We started the tour on Saturday 26^th April. The boys being Gavin, Joel and Josse came and picked me up from mums cousins place in Biddinghuizen, Holland. I had two nights there after arriving to try and get over the jet lag. I had transferred a bunch of money to Josses account the week before so he could buy me a van. It’s not really a van, but more like a bus. It’s huge. You can stand in the back – and you could have an entire tribe of people,standing or dancing or camping in the back with you.  Great for packing. Not so great for driving fast on German freeways. One good thing is we won’t get any speeding fines. Or make it up any mountains.

The first gig was awesome. These are all new venues for us –so you never quite know what you will get. It was like a big barn style pub.Great stage and sound, and an awesome audience. And they danced. Right from the beginning. Our Euro crowds don’t generally dance much, they are more of a listening crowd. So this was awesome for us. The crowd seemed to love it and so did we. Great way to start the tour.

Sunday our gig was cancelled (a whole 48 hours before) so we drove to our next show and stayed there the night. Our host was such a beautiful, kind woman– Kirsten. We arrived around 10pm so we just hit the sack as the next day was rehearsal day for us. A really gorgeous littler town – Bad Brambach. The boy’s hit the spas and saunas, and I went for  a little walk around the village in the sunshine. We were then taken to dinner in the next village with Kirsten and two others. Its funny, we generally don’t get to order what we like for dinner here, they just give it to you. Generally we get fairly lucky. We have salad and curry. There was suddenly no electricity and a big storm – which was kinda nice, siting over a candlelit dinner, looking over Czech Republic while in Germany! The gig was gorgeous.  A tiny café, but completely filled and whiskey. Apparently the host and promoters saw a picture of me on my facebook site holding a bottle of Jameson, so of course they went out and bought me one!! I couldn’t bring myself to tell them that I don’t really like whiskey! Everyone was so kind and lovely to us – they go out of their way to make you feel so special – it’s an amazing thing to be a part of – and the boys feel it just as much as I do. You make these instant friends who are so warm and hospitable. Quite amazing really.

The next day we had a night off, so I treated the boys to a night in Salzburg, Austria! (as you do!)We arrived after a long drive to a fairly shitty looking hotel, with nothing much around it. I was so upset as I thought I had booked the hotel right in the city. But just a 15 minute walk away was the bustling city of Salzburg and it was stunning – castles and the river and little streets and laneways. So beautiful. We found a young couple and asked them where we should go for a drink – they suggested a brewery and showed us on the map. After the biggest mission ever we finally got there- this old convent, monk brewery – big wooden tables. You get this stein mugs and pay 6 euros for a litre. We had a few each and then things got silly. More missions in the city and a shit load of laughter and another pub. Gavin and I managed to make the wise decision of going home around 1am and the boys followed at 5.30am! They ended up hanging out with the lead singer from Monsters and Men!

We got to spend a few hours wandering the streets and checking out the markets and the castle. Drinking a coffee overlooking the mountains and city was a pretty awesome way to spend the afternoon. Its moments like that where I feel incredibly lucky in my job and in my life. And I am so lucky to experience it with guys that I honestly love and adore. They can really give me the shits along the way (as I am sure I do to them too), but they are all really fantastic guys.

Our gig that night was in a place called Raubling inGermany. A beautiful big earthy type of restaurant – really lovely. A great meal, good sound and a crowd of about 60. 60 doesn’t sound like a lot – and it isn’t, but they are all new to the music, have all paid good money for their ticket, and were the BEST audience ever. From the second we started it was amazing. The energy and love they gave us was out of this world. We ended up on tables and chairs dancing and playing through the crowds, they were up and dancing and clapping and trying to sing along. Its an indescribable feeling. Your heart wants to burst a bit!! And the boys were loving it too. Such a special night. Then we got to stay in  a stunning hotel with a beautiful breaky the next morning!

Thursday nights show was in a quirky little place – very arty, but fairly “Irish’ looking bar. The owner let us in and didn’t speak to us. When he did it was in very mumbled German, so it was all a little confusing and I had a terrible feeling the night would be shit. But then, the place completely filled up – it was tiny, and we had about 80 payers in there. Once again it was an awesome night. Germans are now our new favourite crowd! They are just so appreciative and so present and so fun! The owner turned out such a sweet man. He is passionate about music, very very shy, and owns a toy shop upstairs. He makes one or two sales a month which helps to keep his pub going.

Our show last night – well…. It was all a shambles to start with. We arrived an hour late as there was terrible German traffic as usual.Tiniest little café, no stage. We had to set up everything in a space of about1.5 metres by 1 metre! Then we went next door for some food. We decided to walk to the hotel. I have a huge suitcase, a small suitcase, a little backpack and a laptop to carry- so off we went. Cobblestone streets, hills,  bridges…. And Josse told us it was only 300metres away. After about 1.2 kilometres we realised we were very lost, very late and very unfit. So, we walked back to the venue…we were meant to start at8pm. We got back to the van at 7.50pm where we all jumped in the back and got changed and I threw some make-up on we somehow made it on time!

