Sou’westers expected in Mapua
Batten down the hatches - there’s a band of Sou’westers heading our way.
In a rare appearance, the Sou’westers come together at the Playhouse in Mapua this Saturday evening.
The trio have enjoyed a good response to their album Going West, which spent six weeks on the NZ official album charts.
Liam Ryan of Kiwi band The NARCs joins award-winning solo artists Aly Cook and Dean Hetherington of the Coalrangers to bring an evening of fabulous songs and rich harmonies in a full band setting.
They will be accompanied by Dougy Stenhouse and Fraser Campbell, who is known to many as the principal of Riwaka School.
Saturday night’s show will be Cook’s first hometown show for the year.
The country singer-songwriter enjoyed a musically-successful 2017 which included performances at Victoria’s Mildura Country Music Festival and finished with two prizes at the Tasmanian International Country Music Awards.
Travelling down for the show from his Waihi base, former Nelson resident Ryan said it was a thrill to be returning to Nelson to play alongside his ‘‘southern musical whanau’’.
Having run the Jazz festival and the NMIT music course, Ryan has recent shows in the region as a member of his old band at 2016’s Snaparock concert at the Trafalgar Centre, as well as The Doors tribute band The Lizard Kings.
As well as regularly performing, Ryan has been back in the studio mixing a new NARCs single.
While his work up north was keeping him busy, playing with The Sou’westers offered a welcome change of pace, he said.
‘‘It really feels authentic to that area – I love the mountains and sea and the fact that the music comes out of the ground - because they are originals and the musicians have the South Island as a home base, it just has a particular sound that comes out when we get together.’’
Ryan said he considered The Playhouse, as well as Onekaka’s The Mussel Inn and Nelson’s Boathouse, as some the most iconic music spots in New Zealand.
‘‘Nelson’s so lucky to have those mid-sized venues which allow musicians to do intimate, original shows – it’s a gift,’’ he said.
General Admission tickets for the 7.30pm show are $20.00, available at eventfinda online or 0800 BUY TIX.