5 Things You Didn’t Know About Peter Bibby, As Told By Pond's Nick Allbrook

Perth singer-songwriter Peter Bibby is heading out on tour this October in honour of his “bastard” of a brand new album, Grand Champion, which drops this Friday, 28th September.

And to celebrate, we wanted to delve deep into the psyche of the man behind the true blue lyrical poetry and wacky cockatoo music videos to find out some illuminating fresh wisdom nuggets that we never knew before.

But he wasn’t available, so we got his longtime musical m8, former drummer and UK tour buddy Nick Allbrook of Pond fame to do it instead.

So therefore, here’s 5 things you didn’t know about Peter Bibby, as told by Pond’s Nick Allbrook.

The Aqua Fight

Peter loves a delicious feed, loves his friends and is a fine cook. He is also very fond of Pies. When I lived next door to him on Christmas Street in Melbourne he got hold of a pie-grill. This was a special time for everyone in the house I think, coz Pete was constantly spewing new pie innovations into immediately available mouth-holes. One I remember was called the ‘Aqua Fight’. Duck and salmon I believe. I never ate that pie but the name still makes me laugh. Pete is a really good cook though.

Bunbury

Pete borrowed a car and drove it down to Bunbury to pick me up after I’d walked the Bibbulmun track. I’d been by myself for three weeks and stopped in Pemberton. I had a couple beers at the pub and took off my shoes and called Pete. We can always chat – stupid gags or good natter or music or drinking or dreams, regrets and questions – no matter how far we’ve roamed. After such a big solitary thing, he was the person I wanted to meet at the pub, and to talk to for three hours in a car on the way home.

Long Paul

Long Paul Van Damm is a van with which Peter Bibby has a very turbulent relationship. It took him across the Nullabor to fetch a loved ones stuff, to takes back across the country to Perth. It broke down constantly, but was their home for months. Pete wrote a great song about Long Paul called ‘when will this journey end?’. I think that van had big impact on our man. The point is Pete is the type of guy who buys a cheap van, gives it an amazing name, and continues to nurture it and take it on great adventures no matter how cruel and malicious the beast might become.

Frozen Ocean

I first saw Pete play with Mackay in Frozen Ocean, a two piece rock band that was kind a teenage Midland bong ripping Lightning Bolt. It was deafening and terrifying, but also incredibly endearing. Songs about cordial and their weird flatmate and biscuits, the tempo swinging wildly between rocket and slug-pace depending on the air around them. We smoked in the boot of Nick and Andrews car in the carpark of the Hyde Park Hotel.

Julep

In Preston me and Pete used to sit on the porch aaaaaall night. I’d make a big jug of Mint Julep and we’d play guitar and new songs and chat til we were sideways. Then he’d ride home, the crazy bastard. Once we went to All Nations Park playground at about midnight and gave an exclusive concert to each other from the top of the slide. That was one of the best bloody gigs I’ve ever seen. Pete on a playground howling out ‘Work for Assholes’ and such across the sleeping Melbourne suburbia.