The café had 21 people in it and it was filled. And they were the quietest crowd ever that it made me nervous. The owner was a little upset that we hadn’t got to the hotel as we needed to pick up the keys. So we did the first set as a trio and sent Josse on another mission to find the hotel and grab the keys. He came back looking very sweaty and puffed. Why he walked I have no clue…. But his mission was complete. It was a funny show. It went really well, but just such a shy audience. At the end of the show they all came up and were very sweet and bought cds and said they loved it.

We will go for a look around this morning then we have 2more shows – tonight and tomorrow. Then we have 5 entire nights off which we have never had before. Our tour manager Amy arrives in Hamburg on Wednesday – we can’t wait to see her!

So 5 shows down and about 50 to go. One week down and 15 togo!

Sending love from Germany! x

I was thrilled to be asked to headline this years Womens Red Rock Festival in Torrey, Utah, USA. I absolutely loved the two previous years playing at this festival – in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by incredible people and incredible landscape. The last two years I had driven to Utah, with Amy by my side. This year it was to be a fly in, fly out job.

I had five nights off in Melbourne with family and friends, and then set off to USA on the Thursday morning. Travel time was just under 30 hours all up. Flew Melbourne, Sydney, San Fran, LA then finally arrived in Salt Lake City around 7pm. I was greeted by the wonderful Georgette and Paula, and my friend Kazz who had flown in from Canada for the weekend. So the four of us set off to Torrey -  a four hour drive. To be back in this country was awesome. To be with these ladies was also awesome.

Arriving in Torrey was that old feeling of coming home. Got to have a sambuka with the amazing festival organiser Jeri, and then I hit the sack.

But hitting the sack kinda meant nothing. Jet lag had kicked in. This was to be the first of four completely sleepless nights.

Friday was spent working out merch, trying to walk but getting stuck in the rain, writing set lists and drinking a lot of coffee. I had a solo set at 5pm, and walking on to that stage was such an incredible feeling. Talk about feeling welcome! Talk about open arms! My warm and fuzzies had begun once again. It was a short and sweet set, but with so much amazing energy thrown at me by the crowd. Last song I looked over side stage and Eric and Ivan (my drummer and bass player from Winnipeg, Canada) had just arrived, so I pulled them on stage for a song. So lovely to see them after along year of no catch-ups.

The headline act that night was an American band Antigone Rising. I was pretty keen to hear their set. They really did rock their set, and the crowd loved it- so did I. It seemed the second I met these girls and miss Michelle Malone, something happened. Firstly we got drunk. I never really do this on tour. But I thought screw it, I am in the middle of nowhere and we headed to a very very large, county pub with a stuffed bull at the front and way too many buffalo heads sticking out of the wall. Somehow we created a new band called Prison Love and I think each and every one of us actually began to think we were in this amazing imaginary band. People at the bar were even buying drinks and sending them over to that band called Prison Love. Can’t really complain about that.

Theres something about this festival which makes you feel like you are part of one big loving family. With all the audience members, volunteers, festival organisers and other artists. I had such a fun night. Way too many shots, and way too little sleep – but a huge amount of laughs and a bunch of new mates. New mates that I was meant to meet.

The next day I felt a little hazy, but I was so happy to sit and watch some fabulous artists play – like Ellis – yep she’s good.A fabulous singer/songwriter. It was a relaxing day. Just hanging and listening and chatting and having more laughs with the Antigone Rising girls. I also got to spend some great time with the lovely Vicki from The Waits. Always good to see her.

That night the show was amazing. We were headlining and we where so ready to play a great show for this crowd. Eric and Ivan did an awesome job, and we loved having special guests up on stage – Mona Stevens on harmonica, Michelle Malone on harmonica and vocals, Cathy Henderson on slide guitar and the Antigone girls – Kristen, Nini and Dena. Prison Love suddenly, magically formed right there on stage… and yes, all we did was repeat the words Prison Love to a Johnny Cash tune, but whoa…the potential!! (ha!)

So, my favourite part of the entire weekend … I was about to start playing my chirpy lil song “Don’t Go’. The wonderful festival organiser Jeri suddenly stood on stage holding a sign. I had no idea what for – I couldn’t read it as it was facing the crowd. It took me an entire verse to realise that the entire crowd was doing a flash mob dance. I really could not believe it! I nearly had to stop playing due to wanting to have the happiest cry ever on stage – but I managed to play on and this awesome crowd just kept on dancing and singing. It was the best surprise and the best feeling to be watching it all right there in front of me. What a treat! Thanks so much everyone – really you made my weekend even more spectacular.

So, all in all, I left feeling the most tired I had felt for a very long time, but also completely filled with a bunch of happy happy new memories. I feel so lucky to have stumbled across this festival a few years ago – one of the best finds ever. These are the experiences that make me realise that I am doing exactly what I am meant to be doing in life.