Andrew London Trio & Kokomo (unplugged)

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! Two top bands, separate and together - one great night of swing and blues!

Andrew London and the Kokomo boys have been friends for many years but they rarely get to play together. Once a year in fact. The last time was October 2018 when they joined forces for a sensational show at the Omokoroa Boat Club. Now, by popular demand, they're doing it again! Join them for a night of musical adventure and fun.

THE ANDREW LONDON TRIO

For many years Hot Club Sandwich was country's premier swing trio, noted for fantastic musicianship and a slew of humorous songs skewering the pretensions of middle-class New Zealand. 5 years ago singer/songwriter Andrew London formed a new band, the Andrew London Trio.

The current trio sees Andrew on guitar and vocal duties, with woodwind exponent James Tait-Jamieson contributing saxophones, flute, Irish whistle, melodica and a vocal crooning style honed in the Bublé/Connick/Sinatra school. The bass chair is occupied by Kirsten London, who also contributes occasional standards lifted from the Doris Day and Nancy Sinatra songbooks. .

The song titles say it all: 'Let's Talk About Me', 'I Hugged My Mate', 'Country's Buggered', 'I Think I'll Buy a Yacht'. Andrew's whimsical songs reflect the national psyche with gentle irreverence, and playfully lampoon many of New Zealand society's obsessions and taboos. Delivery is wrapped in an easy-going and accessible 1940s-era ‘Hot Club Swing’ package, with occasional sallies into folk, blues and jazz; and the trio’s spontaneous banter transforms show into an interactive cabaret experience for both performers and audience.

Reviewers have made comparisons to the late John Clarke (who confessed to being a fan), Tim Minchin, Flanders and Swann, Tom Lehrer, and even Noel Coward. The trio has headlined music festivals in Australia, New Zealand and Norfolk island, and is the only Kiwi act in recent times to perform in Saudi Arabia. The band has just released its seventh album and a DVD, recorded live at the Wellington Bluegrass Society in June.

KOKOMO (Unplugged)

Pioneering Tauranga-based blues 'n' roots favourite, Kokomo has been making music now for 28 years, creating a unique sound that has been called "Kiwiana Blues". The band is renowned for dynamic live shows and acclaimed songwriting. Kokomo has toured extensively throughout New Zealand, performing at the country’s major rock, blues, jazz and folk festivals.

The band has also released twelve albums and a live concert DVD. Three are collections of traditional blues, one is a tribute to the songs of Bob Dylan, while others feature the band’s own songs.

Kokomo's latest album 'Sunset Claws' was released in August 2019 and takes the band in a more pop/rock direction. It has proved extremely popular on streaming services such as Spotify while videos for the first three singles are on the band's YouTube channel, Facebook page and official website.

But for this special show, Kokomo is very excited to be returning to the acoustic trio line-up of the early years - a format last seen during a special performance at 2019's National Jazz Festival - with Derek Jacombs, Grant Bullot and Nigel Masters delivering gutsy blues and their own songs on acoustic guitar, blues harp and upright bass.

Expect Kokomo's usual eclectic mixture of blues and beyond: some gutsy old Delta blues, Kokomo favourites from through the years, and maybe even a Bob Dylan song or two, all reworked for an acoustic trio format.

NB
This concert is general admission and, since it is at Tauranga Boys' College's Graham Young Youth Theatre, will be alcohol-free. There will be other refreshments. Doors open @ 7.30pm