Thee Long & Winding(s) Road by Matt Aitken

24 Jun, 2026

✌☜ ✌︎☜︎✍︎ ⚐︎♏︎■︎♓︎AE 2026 ♑ ☠♓♑♒⧫ Thee Long & Winding(s) Road 📪︎ ☞︎❒︎♓︎♎︎♋︎⍓︎💣︎♋︎ ✍︎⬧︎⧫︎

Opening Night: *Brainrotted from a busy day trapped with screaming school children, my spirits were booey’d when a rogue party bus emerged in its natural habitat (Mitchell Freeway near the city) along this **Pippin’s journey to the big AE ceremony this eve.

Is it a “sign”? Is there something supernatural afoot? Where will thee Tone List benevolent cabal and their fairy-pickling pied-piper procession of exploratory “music” lead us? Will “Matt” get “carried” away with “whimsical” formatting and over-use “these”? But most Fergaliciously… what is a “mouthguard” of sound?

✋︎ ⬥︎♏︎♋︎❒︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ⬧︎◆︎■︎♑︎●︎♋︎⬧︎⬧︎♏︎⬧︎*analogue ♋︎⧫︎ ■︎♓︎♑︎♒︎⧫︎ 💧︎□︎ ✋︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ 📪︎ ⬧︎□︎ ✋︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ ♍︎♋︎⧫︎♍︎♒︎ ⬥︎♋︎❖︎**thou still hath not seen thee Hobbit, alas ♌❒♏♋⧫♒♏ ⍓◆ ⬧⧫□❒⍓ ●♓■

See: Ben Yaxley’s “fabled” review of the “infamous” Ben Aguero AE “party bus” in mid 2025, where I innocently mention buying 30 pairs of sunglasses at an op shop to help kids find some social confidence. An odd wayward guy with moppy hair and a faded surf backpack at Cannington’s Salvos saw me making the purchase, sidled up to me then started quietly crooning “I wear my sunnnnnglasses at night, so I can watch you weave then breathe your story lines"... I looked up the song when I got home, the singer’s some 80’s Canadian pop dweeb Corey…

✌︎■︎♎︎ ✋︎ ⬥︎♏︎♋︎❒︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ⬧︎◆︎■︎♑︎●︎♋︎⬧︎⬧︎♏︎⬧︎ ♋︎⧫︎ ■︎♓︎♑︎♒︎⧫︎ 😎 💧︎□︎ ✋︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎📪︎😎 ⬧︎□︎ ✋︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ 🙵♏︎♏︎◻︎ ⧫︎❒︎♋︎♍︎🙵 □︎♐︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ❖︎♓︎⬧︎♓︎□︎■︎⬧︎ ♓︎■︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ♏︎⍓︎♏︎⬧︎

After reading Ben’s Post-Traumatic Party Bus review, I’m nervous about how this review will be received by “Big Ben aka Bodhisattva of the Bay aka “the Yiz” after his devastatingly detailed recount of my conversational “free jazz” on the proverbial “party bus”.

🏱︎□︎⬧︎⧫︎📫︎❄︎❒︎♋︎◆︎❍︎♋︎⧫︎♓︎♍︎ ♋︎❒︎⧫︎⍓︎ 👌︎◆︎⬧︎ ♏︎⌧︎◻︎♏︎❒︎♓︎♏︎■︎♍︎♏︎

I bump into beloved Goth art boffin Paul Sutherland (aka “our Paul”). We have a spiderman moment: “but I’m reviewing tonight for Mouthguard?!”... “unless… I’mmmmmmm reviewing tonight for Mouthguard”. I tell Paul a story about first seeing John Kinsella many (killing) moons ago, being charmed by his aura and solemn cheekiness etc, but I’ll leave fellow goth art Mouthguardian boffin Paul to “delve” ;) more into John & Simon Charles set.

☹♋❒❒⍓❼⬧ ✌●❍⬧ ��□■❼⧫ ♍♋●● ♓⧫ ♋ ◻□◻ ### ♋●◆◻Larry’s Alms (Don’t call it a pop-up) bar “experience” ✆ ♌♋❒ ❽♏⌧◻♋●

I see big-dog bartender/Deftones boffin Grace Connors. I tell her I’m reviewing tonight for Mouthguard, excitedly asking if I may leave a pen and paper at the bar so she take note of anything “interesting” over the night. She gives me an ice-cold (“cold toddy”) glance and quips, “don’t out-source your labour on me, nice try pal”.

The next act ❄︎□︎■︎♏︎ ☹︎♓︎⬧︎⧫︎ ♓︎⬧︎ ◻︎❒︎□︎◆︎♎︎ ⧫︎□︎ ♓︎■︎⧫︎❒︎□︎♎︎◆︎♍︎♏︎ “Windings” emerges from the ether… it’s ♋︎ ♍︎□︎●︎●︎♋︎♌︎□︎❒︎♋︎⧫︎♓︎❖︎♏︎ ♋︎●︎♌︎◆︎❍︎ ♐︎❒︎□︎❍︎ Lyndon 👌︎●︎◆︎♏︎ featuring ♐♏♋⧫◆❒♓■♑ Flora ☞︎●︎□︎❒︎♋︎ 👍︎♋︎❒︎♌︎□︎

It was stunning. A genuine “touchdown” moment, to quote Dickhead from Australian Idol. I tap in some reflections in my notes app on my phone…

flickering tones > cassette tape shimmering > gentle gentle tones > wash over “me”/Victoria Hall > what a special place she is > I’ve heard tales of Balkan teen folk dance groups > master Czechoslovakian accordionists and all sorts of pre-Kulcha festivities in the 90’s “gracing” this stage > Eduardio told me Mark Cain would recall this era well as he was heavily involved in robust independent music venue Kulcha’s early days.

