Musicians struck chord with local fans
Ian Loveridge and Allan Manu were well known on the Taranaki music scene and died within a day of each other earlier this month. Mike Watson looks back on their lives.
Ian Loveridge and Allan Manu began their careers in an era of big bars, mullet haircuts, and beer served in jugs.
The music was loud, the summers sizzled, and pub-goers smoked inside – and not only cigarettes.
Loveridge and Manu each drew a loyal following wherever they played, from Thursday through to Saturday, packing out local watering holes like the White Hart, the Bell Block Hotel, and the Ngamotu Tavern.
Loveridge, or Lovey, became a full-time musician soon after leaving school and plied his trade on both sides of the Tasman with a number of popular cover bands.
Manu, or Big Al, was a crane operator during the week, and followed his musical interests in the weekends playing at functions, weddings, and in hotels in Taranaki.
The pair both died of cancer within a day of each other earlier this month.
Loveridge, 64, found local fame as the charismatic frontman and vocalist for The Sneakers, which had a resident gig at The White Hart Hotel in the late 70s.
The band enjoyed huge support at popular venues around the city, including the Ngamotu Tavern, the Bell Block Hotel, and the Westown Hotel up to five nights a week.
In the early 1980s he moved to Australia and continued to play in cover bands in Sydney and
Melbourne, the central New South Wales coast, and also in Singapore.
With pop rock band Going Public Loveridge recorded Ecstasy Street which became a hit.
‘‘He had a strong voice, a bit like Robert Palmer,’’ his former partner, Felicity Kay said.
‘‘He was very charismatic and had a good sense of humour, and was very popular with many people.
‘‘He loved living the life of a musician, and the rock and roll lifestyle, it was his calling.’’
Friend Brent Page played alongside Loveridge to packed bars in three bands, including
Summerbird, Nightcaps, and The Sneakers, from the early 70s.
Summerbird would entertain the hippie and surfie crowd on stifling summer evenings in the Tasman Hotel’s Sunset Lounge, Page said.
‘‘The Sneakers were neo-punk and the epitome of Lovey’s musical career before he went to Australia.
‘‘We always had a huge following when we played but the music industry is fraught with hazards which we were not immune to.’’
In spite of their success, the band eventually fell apart as a result of ‘‘excessive recreational activities, or women’’ he said.
‘‘Above it all Lovey remained a well-loved and entertaining frontman.’’
Allan Manu, 68, was born into a family of musicians whose members could play any instrument from the tin whistle to the guitar, niece Erin Manu said.
Manu, who made his name composing and singing Surf Highway 45, could play any string instrument with ease.
‘‘Allan was the youngest and the Hoani Rd, Okato, family home was always full of friends and family playing music at gatherings,’’ she said.
‘‘When the partying had stopped and everyone had gone to bed, Allan would come out and mimic his uncles, or father, on the guitar.
‘‘That’s how he learnt to play the guitar but he could play anything, like his father.’’
Both Manu’s father, Dick, and mother, Lucy, were accomplished musicians who had a large collection of 45s and LPs to listen to.
At 15 Manu bought his first guitar, a Commodore, from a music store in New Plymouth.
‘‘Later he got friends together to form a three-piece band, with a homemade bass guitar and converted valve radios for amplifiers,’’ she said.
Manu later played in hotels in Wellington, sharing the stage with Bunny Walters, and the Prince Tui Teka Band, before returning to Taranaki.
‘‘He was able to take his music skills to the next level,
Loveridge and Manu each drew a loyal following wherever they played.
from being a hobby to working as a musician.’’
Back in New Plymouth he played alongside the Erueti family in The Refections, and with Calibre at the Westown Hotel, as well in duets with Ken Fenwick.
Living in Australia during the 1980s he changed from the formal cabaret style to reggae with Un Tabu.
Back in Taranaki he formed Backlash where a regular night would start with Gay Gordons and end with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Manu said.
‘‘He had a huge range of musicianship and always taught younger musicians to practise and learn their trade.’’
Manu was well known to be generous with his time and mentored many young Ma¯ ori musicians, she said.
A few weeks before his death, 300 people from around New Zealand, and Australia attended a tribute concert for him at the Ra¯ hotu Tavern where he had run monthly ‘open mic’ events.
Ian Arthur Noel Loveridge died on October 16.
Allan James (Manu) Manukonga died on October 17.