Legendary musical journey continues as The Warratahs return
It is probably fair to say there’s nowhere in New Zealand The Warratahs have not set up, tuned up, and played another memorable set.
They have been through these parts several times, although it’s been nearly six years since they last played in the Bay — at a rodeo.
“We would have been there at the Mission with Neil Diamond but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” bass player Nick Theobald said.
“So we’re looking forward to getting back there.”
The Warratahs will be playing at Napier’s Paisley Stage on October 20 as part of their 10-gig national tour which is a great way to celebrate 30 years since they kicked their now legendary musical journey off with the release of their first album in 1988,
The Only Game in Town . . . which hit the spot immediately picking up a Golden Award as well as Country Music Album Award.
As well as touring they have released a two-disc 24-track compilation called Drivin’ Wheel which spans those 30 years and features all the classics and favourites from Hands of my Heart, Maureen and The Only Game in Town through to their latest songs, like Fast Train.
“We’ll be playing songs from right through the years,” Theobald said.
“And yes, we’ll be doing those songs of Barry’s [Saunders] which are part of New Zealand music history now.”
Saunders formed The Warratahs in 1985 with Wayne Mason and they became a huge part of the Wellington musical landscape through doing a two-year residency at the inner-city tavern The Cricketer’s Arms.
They began touring in 1987 and stopped in at Gore where the Gold Guitars country music awards were being staged.
Three days later they left with the Best Group award.
No surprise there, given they had released the classic Hands of My Heart by that stage, which Saunders and bandmate Mason penned.
There have been some line-up shifts through the three decades but along with Saunders one of the originals, Nik Brown, is still there. “I’m the new boy,” Theobald said. “I’ve been with them getting on about eight years now.”
And for drummer Michael Knapp it is his second stint for The Warratahs.
The Napier gig is the eighth on the tour list and Theobald said it had been going really well.
“We’ve had a couple of sold-out gigs and we had a great show at the Wellington Meow.”
He said while they had not played at the Paisley Stage before they had heard plenty about it, and Theobald had looked in at it online.
“It looks great,” he said. When the current tour wraps up at Invercargill at the end of the month they won’t be off-stage too long.
Back in February the Boathouse Cafe in Nelson was badly damaged when storm-driven seas hammered it. But after a major re-build it is set to open again, and The Warratahs have been invited to play two shows as part of its big re-launch.