“Okay baby?” he asks.
“Me? I’m fine. You’re the one who has to go out and perform. Aren’t you just a little nervous?” I ask, looking outto the sea of faces ahead. There must be a few thousand out there, maybe more.
“I was this morning; now I can’t wait to get out there.”
Brett, Max and Tommy all stand behind us. It’s at this moment, I feel self-conscious like I shouldn’t be here. This is the band’s first major gig and I’m getting in the way. They need to share this together.
“I’m going out front now. Go nuts. Have fun and enjoy it.”
“Always.” He leans forward, giving me a long lingering kiss. Of course, we receive the usual catcalls from the rest of the band. It’s becoming the norm.
Just as I’m about to head out, he says, “You sure you don’t want to watch from here?”
“No way. I want the full experience. I want to see you in all your glory and feel the beat vibrating under my feet. You don’t get that stage-side.”
He smiles. “You got it, but be here before the end, okay? The second from last number isDeep Down. Start making your way back when you hear it.”
“I’ll be here, don’t worry.” I wink, then make my way to the back where I find Angie and Scott talking to Dani.
“Okay, everyone?” I ask, looking mainly to my best friend and newly gained brother, but Dani answers. “No, I’m not okay. Why am I so nervous for them?”
“I suppose it’s only natural. The boys are just starting out,” Angie replies.
“It’s strange; like seeing your kids go into school for the first time, at least, I imagine it’s the same feeling.” Wow, Dani seems almost human. Then she says, “Oh, don’t mind me, I’m just being ridiculous. Go ahead and enjoy yourselves.”
It’s then, I find myself saying, “Come with us.”
“What? I can’t—can I?”
“It’s up to you, but you’re welcome to join us,” I tell her and I’m actually serious. Strangely, I feel sorry for Dani.
She looks around, I’m not sure for who or what, but she beams as she replies, “Why not? There’s nothing more I can do for the boys out here.”
The four of us head out, and although I wanted the full experience, we are in a gated area in front of the mosh pit, but it’s still full of bodies.
The crowd goes wild as some guy comes on stage and waves.
“Hey Braebeach, how are we doing today?”
The crowd cheer and whistle, which is when I notice this isn’t justsome guy.This is World Radio’s number one DJ, Ben Hicks.
“This next band come from right here in Braebeach,” more cheers and whistle ensue, “and this is their first time playing the festival, so I want you to give them your loudest welcome, okay?” The crowd goes wild, making it hard to hear his next words over the noise.
“Let’s hear it for Koolum Law!”
The atmosphere ignites, the crowd roars around us, and the boys run onto the stage. Ash salutes to the sea of faces out front, Tommy settles on drums, Brett and Max pick up their guitars.
Tommy pumps out a beat, while Ash and Brett rift out the first few chords. Max runs his fingers down the arm of his bass, and all hell lets loose. Something I can’t explain takes over my body; turning me into a woman possessed. The rest of the crowd jump in time, our little band of four are jumping too, while adrenaline rushes through me. Angie is laughing, I’m laughing, Scott’s hands are in the air and the next thing I know, Dani is right with us, jumping, singing, her long,bouncy hair all over her face. This is definitely a side of her I never expected to see.
Ash’s vocals boom through the giant speakers as if his life depended on it, and when I look up, all I see is him giving it everything he has. The boys move around the stage as if they’re playing for every single person who turned out tonight. They are unique, phenomenal, and I may be biased when I say this, but they are better than any band I’ve ever seen play on this stage.
Ash breaks away from the mic; it’s a guitar fest between the three of them until Brett swaggers over to the drums, takes one step onto an amp and rocks out in front of Tommy.
Ash’s deep tone echoes around us. I get so lost in his voice while he works the small stage as if it were the main Rainbow event. He is king up there, using this upbeat, crazy mad song to get everyone involved.
Their next two tracks follow in the same vein; upbeat and electrically charged until Ash speaks to the crowd. While he does, Brett plays the first few chords to the next song repeatedly.
“This is one of the first songs we wrote, but we don’t play it so often. It’s about finding your person in life, the one you loved, but you never quite got the chance to show them.” Brett fills a gap with the soft tones of his guitar until Ash carries on. “Our first time at Brae Fest seems the perfect venue to re-introduce this song into the world, but we added it last minute, so give us a sec.”
