Sydney band attempts world record for most gigs in 12 hours
A Sydney band has pulled off a herculean effort to play nine shows in 12 hours across the state and Canberra in an attempt to break a Guinness World Record.
Dream pop duo Fathom had to play more than eight 15-minute shows at venues at least 50 kilometres apart in areas with populations of more than 15,000, and half of them having populations of 100,000.
Vocalist Cate Guirguis and keyboardist Jaxon Italiano went on a trip on Saturday that took them from Singleton to Newcastle, Gosford, Sydney, Penrith, Lithgow, Bathurst and Goulburn before playing a final set in Canberra.
Jaxon Italiano wore a camera on his chest during the record attempt for evidence. (Supplied: Nicole Tabuena)
A tour bus took them between all the venues, except for a helicopter to take them over the Blue Mountains between Penrith and Lithgow, a car between Lithgow and Bathurst and a plane flight between Bathurst and Goulburn.
The attempt was almost derailed three times, but they were able to finish their last show in Canberra with 15 seconds to spare.
"It was right down to the wire," Mr Italiano said.
"When we had this whole idea, we had 10 in mind, but in hindsight I'm so glad we just stuck to nine."
Sydney traffic, missing helicopter, flight delays
Mr Italiano said he expected Sydney traffic between the city and Penrith to be the worst, and an accident on the M4 caused delays that fulfilled that expectation.
However, after their Penrith show, the pair's journey hit the brakes.
Fathom played as a four-piece band in Canberra and Sydney during the record attempt. (Supplied: Nicole Tabuena)
They had chartered a helicopter to take them over the Blue Mountains and avoid the Victoria Pass closure, but arrived at the base to find no helicopter.
"We needed to board the helicopter by 5:10pm because they wouldn't fly after sunset," Ms Guirguis said.
"But then we got there early and there was no helicopter there.
"Then we got a call back from the lady at head office, and she was saying that they were out extinguishing bushfires in the Blue Mountains, which is a fair enough excuse," Mr Italiano said.
The band were delayed by 30 minutes because their scheduled helicopter was busy assisting with firefighting. (Supplied: Nicole Tabuena)
Half an hour later, the duo got their helicopter ride to Lithgow.
It wouldn't be until their chartered plane leg between Bathurst and Goulburn that they would hit another snag.
"Firstly we went to the wrong terminal," Ms Guirguis said.
"As soon as we were taking off, the right propeller stopped working," Mr Italiano said.
The band used the tour to fundraise for mental health charity Beyond Blue. (Supplied: Nicole Tabuena)
"Our pilot … upgraded us to a jet which was fantastic and a lot safer."
The delay put the band an hour behind schedule, but a blessed run of traffic lights to Canberra helped them get on stage with time to spare.
"We just had green lights all the way to the venue," Ms Guirguis said.
"Cate and I jumped on stage, pumped out a 15-minute set," Mr Italiano said.
"We had a look at the countdown, there was only about 15 seconds."
Thousands raised for mental health
The band said they fundraised for Beyond Blue as part of the tour, gathering at least $2,200.
"We wanted half of the sale going to Beyond Blue and the other half going to the bands that were supporting us," Mr Italiano said.
"So we actually won't be making any profit from this."
The band travelled in a minibus between most of the venues. (Supplied: Nicole Tabuena)
Mr Italiano said they wanted to support musicians doing it tough, trying to make it amid venue closures and festival cancellations following the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Ever since COVID the music industry definitely took a big hit,"
Mr Italiano said.
"We found out that musicians are five times more likely to experience depression and anxiety just from the amount of stress that goes into finding work."
Certification under way
To certify the record, the band need to prove there were 10 people at every venue through their ticket links, and at least two witnesses with them at all times.
They also captured video evidence of their attempt, with Mr Italiano wearing a body-worn camera strapped to his chest the entire way.
Ms Guirguis and Mr Italiano will now compile their evidence and submit the claim to the Guinness World Records, which they say could take months to certify.
Mr Italiano is no stranger to the process, having previously broken the record for most pull-ups in 24 hours in 2022.
For now, the band plans on resting after releasing their aptly named song Record Breakers on Saturday.
"That'll be our soundtrack for the next few months," Mr Italiano said.
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