Rose Tattoo have a show this evening at the Riverstage and Rock N Roll Australia has a video interview prior. In the last-minute rush, I’ve forgotten my shoes! Good Start! We are greeted by Ronnie Simmons; he’s currently touring with Rose Tattoo. How you can look so effortlessly rock n roll before noon is beyond me. Angry moseys out of the lift, his freshly coloured tattoo sleeves are vibrant against his black tee and signature Rose Tattoo vest. I can see my own reflection in his shiny aviators when he asks me “where are your shoes?”

Angry respects the traditions of rock and has a special place in his heart for performing in pubs. “I still play in the pubs. I’m addicted”…. “We’re just a band that gets on stage and gives it our all.”Ronnie adds, “The moment I walk on stage, I know it’s going to be fun. Get ready, it’s going to be wild.”

Angry touches on the different mindsets of audiences around the world….Americans get into it because that’s what they are supposed to do.And the Europeans get into it because they can’t fucking help themselves. They’re just like, I love that. When we first started doing big festivals, we were always b or c slot and we still get 35,000,40,000 people in our compound, front of our stage, no matter what time we played.And that’s something, you know, people want to come and see you, they don’t have to.There’s a bone-crushing honesty with Aussies. If you mess up, they’ll let you know. But that’s what makes performing here special. It’s a different kind of connection.