Mother Guru reunite
The dreadlocks may have disappeared, but the anticipation of a full reunion has been growing for Mother Guru.
Fourteen years after the Nelson rock band’s last show, guitarist Darryl Coppins, bassist Josh Parkes, singer Mo Dry and drummer Tama Brightwell will reunite for a one-off show at Club Paradox in Nelson on December 29.
A fixture on the Nelson music scene in the early 2000s, Mother Guru formed in 1999 when Coppins met Parkes and Dry through the Nelson School of Music’s contemporary music performance course. He met Brightwell, who was living in Golden Bay, while hitchhiking near Havelock.
A five-year run of gigs followed for the band, including national tours, a 2003 self-titled album, and a slot on the bill at the 2002 Big Day Out, prompted by a 400-signature petition to the festival organisers. Without releasing a single, Mother Guru became the first unsigned band to get a BDO slot.
The band’s last show with their original lineup was at the Club Paradox venue, then known as the Phat Club, prior to their 2005 breakup.
‘‘We were writing some of our best music at the time but it was just life, really – [Mo] just had a baby, and Tama and I were quite set on moving to Melbourne,’’ Coppins says. ‘‘There were no hard feelings, and we all stayed in touch.’’
All four members have remained involved with music. Parkes and Dry now live in Auckland and Greymouth respectively, while Brightwell and Coppins are based in Melbourne.
After flying to Toronto in 2007 armed with ‘‘a guitar, suitcase and my rock ’n’ roll dreams’’ to audition for Canadian band Sound and Fury, Coppins’ own musical journey has been a rocker’s dream – touring North America and Britain, opening for Kiss, and playing at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics. His ‘‘wow’’ moment, however, was playing London’s Brixton Academy on his birthday.
Coppins now spends more time behind the scenes working in production – a return of sorts to his days coordinating New Year’s Eve concert The Cusp in Nelson.
A mini-Mother Guru reunion occurred in 2016 when, minus Brightwell, the band played a sellout Auckland show, with fellow Nelsonian Gareth Scott filling in on drums. Buoyed by the positive response, a full reunion seemed inevitable, Coppins said.
Mother Guru will be supported by local band Deranger, and Honey Trap from Christchurch. Visit eventfinder .co.nz for more information.