Heavenly songs set to raise church roof
The unique acoustics and surroundings of St John’s Cathedral in Napier are set to feature another set of unique New Zealand artists who are embarking on the 2016 Church Tour.
Sharon O’Neill, Shona Laing, Debbie Harwood and Hammond Gamble are names well etched into the fine landscape of New Zealand music and they are set to answer the prayers of many locals when they arrive in the Napier’s great church venue on September 20.
It will be the first concert of the nine-concert tour.
The impressive cathedral, which has drawn glowing accolades for its acoustic excellence, has previously been the stage for equally iconic Kiwi performers like Dave Dobbyn, Don McGlashan, Anika Moa, Barry Saunders, Delaney Davidson and Marlon Williams.
The songs of O’Neill, Laing, Harwood and Gamble are effectively part of the national lexicon and they will deliver them in the unique surroundings — but there will be more than just just musical notes filing the air.
There will be stories from the musical roads they have travelled, as well as general banter and that means there are likely to be plenty of laughs.
The Church Tour will be the first time all four have appeared together, although O’Neill, Laing and Harwood appeared together as part of the Auckland Zoo series in 2015 and Harwood featured as a vocalist on Gamble’s last two albums.
Promoters Brent Eccles and Campbell Smith are delighted with the line-up for the tour in 2016, with Eccles saying that concert-goers should prepare themselves for an exceptional night out.
“The Church tour has a tradition of bringing out spine-tingling collaborative and individual performances and I can already feel that this year is going to be exceptional in that way.”
One of the most prolific and respected writers of her generation, Sharon O’Neill first caught the attention of CBS Records in 1979, quickly becoming the darling of early 80s pop in New Zealand.
O’Neill has penned some of the biggest and most well-known hits in New Zealand’s music history, including Words, Asian Paradise, Let Love Go, and Maxine.
At just 17, Laing signed to Phonogram, as it was clear she possessed a musical skill which had rarely been seen before.
She was named Best New Artist and Recording Artist of the Year in 1973 as a result of the overwhelming success of the singles 1905 and Show Your Love which both went gold in the sales arena.
Perhaps best known for the smash hit single (Glad I’m) Not a Kennedy, which was voted No. 24 in the Top 100 New Zealand Songs Of All Time in 2001, Laing has forged a reputation as one of the hardest working artists in New Zealand music.
As a member of some of our nation’s favourite bands, including When the Cat’s Away, Harwood has accumulated awards including Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1985 and Most Promising Group in 1987.
She will draw from an extensive back catalogue for the Church Tour shows, but also promises to debut new material, currently being recorded at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios.
Gamble is a long-time fixture on New Zealand’s live music scene, his distinctive vocals and guitar prowess have fired a career that has now spanned more than four decades.
Renowned for his soulful, bluesinspired performances, the charismatic singer-songwriter is also recording new material which will be showcased on the Church Tour, along with the songs we all know and love.
The 2016 Church Tour — Sharon O’Neill, Shona Laing, Debbie Harwood and Hammond Gamble. Tuesday, September 20 at St John’s Cathedral, Napier. Tickets on sale from the websites ticketmaster.co.nz and churchtour.co.nz from noon on July 11.
"The Church tour has a tradition of bringing out spinetingling collaborative and individual performances and I can already feel that this year is going to be exceptional in that way." Brent Eccles, promoter