Band amped to play with their heroes

Merrin have made a habit of sharing the bill with their musical heroes.

The band, named after Father Lankester Merrin from The Exorcist, opened for South African rockers Seether in Wellington last May and a month earlier warmed up the crowd for Californian nu metal band P.O.D.

Come February 5, they will be able to add Jimmy Barnes, The Living End, The Angels and Diesel to the list.

Merrin, whose members hail from the Hutt Valley, Kāpiti and Wellington, will open the Red Hot Summer Tour’s stop at the Hutt Recreation Ground in front of an expected crowd of more than 5000.

Guitarist Karl Wootton said punters could expect fun, loud and in-your-face rock.

The band were hand-picked by tour headliner Barnes after they entered a competition by tour promoters in search of a local band to join the Australian lineup for the tour’s only New Zealand show.

Singer Charlie Wootton took the call from the working class man himself last year, and nearly hung up the phone thinking it was a wind-up.

‘‘When I realised who it was, I almost dropped

the phone.’’ She was stunned to learn she would not only be playing to the largest crowd of her career, but on the same stage as some of her musical heroes.

‘‘We’re big fans. I grew up listening to them. I remember going out with my mates and listening to them. We’d sing their songs at the top of our lungs.’’

With four decades of Aussie rock on show, Wootton said she and her bandmates would get to enjoy the experience both as performers and as fans.

Early 2019 has been a busy time for Merrin, who released their single Malevolence last week.

Their album 1 released in 2017, peaked at No 8 on the New Zealand album charts, sharing the list with the likes of Lorde, Modern Māori Quartet, Neil Finn, The Black Seeds and Six60.

The Red Hot Summer Tour will visit Hutt Recreation Ground on Bellevue St, Lower Hutt on February 5. 2:30pm to 10pm. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.

The Bill: Merrin 2.50pm, Diesel 3.30pm, The Angels 5pm, The Living End 6.30pm, Jimmy Barnes 8pm.

KEVIN STENT/STUFF Merrin are playing alongside Jimmy Barnes, inset, as well as The Living End, The Angels, and Diesel at the Red Hot Summer Tour in February. From left, Charlie Wootton (vocals), Logan Wood (bass), Angelo Pantelakis (lead guitar), Karl Wootton (rhythm guitar) and drummer Richard Maxwell Jnr.