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Great Sound Great 2025
Sep. 17th, 2025 05:23 pmtldr; recommended musicians:
Bathysphere
Dale Kerrigan
Anthonie Tonnon
Jen Cloher
I left my home and drove to the petrol station and then through the Burger King drive through. I ate my fries and Plant-Based BK Chicken burger on the way into the city. It was very cold and my car windows were hard to de-fog; one of the air vents might be broken.
I reached the back of 13 Garrett Street and parked very close to another car who was sharing half of a private parking space. It was hard to fit out of my car door without scratching the other car but I managed.
I went inside Dirty Laundry and told my name to a ticket person who gave me a wristband.
Outside Garrett Street I said hello to Éimhín. We stood and talked. Ollie from Mouthfull came and talked to Éimhín. When the time was right I said, ‘Hey, I’m Kathleen. You’re Ollie from Mouthfull?’ And he said ‘Yes, Kathleen, yes I saw your latest email’. We both shared that we intended to connect with the other person regarding an archive of the history of Garrett street I am creating, to which Ollie has footage to contribute. Ollie introduced me to a friend of his. That friend told me that he met his partner at Garrett Street, quite a long time ago, perhaps 2015-6? That she wrote her number on a napkin on the level 2 dining table, and that he still has that napkin. We discussed adding the napkin to the archive, but perhaps blurring her number in some way.
Sarah-Lee and Paige emerged from Garrett Street. They both had brightly dyed hair (Orange and Blue respectively) and we discussed how good their hair looked. I walked with them to the Hotel Bristol where Bathysphere were playing. On the walk Sarah showed me the music-festival timetable schedule they had created; attached to a clipboard with small pieces of tape covering acts who had not been chosen. I was not familiar with Bathysphere but really enjoyed them. We found a spot in the crowd where an empty bar stool sat against a table, and I sat there.
When the time came I leaned between Sarah-Lee and Paige and said “Lads, I’m off to Church”.
I walked back to my car, opened the easier-to-access passenger side door and used my remaining BK Coke Zero to wash down 2 x Ibuprofen. I had intended to leave my jacket in the car but the night was getting much colder, so I kept it on and walked to St. Peter’s Church. I had a text message from Emma telling me she was sitting ‘upstairs’. I entered the church and looked for a narrow staircase to the left of the the door. The Doorman said “You can go up there.” I had never been inside the Church before and found it very beautiful. I sat on a pew behind Emma and her friend Nell, and watched Jen Cloher perform. I enjoyed their performance very much, especially the extended anecdote from their childhood. Emma and Nell left, Emma leaned down to give me a hug. I stayed until the end of Jen’s set and then walked back toward Garrett Street.
It was colder.
In the passenger seat of my car I finished the remains of my Plant-based BK Chicken burger and drank some more Coke Zero.
I walked up to the door of Garrett Street and the doorman said “Sorry, we’re at capacity.” And I said “Really? At capacity?”
I turned and walked to San Fran, where people were queuing at the door to see The Phoenix Foundation even though they wouldn’t play for another 20 minutes. It was already pretty busy inside. I went to the bathroom. There was a queue, one woman remarked ‘a queue? And It’s not even busy in here yet!’. I said “We’re getting in early, this is tactical.” A lot of the graffiti on the bathroom doors and wall was queer / horny / heartbroken.
I pushed my way to a spot against the far wall, pretty close to the stage. I saw Emma and Nell in the crowd across from me. Everyone was packed in close. There were multiple middle-aged straight couples pressed against me, they were all very excited when The Phoenix Foundation played. I most enjoyed their second-to-last song ‘Give Up Your Dream’.
I left during their last song, and ran into an old acquaintance on the stairs. We hugged, she complimented my hair, I said ‘This is their last song, you’d better get in there.’
I arrived at Meow and stood to the left of the stage. I realised I was standing behind Emily Beausoleil, and shuffled back to give her room to dance with her friend. Anthonie Tonnon came on stage. His set was highly unexpected. He played an album of all-new music, on two deluges. He covered a lot of unexpected themes and some of his way of addressing the crowd made me think of a sermon. He sang the line “Every time I think I’m grown up, I disappoint myself” and Emily Beausoleil turned to her friend and nodded. At another point she whispered “He looks just like my first boyfriend.”
