Hi there blog rockers!  We’re back in the land of Aus’ after an all-too-brief visit to our kiwi neighbours earlier this month.  I realise this post is a bit late, but it takes a while to get back to reality after a week on the picturesque South Island.

The reason for our visit was to perform live at the A.R.E.A 9 Festival near Lake Ohau, (20 minutes from Twizel).  This 48 hour non-stop-music event was held over the Waitangi Day long weekend and featured some of New Zealand’s finest acts, including Salmonella Dub, Rhombus, Kora, Katchafire and many more.  Most of you probably know that Nitidus began with Patrick ‘PC’ Clemenger as a cover band in Christchurch, so it was an amazing ‘pilgrimage’ flying over the pond to see where all this madness began.

For myself and Adam, this was our first time in the South Island, so we spent the week leading up to the event acclimatising to the people and the places.  This was also the first time we met up with PC in almost a year!  Don’t worry folks, he hasn’t changed, he’s still the same rocker he ever was.  Much drinking was involved.

After a week of site seeing, it was time to get the show on the road.  We picked up Marki from the airport and drove direct to Twizel with only a few hours to kill before we were to hit the stage at 4:30am on Saturday 7^th February (when they said 48 hours of music, they weren’t kidding).  It was awesome to be back on stage, a FESTIVAL stage no less, with PC, Marki, Adam and myself cranking out the songs we’re proud to have created: The Taste, 21 Alibis, What’s It Gonna Be, Echoes, Don’t, Red Morning, So Long and more.  The only thing that sucked was that the show ended!  Big props to Mission Controlled for flying us over for their awesome event, have us back anytime!

We’re back in Melbourne, narrowly missing the 40+ degree heat wave (Celcius, which is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit), only to find half of Victoria burning to the ground in the tragic bush fires.  Our hearts go out to those who have lost property and loved ones in this disaster… but more on that in my next post.

For now, enjoy these pictures from New Zealand (more to come).

It’s 2009 so we thought it was time to do something big.  Nitidus will be making a rare once-in-a-lifetime performance at this year’s A.R.E.A 9 festival in New Zealand, the land where it all began!

Here’s the low down from the A.R.E.A 9 Myspace:

A.R.E.A 9 Music Festival will be held Waitangi weekend (6-8 Feb) 2009. It will feature some of New Zealand’s top musicians and entertainment personalities, as well as featuring some of New Zealand’s favourite extreme sports. Here at A.R.E.A 9 we are proud kiwis and want to celebrate our great New Zealand lifestyle but also want to contribute to the preservation of one of New Zealand’s rarest birds, the Black Stilt. Held “somewhere” in the heart of the MacKenzie Country, South Canterbury A.R.E.A 9 is preparing to be a festival that kiwis will look forward to and embrace with extreme dedication. So watch this space for more info as we create an event not to live without.

Marki, Doctor K, Adam and PC will reunite on stage at 4:30am on Saturday 7^th February 2009. We’re super excited and can’t wait to meet all our kiwi fans there.

Early bird tickets have already sold out, but tickets are still on sale for $200 plus booking fee.  48 hours of non-stop music at picturesque Lake Ohau, it’s certainly going to be a weekend to remember!

A.R.E.A 9 is presented by the The Mission Controlled Events Company Ltd.