I sent Lyndon ♌●◆♏ an insta msg the next morning about their set with Flora 👍︎♍❒︎♌︎□︎

Matt ♋♍□❒■: Ripper set! Might review it for Mouthguard

Lyndon ♌●◆♏: Oohhh…

Matt ♋♍□❒■: LB Grandchild of self-taught urban �� diviner in timbre tandem-flight with fellow forrest adventurer Flora. Their journey meandered through foggy marshes of muffled tones, pausing for tea & moments of unspoken reflection. Where is this new shire we've arrived at, forrest fog friend? Neo-Zelda Noir? East South Western oak tree clearing hymns?

Lyndon ♌●◆♏: OMG!!!

☠♓♑♒⧫⬥ AE 2026 Day Two ✌︎◆︎♎︎♓︎♌︎●︎♏︎ ☜︎♎︎♑︎♏︎ ⌛︎ 👎︎♋︎⍓︎ ❄︎⬥︎□︎

I arrive at dusk, bump into artist/angel Jessee Lee Johns (aka the “Urban Yowee”) as we both drift past Larry’s Alms, lulled into it’s Austin-Powers-golf-cart-U-turn narrow turning circle orbit. I mention how cool the LA’s shirts are. Jessee says there’s a big box of them at the end of the bar. “Woah, that’s cool you can buy a whole box of them” I say. Jessee chuckles, he says “nah, but you can have a good rummage through”. Hell yeah, brother. Nothing like a good rummage, Yowee Lee Johns.

I wander yonder round the corner, following my ears like a curious bloodhound following a scrumptious scent. But the “smell” of this sound is what I can best describe as the Gaelic Irish folk of fiddles, acoustic guitars & tin whistles. What a glorious feeling, a circle of heartfelt people sharing olde tunes from far and wide (I clock the Chinese Folk Song Mo Li Hua) that one of the Umbel members shares on their Erhu “Chinese violin”. The visiting Irishman Cal Folger Day pulls out a muesli bar from his jacket pocket, has a quiet nibble, then rejoins the jig. Hell yeah, brother. Nothing like a quiet nibble. Thee last little while felt ancient. The sense of communal joy, authenticity and curiosity all carefully woven and weaving together like a muesli bar cradled in a soft fleece jacket pocket. Physically, sonically & emotionally… “in thee pocket”.

♒︎✌︎■︎👎︎♐︎🕆︎●︎ ♑︎✌︎♑︎☝︎●︎☜︎✍︎ ♋︎ ◻︎✌︎❒︎☹︎♓︎✌︎❍︎☜︎■︎❄︎ ⚐︎♐︎ □︎🕈︎●︎💧︎✍︎ ♋︎ ❒︎⚐︎❍︎🏱︎✍︎✆︎ ⚐︎♐︎ ♎︎✌︎■︎👍︎♏︎☼︎⬧︎

I sit next to Ben “the Yiz” Yaxley as we share a tender moment as a handful of dancers jump up & start some free-form “jigging”. I tell Ben about my visit to Larry’s Arms. An earlier conversation with another bar-tender followed a similar fluid "dérive" trajectory… I say “what if it was alms, not arms… like offerings of money, food or material goods as an offering or charity or virtue”. “But, you’re paying us money… I’m confused… who’s serving who?”. “Indeed” I reply, also puzzled. “Cash is king. Long live thee king”.

Ben then shared something quite profound, for real. “I had an idea for a T-Shirt slogan once that said “make your qualms your alms. Like alms in a Buddhist sense”. I chuckle as I day dreamed about this sacred T-Shirt proudly displayed at Krazy Tee’s on the Mandurah Foreshore one day in a distant time and place. Hell year brother. Make your qualms… your alm.

♋ ⧫❒♋■♍♏ ⧫□ ✌❍♌⍓ Amby Downs 💣︎☜︎💧︎💣︎☜︎☼︎✋︎💧︎✋︎☠︎☝︎🕈︎⚐︎☼︎☹︎👎︎👌︎🕆︎✋︎☹︎👎︎

This felt like a profound thought at the time and briefly afterwards as I sat down and soon fell into a deep and generous trance to Amby Downs’ mesmerising world-building set, my mind and body awash with flickers of cockatoo call field-recordings, slow-pulsating synth waves seeping below the “top soil” meandering through and in conversation with the bush. It all had a magic(k) about it, I felt a part of me “dip my toe” into deep time..

🕆︎❍︎👌︎♏︎☹︎ ⚐︎❍︎☝︎ ✋︎ 🕆︎❍︎👌︎♏︎☹︎ 👍︎Umbel 👌︎♋︎❄︎♒︎ ♓︎☠︎ ❄︎♒︎✌︎⧫︎ □︎⚐︎⌘︎✋︎■︎☝︎ ☹︎♓︎😐︎♏︎ ♒︎⚐︎■︎☜︎⍓︎

I fear I’ve run over the word-limit, but here’s a gaggle of quick final thoughts. Umbel… omgg****. I could bathe in that oozing-like-honey string-section shape-shifting for vast periods of time. If fifteen-year-old Matt had heard/see/witnessed this, maybe he would have continued with violin a bit longer.

⚐︎♒︎ 💣︎⍓︎ ☝︎♋︎■︎♎︎□︎●︎♐︎ ☝︎□︎□︎♎︎■︎♏︎⬧︎⬧︎ ****Oh My Gandolf Goodness

As I leave, I bump into existential extra-terrestrial artist angel Tom Rogers in the courtyard. We had a playful moment together reminiscing about “this” and “that”. I pondered out loud… “I wonder who Larry is?... hmmm”. He paused and then said earnestly. “Keep it quiet, but I’m pretty sure he’s a doll with very long arms”. Hell yeah, brother… alms… very long alms.