I went to the bathroom and stopped by the bar to drink a glass of water before leaving.
Outside Garrett street once more, I said hello to David who was smoking out front. Moh arrived, we hugged. A long line of people exited the building so we waited before trying to enter. Moh told me about the experience of sleeping in ‘the crows next’, a small room at the top of the elevator shaft inside Garrett street. I expected it would be very cold, but because Moh is sharing a small bed with their partner, they actually find it very stuffy. David explained that they had taken an extra ritalin for energy that evening, but that it had peaked an hour ago.
We walked up the stairwell once it was clear. On level 2, two drum kits were being set up in preparation for a battle of the bands. I walked across the room and was stopped by a man who said ‘are you Teresa’s sister?’. He then recalled meeting me once before, seven years earlier, in a specific house. I was impressed by his memory, which he called both a blessing and a curse. His name was Fraser. He revealed that he had performed in one band already that night, and was about to perform in another. In preparation to perform he changed into a white singlet and put on sunglasses.
I saw Sasha and we found a spot against the couches at the back of the room. I said hello to Tom Smith who was setting up the lighting and he told me about the theatre show he is workshopping during his days. The room slowly filled with people and I found I could sit on the back of the couch to see above the crowd - eventually I stood on the arm of the couch. Fraser’s band would be battling a band from Dunedin. The battle of the bands progressed song-for-song with targeted banter in between. Dale Kerrigan was the name of the band from Dunedin, and Fraser spoke into the mic after they completed a song, and said ‘can’t you play something more…palatable?’ After a further song of theirs he said “And that was Dale Kerrigan playing a cover of The Chills, Pink Frost’. The music was very good and enjoyable. A polite mosh-pit began, and I joined it for Dale Kerrigan’s last song. I said hello to Te Rangi, and Sarah-Lee again, side-hugged Ollie, met a Stephanie (?) who asked me if I had a safe way to get home. I said I did, and checked that she did too.
Bathysphere
Dale Kerrigan
Anthonie Tonnon
Jen Cloher
I left my home and drove to the petrol station and then through the Burger King drive through. I ate my fries and Plant-Based BK Chicken burger on the way into the city. It was very cold and my car windows were hard to de-fog; one of the air vents might be broken.
I reached the back of 13 Garrett Street and parked very close to another car who was sharing half of a private parking space. It was hard to fit out of my car door without scratching the other car but I managed.
I went inside Dirty Laundry and told my name to a ticket person who gave me a wristband.
Outside Garrett Street I said hello to Éimhín. We stood and talked. Ollie from Mouthfull came and talked to Éimhín. When the time was right I said, ‘Hey, I’m Kathleen. You’re Ollie from Mouthfull?’ And he said ‘Yes, Kathleen, yes I saw your latest email’. We both shared that we intended to connect with the other person regarding an archive of the history of Garrett street I am creating, to which Ollie has footage to contribute. Ollie introduced me to a friend of his. That friend told me that he met his partner at Garrett Street, quite a long time ago, perhaps 2015-6? That she wrote her number on a napkin on the level 2 dining table, and that he still has that napkin. We discussed adding the napkin to the archive, but perhaps blurring her number in some way.
Sarah-Lee and Paige emerged from Garrett Street. They both had brightly dyed hair (Orange and Blue respectively) and we discussed how good their hair looked. I walked with them to the Hotel Bristol where Bathysphere were playing. On the walk Sarah showed me the music-festival timetable schedule they had created; attached to a clipboard with small pieces of tape covering acts who had not been chosen. I was not familiar with Bathysphere but really enjoyed them. We found a spot in the crowd where an empty bar stool sat against a table, and I sat there.
When the time came I leaned between Sarah-Lee and Paige and said “Lads, I’m off to Church”.
