Two of New Zealand’s indie rock heavyweights have joined forces for a formidable collaboration. In spite of weaving disparate paths over the past few decades, eminent local songwriters Don McGlashan and Shayne Carter are now taking their recently developed team show of songs on tour around the country.
These guys don’t need much introduction, but here’s a taster:
Having cut his teeth with bands Blam Blam Blam, the Front Lawn and the Mutton Birds, Don McGlashan has a penchant for reflecting the landscape and people of this country in his songs, and more than a few New Zealanders would consider them the soundtrack of their lives. McGlashan has five entries in APRA’s 100 Best NZ Songs of All Time and two Silver Scroll wins, and his 2006 song “Bathe In The River”, sung by Hollie Smith, is one of the biggest NZ singles of all time. His 2015 album Lucky Stars was highly regarded, described by Metro as “spine-tingling” and by Simon Sweetman at Blog On The Tracks’ as “his finest yet.”
Rock’n’roll has taken Shayne P. Carter everywhere from the Dunedin WINZ office to the Arista offices in New York. Starting out writing songs as a Dunedin teenager on one string of the guitar, he quickly earned accolades and fans as the unstoppable force behind Bored Games and the DoubleHappys. It was Carter’s involvement in Straightjacket Fits through the 80s and early 90s that cemented his status as one of New Zealand’s most impressive songwriters (honoured with a Legacy Award at the 2008 NZ Music Awards). His work that followed with Dimmer went one better - the 2004 Dimmer album You've Got To Hear the Music (2004) won New Zealand Music Awards for Best Album and Best Group. Carter announced his first solo album, titled Offsider, to be released in August 2016. Influenced by classical piano music (Schubert's Lieder, Chopin's Nocturnes, Debussy's neo psychedelia, Mozart's pristine classicism, Beethoven's cosmic exploration), it’s a thrilling sidestep and new evolution for Carter.
Now, the pair hit the road together, sharing stages from the far North to the deep South. While they won’t hold back on renditions of some of their best-known songs, it’s no reunion show, nor a nostalgia trip - more an adventurous wander down the dusty alleys of their musical inventories. The pair’s surprise alliance was first debuted at the 2016 Auckland Arts Festival, wowing crowds and critics alike. David Larsen gave the show a rave 10/10 review in Metro Magazine, saying “the only thing wrong with this concert was that it was too short by half.” In the New Zealand Herald, Russell Baillie hailed the show as “neatly unpredictable… highlights were the hypnotic spells cast by both of McGlashan's Envy of Angels and Seed from Carter's Dimmer days.”
The pair recorded their set live at Auckland studio The Lab the day following the Auckland Arts Festival show, and will have CDs to available exclusively at the shows. While Shayne P. Carter will be on the road in late August promoting his new album Offsider, you won’t want to miss the double-barrelled impact of Don McGlashan and Shayne Carter performing live around Aotearoa. Two of the country’s finest songwriters sharing the stage for a rare occasion.
Don McGlashan and Shayne Carter Tour
Wellington - Thursday 13 October - The Paramount Theatre
Thursday October 20 Christchurch - Aurora Centre
Ashburton - Friday October 21 - Topp Lodge
Wanaka - Saturday October 22 - Luggate Hall
Dunedin - Sunday October 23 - Fortune Theatre
Kerikeri - Thursday October 27 - Turner Centre
Auckland - Friday October 28 - Crystal Palace Theatre
Hamilton - Saturday October 29 - Meteor Theatre
Auckland Leigh - Sunday October 30 - Sawmill Cafe
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