Hollie Smith acoustic tour

Hollie Smith is playing two gigs in Northland.

Kiwi songstress Hollie Smith is hitting the road for a tiki tour of New Zealand with a couple of stopoffs in Northland.

The tour will see Smith dropping the band in favour of a smaller, more intimate approach of acoustic guitar and bass accompaniment.

The tour kicks off in Whangarei on September 9 and ends in Kerikeri on October 14, taking in the country’s main centres.

It follows the release of Smith’s third solo album Water or Gold which debuted at number 1 in the charts and kept its top spot for three weeks.

During the tour Marika Hodgson will play bass and together they will showcase new songs as well as classics from Smith’s acclaimed back catalogue.

Smith says stepping out solo without a band to hide behind can be a bit more confronting, but looks forward to the intimacy of the format.

‘‘I can’t afford to pull over the band, but more importantly, it’s just nice to take a smaller show to smaller audiences,’’ she says.

This year Smith has soared to the top of the charts and reclaimed her place in Kiwi music as our first lady of soul and jazz.

She emerged in the late 1990s working with Fat Freddy’s Drop and Trinity Roots before establishing her name as one of NZ’s top acts with the 2006 Don McGlashan penned ‘Bathe In The River’.

Her debut album Long Player sold double platinum and won awardsat the 2007 Vodafone Music Awards.

❚ One One Six, Bank St Whangarei September 9.

❚ The Turner Centre, Kerikeri with special guest Troy Kingi October 14. ❚ Visit holliesmith.co.nz or turnercentre.co.nz