Tuesday, December 13, 2011

On the road again, again

So John and Rachel from the Broken Heartbreakers are coming back for the summer, and I thought it might be nice if we did a little tour together.  Basically I reckon they've probably written some pretty sweet new songs after kicking around in the overseas for eighteen months or so, and I'd quite like to learn them.  The best way to learn songs is to get in a van and drive around the country singing them every night for a little while, stopping along the way to sit next to picturesque lakes and take photos of glaciers, so that is essentially what I have organised. Along the way we will play in some awesome places with some awesome people, including our old friends Matt Langley, John White and Rosy Tin Teacddy, and newer friends Delaney Davidson and of course the amazing Luckless, of which more later.  Here are the dates, and I'll even copy and paste the press release for your info, underneath a couple of pictures from the tour I just finished with Luckless.  You should never read press releases unless you're a journalist because they're full of lies and only real journalists can tell the difference, so it's probably best if you just look at the pictures.

Here are Ivy and Will outside the place we played in Okarito. Okarito is a tiny town on the South Island 
West Coastwith signifacantly more birds than people, so you get the idea.  It was amazing.


Here is Will in his Beastwars t-shirt next to the Franz Josef Glacier. Epic.

Dates:
All shows The Broken Heartbreakers Trio and Bond Street Bridge
Thurs 5 Jan Nelson Playhouse
Fri 6 Jan Wairau Valley Dharma Bums Club
Sat 7 Jan Chch Brewery
Sun 8 Jan Oamaru Grainstore Gallery 10th birthday with Delaney Davidson and John White
Wed 11 Jan Dunedin Chick's Hotel with Matt Langley and John White
Thurs 12 Jan Greymouth Frank's
Friday 13 Jan Wellington Meow with Rosy Tin Teacaddy
Sat 14 Jan Paekak St Peter's Hall with  Rosy Tin Teacaddy
Sat 21 Jan Auckland Wine Cellar with Luckless
Sat 4 Feb Auckland Museum


Press Release: The Broken Heartbreakers and Bond Street Bridge on the road Summer 2012

The Broken Heartbreakers and Bond Street Bridge are delighted to announce dates for their forthcoming New Zealand tour in January 2012, bringing folk-pop harmonies and jangling guitars to some of their favourite venues around New Zealand.
The BHBs are returning briefly to these shores for a summer tour after over a year performing  in and around Europe, (including Germany, Spain, The UK and France) and after an extended stay in The Irish republic. The BHB duo of Rachel Bailey and John Guy Howell will be rejoined on this tour by friend and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, Sam Prebble.
Prebble will also be performing solo on this tour under his Bond Street Bridge moniker, playing material from his sophomore album Spring Summer Awesome Winter, released in mid-2011 to glowing reviews.  The last time Sam played with the Heartbreakers was in mid 2010 on a winter tour to mark the release of the band's album Wintersun, and since then he has been touring extensively in Europe and New Zealand. The trio are looking forward to reuniting on this tour and sharing stories and new songs.
“It’s great to be hooking up with Sam again after a year and a half performing as a duo. The trio format retains the intimacy of the two piece, whilst adding a sonic dimension and colour that really brings the songs to life.” says Howell.
The Broken Heartbreakers released a debut EP Everyone’s waiting for their darlin’ in 2006  followed by two critically acclaimed albums, their self-titled debut (2007) and Wintersun (2010). The band will be performing songs from these recordings, and will be introducing new material that has been written during their European adventure.
The Heartbreakers music mixes the bleak with the beautiful, tales of love and loss, drawing on deep roots of country, folk and classic pop melody, but with a defiant and subversive twist and just a touch of modern electricity.  Bond Street Bridge brings a touch of the cinematic, creating soundscapes out of live violin and guitar loops to frame his wry, observational lyrics. Both acts have toured extensively around New Zealand and abroad, playing community halls, art galleries, living rooms, dive bars and town halls, charming audiences with their rich harmonies and warm instrumentation.
Bailey: “John and I have just been through three winters in a row, well, two winters and an Irish summer that is...We’re really excited about getting back home this summer, reconnecting with people and places that seemed, at one stage, a very long way away. We’ve been humbled and inspired in equal measure, but we’re still standing. Our live show will be a celebration of that fact.”
After the tour, the Heartbreakers will be leaving the country again, heading to Melbourne for more shows and recording, so be sure to take this chance to catch the magic at a venue near you.
ENDS
 
What a load of twaddle!  But come to the shows, by all means.