This is the final chapter in Jonty’s time spent with doom band Holy Serpent. You can read about the abandoned mansion they stayed in here, and the shenanigans fuelled by bourbon laced coffee and magic mushrooms here in Part 2.
We’re heading over to my place for breakfast. There’s no gas in the Wayville house. I go to check on Cruise and Kyle. In their mangled half-awake state they tell me they’re not keen for breakfast so we leave them there.
Together we cook up a pretty great feast with eggs, bacon, beans and avocado. Everyone is well fed and it’s time to get things going. By the time we get back to Wayville my older brother Zac Czuchwicki has arrived with the guitar rig. He plays in Nathan’s other band Devil’s Crossroad. Kyle Clarke managed bass duties for both DC and Cosmic Crime Paradigm. We’re all playing with Holy Serpent today.
Doom band Holy Serpent have had a rollercoaster experience in Adelaide and they wrap things up in the most suitable fashion; a epic rock n’ roll house party.
After emptying ice into the sinks for adequate beer cooling we hang around the house setting up different pieces of music equipment and skateboarding around. By 4pm there’s a slew people drinking and chilling, so Cosmic Crime Paradigm play a short set, my fourth show in a matter of three days. The sets kind of segue into each other, as I jam with Scott Penerthby while the others set up for the Holy Serpent show. By 5pm the living room is pretty packed and there’s an entire underground crew of people set to watch Holy Serpent play. It was a truly humbling and unique experience, with the majority of the audience nodding their head in complete silence.
The party continues with Scott and Keith playing two piece Beatles covers while the boys in Devil’s Crossroad set up. It’s not a massive party by any stretch, with invites only extended to friends, but there is a good amount of people roaming around and getting up to no good. It was pretty cool to see Devil’s Crossroad play while Scott skated around the house busting flip tricks and mad spins. Soon Major Bacon, a friend of ours who must remain disguised due to his occupation, arrives with his two foot bong. It’s a great vibe and Devil’s Crossroad end their set with a typically awesome rendition of their song Johnny the Butcher, which saw the lights go out and all eyes fall on them.
I had to head off with Holy Serpent just as the party was reaching its peak, entrusting my brother to keep the peace as the proceedings descend into an all-out jam, where anyone with the mojo to play can get up and do so. I’m reviewing tonight’s Holy Serpent show for The Music tonight, so I have an obligation to be there. Once the show was over (not before an exceptional performance from Inwoods) we all head back to the house. The party is still raging. A few people have just taken mescaline. The wild times kick on for a while but soon enough there are no beers left in the sink, and the few stragglers are evicted so that Holy Serpent are able to get a good sleep.
It’s pretty safe to say that after three days of drinking morning till night and excessive consumption of other substance (at least on my part) that I’m pretty tired too. You must of course take note that not everything that occurred was reported in this journal. The best way to gain some true insight is to head out to a show for yourself. It is only out of respect for the personal lives of my friends in Holy Serpent that I do not report on that which they do not want to be seen in the public eye. Whatever that means to you.
In the morning Holy Serpent rise, they pack their car and are ready for a massive drive back to Melbourne. I’m left with one of the last copies of their LP on purple vinyl as a thank you. I’m not ready to go back to reality but at least there is an interesting story to tell.
