Sydney duo attempted 9 gigs in 12 hours; after a firefighting helicopter delay and plane propeller failure, they finished with just 15 seconds to spare
Sydney dream pop duo Fathom recently attempted a Guinness World Records title by performing nine shows in just 12 hours across New South Wales and Canberra. For this, vocalist Cate Guirguis and keyboardist Jaxon Italiano travelled from Singleton to Newcastle, Gosford, Sydney, Penrith, Lithgow, Bathurst and Goulburn before reaching Canberra for their final performance.The challenge required the duo to perform at least nine shows, with each show lasting at least 15 minutes, ABC news reported. The venues also had to be at least 50 kilometres apart and located in areas with populations of more than 15,000. At least half of those areas had to have populations of 100,000 or more.Fathom used a tour bus for most of the journey, but the route also involved a helicopter, a car and a plane. They nearly failed at their goal several times because of delays during the journey. However, the duo managed to reach their final venue in Canberra and completed their 15-minute set with only 15 seconds left on the clock. “It was right down to the wire,” Italiano recalled, as quoted by ABC news.
Traffic and a missing helicopter
The first major delay came in Sydney. Italiano said he had expected traffic between Sydney and Penrith to be one of the biggest challenges of the day. An accident on the M4 caused delays, making the journey slower than expected.The bigger problem came after the Penrith show. Fathom had arranged a helicopter flight over the Blue Mountains to get to Lithgow. The flight was planned to help them avoid the closure of Victoria Pass. But when Guirguis and Italiano arrived at the helicopter base, their scheduled helicopter was not there.“We needed to board the helicopter by 5.10 pm because they wouldn’t fly after sunset. But then we got there early and there was no helicopter there,” Guirguis said.They received a call from the company’s head office informing them that the helicopter was being used to help extinguish bushfires in the Blue Mountains.“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,” Italiano said.The delay lasted about 30 minutes and Fathom eventually took the helicopter to Lithgow and continued with the next part of the challenge.
Plane problem added to delay
The journey became difficult again when the duo travelled from Bathurst to Goulburn. They had arranged a chartered plane for this part of the trip, but even getting to the flight became a problem. “Firstly we went to the wrong terminal,” Guirguis said.Once they were ready to leave, another problem appeared. Italiano said the plane’s right propeller stopped working as they were taking off.“As soon as we were taking off, the right propeller stopped working,” he said. The pilot then upgraded the pair to a jet. Our pilot upgraded us to a jet which was fantastic and a lot safer,” Italiano said.The problem had put the duo about an hour behind schedule. They still had to reach Canberra, set up and perform their final show before the 12-hour period ended.The final road trip went more smoothly. Guirguis said they encountered green traffic lights all the way to Canberra. “We just had green lights all the way to the venue,” she said.After arriving, the pair went straight on stage and performed their final 15-minute set. “Cate and I jumped on stage, pumped out a 15-minute set,” Italiano said. The countdown showed how close the attempt had become. “We had a look at the countdown, there was only about 15 seconds,” he said.
Fundraising for Beyond Blue
The record attempt was also linked to a fundraising effort for mental health charity Beyond Blue. Fathom said the tour had raised at least $2,200.The duo also wanted the performances to support other musicians. Italiano said half of the money from ticket sales was intended for Beyond Blue, while the other half would go to the bands supporting Fathom during the attempt.“We wanted half of the sale going to Beyond Blue and the other half going to the bands that were supporting us. So we actually won’t be making any profit from this,” Italiano said.The pair wanted to support musicians who were struggling to find work after the Covid-19 pandemic. Italiano said, “Ever since Covid, the music industry definitely took a big hit. 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.”
Evidence for record being prepared
Finishing the nine shows does not immediately make the attempt an official Guinness World Records achievement. Fathom now has to submit evidence so the organisation can verify the claim.The duo needs to show that at least 10 people were present at every venue through ticket links. They also needed at least two witnesses with them throughout the attempt.The band also recorded video evidence. Italiano wore a body-worn camera strapped to his chest during the journey to document the attempt.Fathom will now compile its evidence and submit the claim to Guinness World Records. The verification process could take several months.Italiano has previously gone through the record process. He broke the record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours in 2022.For now, the duo plans to take a break after completing the demanding journey. Fathom also released a song called Record Breakers on Saturday, giving the attempt its own soundtrack. “That’ll be our soundtrack for the next few months,” Italiano said.
