Billed as an extensive tour of towns and cities outside the four main centres, Arabia (aka James Milne) and his four-piece band hope that playing in smaller towns will inspire some memorable moments.
''That was my intention,'' the kind and funny Arabia says down the phone.
''That we wouldn't play any main centres on tour. That was essentially why we booked Lyttelton and Port Chalmers, so we can justify that it's not actually Christchurch and Dunedin.''
With two snappy poppy and critically acclaimed albums already under the Arabia moniker, 2006's inaugural Taite Music Prize winner Chant Darling, and last year's The Sparrow, Milne is also hoping to use the tour as a song road-test for some future recordings.
''I've been writing a lot of songs, not all of them are shaping up to be on a Lawrence Arabia record, but I've just been focusing on being a songwriter. Doing a lot of shows is a good opportunity to add to tracks, which we might be able to record for the beginning of a new record.''
The new songs come alongside a reorganisation of time and priorities for Milne, leaning towards the utilitarian nature of his recent major project, fatherhood.
''It has definitely changed the way I write songs and the way I approach time, trying to fit work activities into 45-minute naps. There's a lot less time for existential crisis.
"I've always been quite prone to those, anyone who does something as analytical and ephemeral as songwriting is probably quite prone to them, but I've found it's freed me up to focus on meeting someone's needs and loving them.''
An experienced touring outfit, Milne will be joined by Tom Watson (lead guitar, trumpet and vocals), Hayden Eastmond-Mein (bass guitar and vocals) and Alistair Deverick (drums and vocals) for the 90-minute-plus show.
• Christchurch/Port Chalmers Flying Nun legends The Bats will make a rare appearance in Dunedin next week at Chick's Hotel.
Gaining traction from a slew of '80s classics, in 2011 the band released Free All Monsters, their eighth full-length album and one described by indie tastemaker pitchfork.com as ''their best record in years, possibly ever''.
Support comes from Deirdre Newall's Tiny Pieces Of Eight who recently released their debut album.
Be There
Honorary Bedouin Records and Under The Radar present Lawrence Arabia's New Zealand (Tour) with support from Tom Watson. Tuesday, November 5, Penguin Club, Oamaru; Wednesday, November 6, Chick's Hotel, Port Chalmers; Thursday, November 7, Gin And Raspberry, Wanaka. Tickets ($12) for Oamaru and Port Chalmers available online at undertheradar.co.nz/utr/ticket
The Bats at Chick's Hotel, Friday, November 8, 9pm. Door sales only.
