The single, recorded in Wellington’s The Surgery with engineer Lee Prebble at the controls (Trinity Roots, The Phoenix Foundation, The Black Seeds) is a twang-laden, rapid-fire piece of classic rock ’n’ roll amphetamine. Echoing the legend Chuck Berry himself with its blues swing, during its final climax you half expect it to go the way of Johnny. B. Goode in that legendary scene in Back to the Future. It doesn’t of course, but it has that "try and keep up, OK?" feeling about it.
Accompanying the band on its South Island jaunt will be a range of fresh, vivid artworks by Wellington abstract artist and former Dunedin resident Deano Shirriffs. After doing set design on their January tour, and selling most of his paintings, he is back on the road, adding surreal visual conversations to the mix and providing some large-scale beautiful set design and backdrops.
Dream Duo
Dream folk duo French For Rabbits released their sophomore album The Weight Of Melted Snow this week, and the band are on tour throughout March to coincide with the release. Built around leader Brooke Singer’s delicate voice and ethereal, atmospheric song craft, the new album tells the familiar and often-sung tale of a break-up and all the heartache and transition that comes with it.
There’s a slight twist here though, the relationship Singer is dissecting, mourning, and moving on from is that with her French For Rabbits co-founder and guitarist John Fitzgerald. These are touching, caring, intelligent songs, amplified with gorgeous sonic colour by a band with just the right touch for sadness, nostalgia, and all that weight conveyed by the title.
Fringe Festival
Dunedin’s performance spaces are fit to burst with the 2017 Dunedin Fringe Festival in full swing. Music plays a big part, with curated festival club nights each Friday and Saturday, emerging talent from Amped Dunedin, and the strange echoes of the Dunedin Sound coming from Anything Could Happen and its playful re-creation of Roy Colbert’s legendary Records Records and the Dunedin Sound Karaoke party. Details are online.
If I had to pick a highlight, I’d lean towards the
Lines of Flight music festival, which showcases experimentation across a wide range of musical genres from noise to jazz.
- Sam Valentine
The gigs
• Fraser Ross & the 04s BBC single release tomorrow at Benessere Studios, 67 Princes St with exhibition by Deano Shirriffs. Tickets from undertheradar.co.nz.
• The Weight Of Melted Snow album release Friday, March 17 at Pequeno. Tickets from undertheradar.co.nz. 8.30pm doors. The Weight Of Melted Snow is out now via Home Alone Music, https://frenchforrabbits.bandcamp.com/.
• Lines of Flight starts at 1pm today at the Anteroom, Port Chalmers with LSD Fundraiser, Teen Haters, Drorgan and F*** Chairs.
