images, too, so I guess you could call him an artist of sorts, and while we’re at it lets add handy cam enthusiast and part time fashion photographer to boot. At a spritely 25 years of age he has deeply immersed himself in Australia’s live music scene. Shooting the likes of Pist Idiots, Amyl and The Sniffers, Andy Golledge and Johnny Hunter not to mention LA punks Surfbort and the enigmatic Starcrawler. Dougal’s DIY approach ensures he captures the true moment, youthful and raw, shot amongst the heavy breathing and intensity of a ferocious crowd.

Over the next few months we’ll be checking in with Dougal as he travels around Australia, The USA, The UK and Europe but our first instalment of 'Dougal's Diaries' comes via everyone’s favourite South Australians Bad Dreems. After their 5^th tour postponement we finally managed to link Dougal up with the Baddies for a weekend, and here it is - Dougal's first diary entry.

THURSDAY

Still pissing rain. Toast for breakfast then out the door for a 9:30am flight. 

Plane is full but I’ve managed to score an entire row to myself, my long legs and I are stoked. The flight's short and sweet, by the time you leave Sydney, drink a complimentary coffee and scratch your ass you’ve already landed in Melbourne.

Just met the lovely bloke that is Miles aka ‘Buns’ the drummer of Bad Dreems, who lives in South Yarra, I’ll be crashing on his couch tonight.

After becoming acquainted with Buns I hit the streets for a Melbourne-priced sandwich and coffee, I also hit ‘Greville Records’ a Melbourne must - I highly recommend. Before I know it it's 6pm- time for beers and a parmy, tonights an early one, something I'll appreciate come Sunday.

FRIDAY 

Another day another sandwich, certainly not my last of the tour either.

The car is loaded with gear as Buns and I to hit the road to Ballarat aka THE RAT, I personally haven’t seen Victoria outside of Melbourne so I’m keen as for the days to come.

The second half of our drive flies and thanks to my shitty directions we have landed ourselves at one of Australia’s last-standing Pizza Huts, can't pass up a photo op at a true icon.

We arrive at our motel, an old red highway relic connected to a pub, the concierge hector negotiates a door spot out of Buns while I squeeze in a quick nap. 

I'm still yet to meet the rest of Bad Dreems guys, they arrive as Buns and I are rummaging through the trash of an antique store outside tonights venue "Volta" - a perfect first impression. Names and handshakes are quickly exchanged before we head inside, not to self don't forget all those names you're stuck with these guys all weekend

On the support bill tonight are Numb Nuts and Our Carlson, neither disappoint. A familiar faces arrives in ‘Aunty Joy’, an elderly lady who brings the boys fresh baked cookies anytime they play out here... the guys take them as if this isn't a strange ritual.

With a few Melbourne Bitters and top up of vodka raspberries the boys are ready to play.

Treating the crowd to a wide selection of new and old hits start to finish, Bad Dreems know how to get a crowd going. Crowd surfers and shoulder riders were aplenty + a middle aged stage invader having the time of his life, bless him. That's that, one show down.

SATURDAY

Overnight the temperature dropped an easy 10 degrees, none the less the boys are up and at em’ ready for the big drive to Morning Peninsula, for a headliner at "Ninch Fest". But first, sandwiches.

For the 3hr drive I’ve jumped shipped from Buns’s Skoda to Benny’s Kia Carnival with him and Ali. A long car trip is a great way to get to know someone, exchanging our favourite bands and show stories to a backing track of Australian punk history.

Three hours later we’ve all arrived in the quaint beach town of Rye, to the AirBnb with the worlds steepest driveways. After claiming it's first victims to 2 x failed reverses our hangovers are well and truly back, time to put the driveway dilemmas behind us and load the car for a day at Ninch Fest.

Ninch Fest is a community focused music festival held on Boon Wurrung Country on the Mornington Peninsula (aka The Ninch). Running for five years strong, Ninch Fest always boasts an incredible Aussie line up. This year didn't disappoint featuring the likes of Caitlin Harnett and The Pony Boys, CLAMM, C.O.F.F.I.N, Cable Ties, Dr. Sures Unusual Practice and a stack more heavy hitters. The rain threatened on and off throughout the afternoon but wasn’t enough to dampen the high spirits of eager punters.

The festival scheduling meant sets were a short and sweet 30 minutes. This meant the Baddies would scrap the slower acoustic ballads and come out the gates firing, and boy did they. As if their own hits weren’t enough for the Ninch, the boys ended with their flawless cover of GOD’s ‘My Pal’. The crowd went bizerk. And that was that, Ninch Fest was over.

SUNDAY

Wasn't pretty.