Local Gold Guerilla Gig

As part of Canberra's 100 years' celebrations there are a series of Guerrilla Gigs going on around the town.

Essentially you register on a website and then you're told the time and date of the gig and then you're told the actual venue (by email or SMS) one hour before it starts. I guess it's the middle-class equivalent of a rave(!)

I've had the kids on my own this weekend (while Amy was in Adelaide) and had forgotten that the gigs were on, but got an email reminder (as Audrey and Eli were in the bath) that there were a couple of bands playing at Reconciliation Place within the hour.

They didn't take much persuading to go along, so I dried them off, put on their pyjamas (plus shoes and jackets) and headed into the night.

Reconciliation Place is a long corridor of a place - it's a pathway linking the high-court of Australia and the National library. Even when there's no bands playing there it's quite a cool/beautiful place.

The two bands playing were Hashimoto and The Cashews (our favourites). Audrey excitedly ran from the car while Eli hitched a ride on my shoulders. There's a bridge which spans the corridor and we watched from above, listening to the music as the sun set over the lake. Audrey made friends with a girl in her twenties, Eli dangled his legs through the ballistrades.It was fabulous.

Hashimoto were the second band, they were a three piece - a lady on piano, a double bass and a guitar and they invited people on the bridge to come down to the front for a better vantage so we took up their offer. Audrey and Eli sat transfixed. A kind man gave me his jacket for Audrey to sit on and Eli perched on my lap.

When Hashimoto finished the crowd cheered for more and when they came back for an encore Audrey was thrilled - it was obviously her cheering which had done it, when you've seen a thousand encores it loses it's thrill, when you've seen 1 it's incredible. So lovely to see her gleeful face.

The entertainment wrapped up after about an hour - fortunately the security guard who threatened to close things down earlier didn't make a move and we headed back to the car. The 'Enlighten' festival (lit up buildings throughout Canberra's Parliamentary Triangle) has also started so we took a drive-by a spectacularly lit National Library, Old Parliament House and the National Gallery. An excellent (and free) night in Canberra. Happy kids in bed at 7.45pm

Hashimoto (that's us down the front)

two children in pyjamas go to watch a gig in an alleyway!