I walked back to my car, opened the easier-to-access passenger side door and used my remaining BK Coke Zero to wash down 2 x Ibuprofen. I had intended to leave my jacket in the car but the night was getting much colder, so I kept it on and walked to St. Peter’s Church. I had a text message from Emma telling me she was sitting ‘upstairs’. I entered the church and looked for a narrow staircase to the left of the the door. The Doorman said “You can go up there.” I had never been inside the Church before and found it very beautiful. I sat on a pew behind Emma and her friend Nell, and watched Jen Cloher perform. I enjoyed their performance very much, especially the extended anecdote from their childhood. Emma and Nell left, Emma leaned down to give me a hug. I stayed until the end of Jen’s set and then walked back toward Garrett Street.
It was colder.
In the passenger seat of my car I finished the remains of my Plant-based BK Chicken burger and drank some more Coke Zero.
I walked up to the door of Garrett Street and the doorman said “Sorry, we’re at capacity.” And I said “Really? At capacity?”
I turned and walked to San Fran, where people were queuing at the door to see The Phoenix Foundation even though they wouldn’t play for another 20 minutes. It was already pretty busy inside. I went to the bathroom. There was a queue, one woman remarked ‘a queue? And It’s not even busy in here yet!’. I said “We’re getting in early, this is tactical.” A lot of the graffiti on the bathroom doors and wall was queer / horny / heartbroken.
I pushed my way to a spot against the far wall, pretty close to the stage. I saw Emma and Nell in the crowd across from me. Everyone was packed in close. There were multiple middle-aged straight couples pressed against me, they were all very excited when The Phoenix Foundation played. I most enjoyed their second-to-last song ‘Give Up Your Dream’.
I left during their last song, and ran into an old acquaintance on the stairs. We hugged, she complimented my hair, I said ‘This is their last song, you’d better get in there.’
I arrived at Meow and stood to the left of the stage. I realised I was standing behind Emily Beausoleil, and shuffled back to give her room to dance with her friend. Anthonie Tonnon came on stage. His set was highly unexpected. He played an album of all-new music, on two deluges. He covered a lot of unexpected themes and some of his way of addressing the crowd made me think of a sermon. He sang the line “Every time I think I’m grown up, I disappoint myself” and Emily Beausoleil turned to her friend and nodded. At another point she whispered “He looks just like my first boyfriend.”
I went to the bathroom and stopped by the bar to drink a glass of water before leaving.
Outside Garrett street once more, I said hello to David who was smoking out front. Moh arrived, we hugged. A long line of people exited the building so we waited before trying to enter. Moh told me about the experience of sleeping in ‘the crows next’, a small room at the top of the elevator shaft inside Garrett street. I expected it would be very cold, but because Moh is sharing a small bed with their partner, they actually find it very stuffy. David explained that they had taken an extra ritalin for energy that evening, but that it had peaked an hour ago.
We walked up the stairwell once it was clear. On level 2, two drum kits were being set up in preparation for a battle of the bands. I walked across the room and was stopped by a man who said ‘are you Teresa’s sister?’. He then recalled meeting me once before, seven years earlier, in a specific house. I was impressed by his memory, which he called both a blessing and a curse. His name was Fraser. He revealed that he had performed in one band already that night, and was about to perform in another. In preparation to perform he changed into a white singlet and put on sunglasses.
I saw Sasha and we found a spot against the couches at the back of the room. I said hello to Tom Smith who was setting up the lighting and he told me about the theatre show he is workshopping during his days. The room slowly filled with people and I found I could sit on the back of the couch to see above the crowd - eventually I stood on the arm of the couch. Fraser’s band would be battling a band from Dunedin. The battle of the bands progressed song-for-song with targeted banter in between. Dale Kerrigan was the name of the band from Dunedin, and Fraser spoke into the mic after they completed a song, and said ‘can’t you play something more…palatable?’ After a further song of theirs he said “And that was Dale Kerrigan playing a cover of The Chills, Pink Frost’. The music was very good and enjoyable. A polite mosh-pit began, and I joined it for Dale Kerrigan’s last song. I said hello to Te Rangi, and Sarah-Lee again, side-hugged Ollie, met a Stephanie (?) who asked me if I had a safe way to get home. I said I did, and checked that she did too.
