The Southern Isle
June 8, 2007 – 7:18 pmIf you're new, you should subscribe to my RSS feed so you can see when I've updated. CHOICE!
Great. I’ve proved yet again that I’m hopeless at updating. So, 2 weeks after the fact, I’ll let you in on the highlights of The Brunettes’ south island excursion.
I’ve decided I could happily live in Dunedin if I wanted to. I’ve found it kind of depressing and boring on previous trips, but this time it felt like the kind of place people had previously described it as; gothic, creative, snug and interesting.
We flew into Christchurch from Auckland on the Thursday night and drove straight to Dunedin, which made for a good full day for general bumming around on Friday. There are some great second hand clothing stores in Dunedin, but for some reason I’ve lost interest in op shopping.
The bar we were playing at was right in the middle of the university (kind of like a grotty version of Shadows I guess, but with a bit more character). The ceiling was low, the walls covered in scribbles from previous bands’ gigs. I began to imagine what sort of crazy gigs must have taken place in that room - probably over-romanticising the place a little to myself (as is often the case with stories of drunken Dunedin nights).
We met our local support band for the evening, Haunted Love. They’re two girls, Geva and Rainy - one on an old Farfisa-type organ (which also provided a beat) and one on an acoustic guitar, both of them singing in perfect music-school-trained harmony. They were friendly (as everyone down there seems to be), and later in the evening I was pretty much enchanted by their music. Their name suits them really well. The organ’s tone and soft rhythms made for an eerie but overwhelmingly pleasing sound that carried their vocals beautifully. I really want them to play up in Auckland.
Lesley, station manager at Radio One (Dunedin’s student radio station) and organiser of the gig, showed us to our band room where an insane amount of beer and whiskey awaited us. Talk about southern hospitality.
When we finally got on stage we were well in the mood for an energetic set, and by the look of the rowdy crowd they were too. John (our drummer) had his own fan club of 20 or so drunken mates from uni (he used to go to Otago) who at times overpowered some of the quieter numbers with their chants.
In the end though it was probably the best gig we’ve played so far on the tour. We played really well, and the response from the crowd was awesome.
Geva from Haunted Love - Refuel, Dunedin. Photo by Roger Grauwmeijer.
Haunted Love - Refuel, Dunedin. Photo by Roger Grauwmeijer.
Teenwolf - Refuel, Dunedin. Photo by Roger Grauwmeijer.
Heather - Refuel, Dunedin. Photo by Roger Grauwmeijer.
The next day we rose early and drove to Christchurch, hung over as hell. Arriving at 4.30 in the afternoon, we had to pack into the venue and soundcheck straight away.
Not as much to report from Christchurch apart from the fact we had a smoke machine. The crowd were nice and receptive in a somewhat quieter way than what we’d experienced the night before. It was fun.
And that’s about it. We’re playing in two weeks at the Masonic in Devonport. An all ages show in the afternoon, then an R18 affair in the evening.
